is76 adobo magazine creative economy

The Creative Economy Issue

ISSUE 76 2019 Philippines Indonesia Malaysia Singapore Hong Kong Thailand

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The economies of the future will not be about exploiting natural resources, farming produce, manufacturing goods, or manual labor. In an era where robotics and artificial intelligence are slowly proving to be equal to man’s capabilities, creativity grows more valuable. Creativity is the fuel that will drive the world’s economies beyond the 21st century.

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Editor’s Note

CREATIVITY STRIKES BACK

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ot too long ago, progress was measured by the presence of financial districts. For so long a time, the driver of the global economy was the sole bailiwick of banks and big corporations but today, industries that were long dormant in the curb are stepping up to take their place in the economy. In a world where everyone consumes, it is a most treasured gift to be able to create. The spotlight of the global economies now must be shared with craftsmen, artisans, filmmakers and designers. This is the Creative Economy.

In a Creative Economy, punching clocks and getting paid by the hour is not the only way to live. This is an economy where an idea is valued, a creation is given its due worth and the industries of crafts, literature, food, film and music are more than appreciated.

The spike of these industries will decongest the world’s urban jungles and distribute the world’s resources even to its smallest corners. With a creative economy, businessmen and corporate executives no longer have to live in the world’s expensive cities but will be able to work remotely armed with the proper gadgets and strong connectivity.

It is in fact a prerogative for me to produce adobo’s first Creative Economy issue with the help of my co-founder of the Creative Economy Council of the Philippines, Paolo Mercado. He has been generous with his writing, sharing the Creative Economy landscape in Southeast Asia and getting us excited for the soonto-rise Maestranza Creative Hub in Intramuros.

Truly, it is a difficult task to single out the contents of this book. From the workshop of Kidlat Tahimik to Professor

John Howkins who coined the term Creative Economy, there is no space, no letter without purpose in this issue.

In the following pages, you will learn what industries contribute to the Creative Economy, and the scale of the contribution of what was long considered to be in the hem of society, the freelancers. We exhibit the local creative hubs managed by young innovators, and we celebrate Baguio’s UNESCO inscription as a Creative City. But also consistent with adobo’s dedication to the advertising industry, this issue highlights the most-sought after metals from The 65th Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity.

What Creative Economy means for our future is that children will no longer have to grow up and be lawyers, doctors and engineers to prosper; that parents who work overseas can come home to an equal opportunity here. By publishing this magazine, we are tapping the potential of the country to be a global creative economy.

We are pooling together resources, strength and skills on a massive scale to put the Philippines at its peak.

It is the time to stop looking down on the liberal arts and give prestige to creators for they provide sustenance to the soul of the world. We must educate our artists to be entrepreneurs and present them to a global market, we must affirm our commitment to diversity and creativity. There is a window left ajar for an enormous opportunity and it’s here, it’s the Creative Economy.

ANGEL V. GUERRERO Founder, Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

ANGEL V. GUERRERO Founder, President and Editor-in-Chief PATRICIA MADISON J. MENDOZA Vice President & Chief Digital Officer

C R E AT I V E S

EDITORIAL

CHAZ REQUIÑA Creative Director

CHIARA DE CASTRO Editorial Director

SAM MACAISA Head of Design

VNITA SOHAL Graphic Designer

NIÑA ANGELICA VENUS Staff Writer

SAMANTHA BELTRAN Freelance Managing Editor

JOJO LLAMANZARES Senior Multimedia Artist

JETHER DANE GUADALUPE Freelance Art Director

PAULINE NACAR Digital Content Writer

ARTHEL TAGNIPEZ Multimedia Producer

TRIXIE ANN FRANCES AGUILA Digital Content Manager

HANNAH MALLORCA Editorial Assistant

SALES & MARKETING

KRISCEL SANTOYO Senior Marketing Manager

EXPERIENCE

MAAN ILUSTRE Brand Partnerships Consultant

CHRISTINE VILLAMOR Marketing Officer

VIM STO. DOMINGO-IDRIS Director for Activation RAFAELA CAYCO Events Manager

ADMIN & FINANCE

ELLEN MACANAS Finance Consultant ROSALINDA ZAFRA HR & Admin Officer

ELSA GALAMGAM MUIKO CAMILLE BOSO MICHELLE DIZON Finance Officers

MICHAEL BARCELON ALAN AGCAOILI Liaison Officers

a d o b o C R E AT I V E H U B

SAMANTHA ZARANDIN Hub Manager

Interns: PATRICIA ISABELA S. PURAY, KEINI GOLDIE U. PASCUAL, & ELAIZA MAE DELA PEÑA

adobo Creative Hub, Unit 102 Ground Floor Building 2, OPVI Center, 2295 Pasong Tamo Extension, Makati City 1231, Philippines TEL: +63 2.845.02.18 info@adobomagazine.com / www.adobomagazine.com

adobo magazine is published quarterly by Sanserif Inc. © 2019 Sanserif Inc. All rights reserved. Printed on recycled paper.

