We had the good fortune of connecting with Mona Maahn and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mona, what principle do you value most?
As cheesy as it may sound: empathy. To me the most important thing as we move through life is to do so with empathy, in all aspects. I feel that life is easier when I treat people, even those I may disagree with, with empathy since anything else does more harm than good. You never know what a person is or has been going through, and so simply being kind and empathetic is such an easy task that may make a big impact on someone’s day. In professional terms you obviously can’t always make everybody happy, and sometimes you have to make hard decisions or have tough conversations which are not always fun or easy. Nevertheless, I think there is a way to be assertive and empathetic at the same time and I hope that the industry is moving more in that direction where you don’t have to be cutthroat to get ahead. Film and TV is an incredibly collaborative industry where relationships are everything. I count myself lucky to be surrounded by talented people who have the common desire to create something impactful, be it to make people laugh, provide an escape, or create a piece of work that… you guessed it… invokes empathy and nurtures understanding. In my opinion there’s no better medium than film to do so, which is why I got involved in this industry in the first place.

Can you walk us through how you came to Los Angeles and got involved in the film industry in the first place?
As a typical German who loves structure and a clear path, I really am crazy for picking a career in the film industry. My journey began in London, where I studied journalism but quickly found the work less fulfilling and more lonely than I had anticipated. Luckily, I had a class on broadcasting where we had to shoot a mini-doc, and I loved every minute of the process. In a bit of a gamble, I decided to move to New York to pursue what I thought suited me better – I enrolled in Columbia University where I received a bachelors and later a graduate degree in Film. During these years I threw myself into New York’s independent film scene and worked on as many projects as possible, honing my skills as a producer and expanding my network. It wasn’t always easy, especially given the interruptions caused by COVID and the resulting cancellations or losses of funding, but it was always rewarding. When the city, and film industry, shut down in the wake of the pandemic, there was a silver lining for me as I found my true passion: development. Shoots were canceled, and more time was spent revising scripts, and given my background in journalism and as a writer, I had found my niche. To me, a film lives and dies based on the script, and so at this stage I work tirelessly to ensure that the script is as good as it could possibly be. I love working with writers, who to me are some of the most interesting and empathetic people in the world, and the most fulfilling work I’ve done is in nurturing a writer’s process and helping them make their themes and characters feel truer to their artistic intent. In particular, projects that are grounded in reality and which are inherently dramatic are the ones that excite me most. Things based on true stories or that feel like they could be – these are the stories that everyone can relate to and can find themselves within. As a producer, I feel that we are in the wonderful position of helping creators have their story heard, and being the support system they can lean on to put their strongest work forward. The lack of structure and path in the industry, while originally daunting, has luckily been clarified and I now know the people I want to work with and the stories I want to tell, and I am so excited for what the future holds.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
LA is an incredible place due to its versatility. In one day you are able to go swimming in the ocean, hike the desert and have dinner at an amazing restaurant in a busy neighborhood. When people come to visit me I always try to show LA from its best side. A typical day would include a Tuna Canyon hike followed by a casual lunch on the beach (preferably with lobster rolls from Broad Street Oyster Company in Malibu). As a tourist destination I like to take people to the Warner lot tour since it always amazes non-film people and there is no other place in the world where you can do that. In the evening I like to take advantage of the amazing talented musicians and comedians that are in town and find a live event to go to. Depending on the time of year some options include catching a film at Hollywood Forever, going to the Aero Theater in Santa Monica and watching an old movie on 35mm, spend the night laughing at Groundlings for improv or the Comedy Store for standup. My favorite thing to do though is to catch a concert at one of the amazing outdoor venues like the Hollywood Bowl or The Greek. As far as dinner goes there’s an impossibly huge amount to sift through, some of my favorites are Langer’s Delicatessen, Bestia in DTLA, and Park’s Korean BBQ, but picking a neighborhood and really diving into it and seeing what they have to offer is the best way to find new restaurants and places to go.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
At times the film industry can appear walled off, closed to outsiders, and impossible to penetrate. Thankfully, I have been lucky to have numerous mentors throughout my career who took me under their wing and helped me to grow as a creative producer. This is an industry based on connections, and having people to open doors, to teach you things, or simply to encourage you is so instrumental to finding your path. Whether it was someone inviting me to be a part of their project, listening to and valuing my opinions on scripts, or giving me the opportunity to shine as a producer, I am grateful for everyone who has been there for me throughout this journey. They helped me grow in my abilities and confidence, and the lessons and skills they have taught me have been invaluable. This gratitude I have for the people for said YES to me when I was new and inexperienced to this world will always stay with me, and when I get the chance to welcome the next slightly nervous but excited new arrivals to LA, I hope to be the person to open the door to them and give them hope at a career in this field.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mona-maahn-1a53b41b5

Other: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm6249118/

Image Credits
© JOYLAND, Khoosat Films © BERRY PICKERS, Agnes Karlsson

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