On the administrative side, Vistan’s responsibilities as a showrunner include managing budgets, finding locations, and working with the production designer. Meanwhile, she ensures the creative vision is achieved by guiding the writers and directors to shape the story. However, there would be times when the actors would surprise her.

“For the Secret Ingredient, I would be on Zoom with our Korean writer, Baek Dong-hoon, and we would write the plots and the script. But then Julia Baretto or Sang Heon Lee would say the line differently from how we read it. In promoting a collaborative environment, it’s not like ‘say it this way because this is how we imagined it,’ but it’s more of saying ‘let me see how they say it’, and actually that’s much better,” she recalls.

Vistan likens creating a show to a big pot of stew where everybody puts in something in the pot. “The secret ingredient is really collaboration. You come out with the best version of that show as possible through trusting the people you bring into the projects, what they can contribute, and how they can add to it. It’s important to be open to what the people can bring,” she says.

For K-Love, Vistan worked with sisters Tara Sering and Tweet Sering, both acclaimed Filipino writers. With women at the forefront of making the show meant to feel like Sex and the City, this romantic comedy features empowered characters who bond over a shared experience. In the meantime, Baek Dong-hoon of Le Grand Chef 2: Kimchi Battle served as head writer for Secret Ingredient.

What Vistan learned in creating these shows after her Marvel stint was that to bring out Asian stories, they have to come from authentic experiences, which helps enable each line to sound more natural. “We [Dong-hoon] would write the scripts together over Zoom, and I would say, ‘What if we did this to the story?’ and then he would tell me, ‘No. A Korean wouldn’t do that’. Then, he would write things that didn’t sound realistic for Maya [Julia Barretto], and I would give my input on what a Filipina would say in that situation. So again, it’s all about listening to people’s thoughts and voices of what would be authentic. For Secret Ingredient, that was what Unilever wanted—a Korean drama in format but with Southeast Asian elements: a Filipina actor and an Indonesian actor.”

Secret Ingredient earned the Silver Dolphin trophy for Branded Content Videos and the Black Dolphin trophy for Best Cast/On-Camera Talent at the recent Cannes Corporate Media and TV Awards. It features an innovative way of showing products where they integrate into the story naturally.

“The story was the priority. Plus the actors Julia Barretto, Sang Heon Lee, and Nicholas Saputra really brought so much to the table. The fact that it was such a cultural collaboration between these countries and that the script had four different languages—English, Tagalog, Bahasa, and Korean—made it an effective experimental work highlighting everyone’s culture,” she says.

Many filmmakers capitalise on having a diverse cast as a means of committing to the pursuit of Asian representation in mainstream entertainment. But for Vistan and other Filipino filmmakers and producers, like Tony-winner Jhett Tolentino, Asian representation means bringing out into the world the stories we have and the sensibilities and situations of being a Filipino in the diaspora.

“When I came home to the Philippines, I wanted to create shows that try to give back everything I learned from the US, especially how we tell stories. Our stories are just as important and representative of our culture. I wanted to create shows where the characters, who happen to be Asians, revolve in stories that are universal that somebody on the other side of the world could relate to.”

But reality check: budgets do not come easily. Ambitious as the premise of Secret Ingredient may be, it doesn’t have the same budget as a Marvel movie. Vistan and her team tried to find clever ways to present the story with camera tricks to stay true to the production requirement while keeping faith in the story’s core and the actors’ ingenuity.

“Working around smaller budgets forces you to be crafty and think of solutions to make it work.”

Read more: Hollywood indie film ‘Asian Persuasion’ gives a glimpse of the Filipino-American life

What might her autobiography be titled? “Grit,” Vistan says.

She explains, “I always felt so much of my work was successful because of the hard work I put into it. I don’t think I was naturally blessed with an amazing talent like singing or dancing. I guess much of it was just the work and the vision of how I want to represent our culture and be able to tell good stories. You need to make sure that if you need a filmmaker, they better have grit because there will be many challenges, and they must persevere to continue moving on.”

Looking to the future, the self-described independent filmmaker says that she dreams of bringing more local stories to the world stage. “I would like to do more Pinoy dramas, where travel sites around the country and our culture can be highlighted for a global audience.”

Science of Success is dedicated to exploring the principles and practices that lead to achievement in various fields. Through insightful interviews, expert tips and practical techniques, the series delves into the experiences and perspectives of successful individuals, providing readers with strategies to enhance their own paths to success and unlock their full potential. New stories are out every Thursday.

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