No part of the magazine may be reproduced or transmitted by any means without prior permission of the publisher. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this publication, the publisher and the editor assume no responsibility for errors of omissions or any circumstance of reliance of information in this publication. The opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the views of the publisher and the editor. Advertisements are the sole responsibility of the advertisers.

The Cover

COVER ART

Moataz Mohamed

A slice of creativity should not be taken at par value, for it has the potential to erect an enduring edifice. The essence of a creative economy gears towards a world that is not linear but encompasses both logic and creativity. As the first stimulator of the childhood imagination, these bricks are fitting in the frontline of this issue of adobo.

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Contributors

PAOLO MERCADO

CHRIS CHIU

BEN SCHARLIN

Senior Vice President for Marketing, Communication & Innovation at Nestlé Philippines. He is also the Founder and President of Creative Economy Council of the Philippines and adobo magazine’s resident columnist.

DDB Group Singapore’s Group Chief Creative Officer. He is a multi-awarded creative and also serves as the Head of the DDB Asia Creative Council.

Bes Scharlin has a creative writing degree from Sarah Lawrence College. After 20 years of acting, directing, and writing in New York and Los Angeles, he is currently a marketing director and brand consultant in the Philippines.

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Bea Celdran Denise Gonsalves Nevicshky Calma Christa Escudero Nadz Ruiz Jason Inocencio

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Leah Mababangloob JR Ignacio Katrina Olan Jyrmie Eisenheart Ladiero Kaye Rey Nawal Bonnefoy

Joseph Pascual Mae Lucille Bayron Extra Mile Productions Christian Kelvin Tagnipez Josh Ke Cenon at Mav COVER ART

Moataz Mohamed

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Inside

UPFRONT Infographics

DIGITAL Gallery

FESTIVALS Coverage

THE WORK Deconstructing Creativity

08

14

Spikes Asia Festival

26

Cannes Lions 2018

78

The Talk

the UNESCO

of Creativity

60

Graphika Manila 2019

Creative Cities

Playground

68

Baguio Creative

82

Trash Isles

The Sectors of

Network

18

Intelligence 10

Online Labour Index’s insight

FAB LAB Mindanao

84 88

PEOPLE Centerfold

Gig Economy

Chris Chiu of DDB

Creative Review Group Singapore

Exhibit

Paolo Mercado

Raw

Ideas Report

94

Opinion

WeTransfer

report on the

Industrial Revolutions

Bang for the Buck

Week 2018

Insight 22

Then and Now 92

98

TOQA Twinfame Museum

Neena Gatdula and Anne Karla Rivera

132 Patrick Cabral

Profile 138 John Howkins

COVERSTORY

140 Marvin Conanan

104 Creative Hubs UK

DESIGN Design Thinking

142 Manu Respall

BUSINESS Special Feature

LIFE Watering Hole

108 Creative

126 New Clark City

144 Maco Custodio

158 Advertising trends in Asia

170 Lotus Shores

Innovators Programme 112 Arangkada Philippines Fora 2018 118 Liza Diño: 100 Years of Philippine Cinema

148 Kidlat Tahimik

Creative Corner 152 And a Half Studio

Flipside 154 Jennifer Santos 155 Stephen Douglas

Essentials 156 SinoPinas

The Firm 160 Zapateria

Brand Marketing 164 Kwentong Jollibee Valentines Series

Mediascape 166 GetCraft

Spaces 174 Muji 178 Maestraza Creative Hub

Movie Review 182 Bohemian Rhapsody

Eye On 188 Bandung, Indonesia

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UPFRONT Data driven content with quantifiable facts and figures.

