Telling Stories

Based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Centre East Media is a fully integrated media production company tooled for the 21st century. The peaceful beauty of the rugged Atlantic is an inspiring home base which offers easy access to Europe and North America.  And lets not forget the excellent Nova Scotia provincial media labour tax credit!

The company is the product of merging Centre Productions – brought to Nova Scoita from Colorado by media veteran James Hoagland – and Wild East Productions, created by award-winning filmmaker Johanna Lunn after leaving the daily grind of the broadcast world behind. With over 67 years of combined experience between us we are inspired to tell stories across platforms which enrich people’s lives, touch hearts and inspire change.

Documentary is our first love, but telling stories in whatever format makes the best sense is our path. We’re very practical that way.

Our Team

Johanna J. Lunn
Johanna J. LunnPartner
20+ years in the film and TV industry have taught Johanna a thing or two about this crazy business. An award-winning producer, director, and writer, she has crafted, and helped to craft, many compelling, entertaining, and profoundly thought provoking programs. Her work has received 8 Gemini (Canadian equivalent of an Emmy) nominations and taken home 3 trophies. In addition to producing over 150 hours of television series & one-offs as an in-house executive producer, she has made independent documentaries for her own companies, Wild East Productions & Centre East Media, and won best documentary at Hot Docs International Film Festival for her moving and timely film, Forgiveness: Stories for Our Time. She has worked as Director of Programming for Alliance Atlantis and played a key role in the launch of IFC – The Independent Film Channel Canada. Prior to that, Johanna was Head of Independent Production for CTV, Canada’s #1 network. She created View-finders, the first competitive international children’s film festival in English-speaking Canada, and was Artistic Director of the Atlantic Film Festival. Years of programming and producing have honed her story-telling ability.
James H. Hoagland
James H. HoaglandPartner
James has been working in the documentary form for over 30 years as a producer, camera operator, sound recordist, editor and technical wizard, responsible for setting a new standard for restoring outdated video formats. He has also worked extensively in archival settings. In addition to numerous educational projects, his film credits include the recently re-mastered release of The Lion’s Roar about the life of His Holiness the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa; Discovering Elegance, about an environmental “dharma” art exhibit created by meditation master Chögyam Trungpa, held at the Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art; and Living Peace, about an award given to His Holiness the Dalai Lama at The Great Stupa of Dharmakaya in Colorado featuring talks by Her Majesty Queen Noor, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche and Rabbi Irwin Kula.
Tracy Picha
Tracy PichaAssociate Producer
A 16-year career as a journalist—at the National Post, the Canadian News Desk, Flare magazine, The National (in Abu Dhabi), and Mindful magazine—prepared Tracy for her work with Centre East Media. In addition to learning the ins and outs of media financing, Tracy is a guiding force behind the WYD website. She researches, writes and edits with an eye to the stories that best inform our lives right now.

67 years of combined experience in the media business our skills include:

  • Storytelling
  • Feature documentaries, comedy series, shorts, MOW’s
  • Content programming for websites, film festivals & television
  • International production working in over 12 countries around the world
  • SD & HD production across platforms
  • Webcasting
  • Sound & picture editing
“…[Forgiveness:] is a tremendous body of work. You [Johanna] and your crew deserve to be commended. I hope it’s entered for lots of awards. It deserves every piece of hardware it receives and then some.”
Charles Adler, syndicated radio talk show host
“…[An Uncommon King] is a colourful, fast-moving filmography, orchestrating and integrating image, action, and interview, in which the Uncommon King’s uncommon kingdom is revealed as a kingdom of the heart, his realm as the realm of the mind and its only law the gentleness of the actions the enlightened heart leads to,”
Stephen Pedersen, The Chronicle Herald