INFOGRAPHICS 08 The Sectors of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network INTELLIGENCE 10 Online Labour Index’s insight report on the Gig Economy

UPFRONT / INFOG R AP H IC S

The Train We Cannot Miss These sectors run through the tracks of UNESCO’s Creative Economy

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ow, more than ever, creativity must gauge an impact across the platforms in the globe. For it to do so, creativity needs to be churned out into every avenue of the city.

GA STRO N O M Y

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Food for sustenance is no longer the norm. Food that fuel the cities’ vibrant gastronomy community and cooked with traditional culinary practices is the next main course. With their unique cuisine, the UNESCO creative cities are bringing their flavors to the world.

Alba, Italy; Buenaventura, Colombia; Cochabamba, Bolivia; Hatay Metropolitan Municipality, Turkey; Macao; Panama City; Paraty, Brazil; San Antonio, USA;

M US I C The spotlight goes well for the bands, choirs and orchestras.

These cities express their creativity not only by plucking the strings and beating the drums but in composing and recording albums, and performing the ballet, theater and opera.

Almaty, Kazakhstan; Amarante, Portugal; Auckland, New Zealand; Brno, Czechia; Chennai, India; Daegu, Republic of Korea; Frutillar, Chile; Kansas City, USA; Morelia, Mexico; Norrköping, Sweden; Pesaro, Italy; Praia, Cabo Verde;

C R A F TS & FO LK A RTS The preservation of indigenous traditions and heritage thrive in these cities. At the same time, the contemporary production of crafts and folk arts are also embedded in the lifestyle of these cities. Hence, craft makers and local artists are concentrated here.

Baguio City, Philippines; Barcelos, Portugal; Cairo, Egypt; Carrara, Italy; Chiang Mai, Thailand; Chordeleg, Ecuador; Gabrovo, Bulgaria; João Pessoa, Brazil; Kütahya, Turkey; Limoges, France; Madaba, Jordan; Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; Porto-Novo, Benin; Sheki, Azerbaijan; Sokodé, Togo; Tétouan, Morocco; and Tunis, Tunisia;

M E D IA A RTS These cities are home to the best of advertising, press, TV and Radio. Residents have wider access to culture through digital technology development. The act of transmitting sound and pictures to the local household is treated as an art and these electric art forms seek the participation of civil society.

Braga, Portugal; Changsha, China; Guadalajara, Mexico; Košice, Slovakia; and Toronto, Canada;

FI LM Despite the boom of new forms of entertainment, moving pictures remain a big influence in creativity. The UNESCO cities’ designation does not end at screening films, but local artists actively collaborate with filmmakers, directors and screenwriters to mount the next attraction.

9 Geelong, Australia; Istanbul, Turkey; Kolding, Denmark; Kortrijk, Belgium; Mexico City; and Wuhan, China.

LITE R ATU R E The cities nestled between the pages of prose and poetry are not on the demise. Despite the global digital disruption, the cradle of authors, poets, and playwrights are initiating the thrive and preserving libraries and publishing houses to tell the world’s narrative.

Bristol and Manchester, UK; Yamagata City, Japan; Łódź, Poland; Qingdao, China; and Terrassa, Spain

D ES I G N Design encompasses a city’s urban plan; housing the best architecture, interior design, and open spaces.

These cities have the landscape fuelled by design; be it textile, garment, footwear and accessories.

Bucheon, Republic of Korea; Durban, South Africa; Lillehammer, Norway; Milan, Italy; Québec City, Canada; Seattle, USA; and Utrecht, Netherlands

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Brasilia, Brazil; Cape Town, South Africa; Dubai, UAE; Greater

UPFRONT / INTELLI GE N C E

MOBI L E ISSU E

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Name Your Price Delve deep into the dynamics of the gig economy—cutting through the freedom it gives and the consequences of it.

Nevicshky Calma

F

ILLUSTRATION

Jericho Louise Clemente

reedom, double-edged as it is, lies in the heart of the freelance, or gig economy. The sector draws creatives who choose independence over a rigid 8-hour daily work schedule and refuse to be limited by an office setup.

Though it has evolved into many faces and has involved a variety of workers, the gig economy traces its roots to the financial crisis in 2009, when many earned income not by traditional jobs but by taking “gigs”, or several part-time jobs when opportunity comes.

What was once born out of necessity is now an increasingly attractive option for some who choose to escape the conventional nine-to-five. The World Development Report 2019 reports that globally, the total freelancer population is estimated at around 84 million, or less than 3 percent of the global labor force of 3.5 billion. This number counts those freelancers who may also engage in traditional employment. The world’s largest freelancing platforms—Freelancer of Australia, Upwork in the United States and Zhubajia in China - have a total of 60 million users, but only 10 percent of the registered users in these avenues are active.

Most of them come from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, United States, the Philippines, and the United Kingdom. Intuit and Emergent Research even predicts the number of gig workers in the U.S. to double in the next four years, bringing the number of gig workers up to 9.2 million in 2021.

In Asia Pacific, 84 precent of talent managers hire or use freelancers, based from a report of KellyOCG, the outsourcing and consulting group of Kelly Services.

A case study by PayPal demonstrates some insight into what leads more workers into the gig pool, and confirms much of what we already know about the freelance scene: According to freelancers in the United States, they dove in because they want to be their own boss, work from anywhere, choose projects they can enjoy and have flexible schedules.

Working two-way, employers also embrace the gig economy because of the reduced cost, supervision, and

even tax avoidance. Businesses are increasingly choosing gig workers rather than long-term employees who may exit soon, especially with studies saying that younger employees are more likely to leave their organization within five years.

Moreover, the evolution of gigging into a main source of income is also a result of employer’s demand and convenience. Employers look for individuals with specific set of skills and sometimes fail to find them within their circle. For example, the 2018 Growth Barometer puts the scarcity of skilled talent as a setback for many US companies than for those in other countries. With the unemployment in the U.S. at a 40-year low, the internal talent pool does not suffice, hence the need for freelancers.

The World Development Report 2019 reflects this need for human capital. Many jobs in 2019 will require specific talents — from technological know-how, problem-solving, and critical thinking to other skills like perseverance, empathy and collaboration. Gone are the days of staying in a single job or a single company. This will offer more doors for gig workers who offer a diverse range of abilities.

The gig system is also anchored in the inevitable technological innovations, which have altered the way people work and their terms. The digital infrastructure made it easier to source on-demand services. Ridesharing, for example, Asuqu in Nigeria bridges creatives and other experts with businesses across the continent.

Tutorama, based in the Arab Republic of Egypt, connects students with local private tutors. A good study as well is Andela, a U.S. company that specializes in training software developers. It has trained 20,000 software programmers across Africa using free online learning tools.

Once qualified, these programmers work with Andela directly or join other Andela clients across the world.

Even in countries where technology is slow in progress, gig workers who belong in the informal sector thrive. The World Development Report says, informal work persists on a vast scale in emerging economies, as high as 90 percent in some low- and middle-income countries. Informality is prevalent in these countries with regulations, taxes, and social protection schemes

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WORDS

UPFRONT / INTELLI GE N C E

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Source: The Online Labour Index, University of Oxford Note: Data are collected from four English speaking online labor platforms including Fiverr, Freelancer, Guru, and PeoplePerHour.

Information about the Chinese online labor platform is not reflected in the figure.

that some entrepreneurs may find burdensome.

The informal sector, however, comes with its consequences: no written contracts, no health or unemployment insurance schemes, and none of the protections provided to formal workers, putting gig workers in a regulatory gray area.

These challenges will apparently persist in the next few years. Around 30 percent of the workers by 2020 will be comprised of contingent workers — including contractors, temps and the selfemployed, according to the Gig Economy Data Hub

by Cornell University and the Aspen Institute.

This only proves that the gig economy needs to redefine itself with the system’s evolution over the years, as well as a rethink of social protection. There have been moves around the world to provide cloaks of protection for gig workers. For one, in the United States, there are calls for the establishment of a third employment category for gig workers. Labor and economic experts Seth D. Harris and Alan B. Krueger say they will fall under the category, “independent workers”.

In their proposal, independent workers — regardless of whether they work through an online or offline intermediary — would qualify for many of the benefits and protections that employees receive,

including the freedom to organize and collectively bargain, civil rights protections, tax withholding, and employer contributions for payroll taxes Developments in freelancers payment and tax transactions can be expected. In Shenzhen, China for example, the tax bureau is initiating a blockchain project with WeChat Pay, a mobile payment platform many gig workers rely on to get paid. Transaction information will be shared with the tax authority in real time for tax records.

Insurance is also being worked out. Ant Financial, the largest financial technology company in China, launched in April 2018 a welfare program for small shops and self-employed workers, many of whom are gig workers. These workers can avail of free health insurance as long as they use AliPay, the payment product of Ant Financial, for transactions.

It’s a system that’s far from perfect, yet the face of freelancing continues to evolve according to changing work habits, needs, and technological advancements. In any case, the growing number of freelancers and its subsequent opportunities only prove the gig economy’s viability as a legitimate means of livelihood for the rest of the world.

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DIGITAL The creative, business, and social implications of technology

GALLERY 14 Spikes Asia Festival of Creativity PLAYGROUND 18 FAB LAB Mindanao INSIGHT 22 WeTransfer Ideas Report

DIGITAL / G A LLERY

Challenging Traditions The 33rd Spikes Asia Festival of Creativity showcased campaigns that reflect Asia Pacific’s changing environment

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FIGHT FOR TERRITORY DDB NEW ZEALAND STEINLAGER This year’s winner of Brand Experience & Activation Grand Prix, stringing 3 Gold Spikes, 6 Silver Spikes, 17 Bronze Spikes along the way went to DDB New Zealand, Auckland for ‘Fight for Territory’ for Steinlager from the 395 entries received. Leading Outdoor media company, APN Outdoor, in partnership with DDB and Steinlager, completely dominated Auckland Airport and transformed it into a real time battleground. Travellers “claimed their territory” in support of their rugby team - the All Blacks or British & Irish Lions.

THE BILLION POINT GIVEAWAY CHE PROXIMITY VELOCITY FREQUENT FLYER

SIP SAFE Y&R MELBOURNE MONASH UNIVERSITY Drinking alcohol is incredibly common in Australia and Monash University wanted to make sure the student community is healthy and safe: that meant encouraging everyone to drink responsibly. Sip Safe is a wristband that can detect if a drink has been spiked.

By placing a drop of the drink in the test spots, the wearer will catch indications of drugs if either spot turns blue.

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Tim, the Velocity intern, created chaos in the early hours of Monday morning (May 1st), when he accidentally sent an email offering over 3.5 million members a share of one billion Velocity Points instead of the originally ‘signed off’ million. By midday, Velocity had admitted their mistake with a follow up email - and an agreement to honour the extra 999 million Points. This marked the launch of a highly targeted integrated campaign that consists of film, print, social, digital, an airport members lounge takeover, inflight announcements on Virgin Australia flights and the search for a new intern who is ‘good with numbers’ on LinkedIn.

DIGITAL / G A LLERY

FRIENDSHIT GREYNJ UNITED KASIKORNBANK Friendshit is a hilarious story about a girl who tries her best to make friends at her new school, with help from her bestie. When all else fails, she resorts to the the mobile banking app K PLUS to save the day. The film reached one million views in three hours, while downloads of the app rocketed by 28% within a day.

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STOP THE HORROR REVOLVER/WILL O’ROURKE GO GENTLE AUSTRALIA Stop The Horror is a 6-minute film based on the true story of a terminally ill patient, Greg Sims, and it documents Sims’ brutal last days before he died.

It captures the unrelievable pain and unnecessary suffering he had to endure at the end of his life. When the film begins, a ‘Stop The Horror’ button appears on-screen so the viewer can escape the film if it becomes too distressing. Once clicked, it was revealed that Greg Sims did not have that same right - he could not escape the horror.

WE REMIT TENCENT 170,000 Filipino maids in Hong Kong often queue up for remittances to their families during the holidays. For this reason, Tencent made We Remit, a convenient online remitting product. Meanwhile, given the employment relationship, Filipino employers are led into using WeChat Pay indirectly, which helps the product further penetrate the market.

In addition, PR communications, through positioning on Mother’s Day, further facilitated obtaining seed users and reputation.

PALAU PLEDGE HOST/HAVAS PALAU LEGACY PROJECT To promote personal responsibility and encourage sustainable actions, a bold, permanent new entry visa process was created. All arriving visitors must now sign a pledge, stamped in their passports, to be good environmental stewards. This mandatory agreement, dedicated to Palau’s children, needs to be signed before an officer. Visitors are required to read and sign the agreement in front of the officer to gain entry.

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DIGITAL / PLAYG RO UN D

Safe Space for Mistakes Makerspaces like FAB LAB Mindanao are quelling the fear of aberrations in its spaces WORDS

Bea Celdran Mae Lucille Bayron & FAB LAB Mindanao

PHOTOS

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t’s okay to make mistakes, as long as you learn from them,” says Sven Cu, a 3D printer specialist from Puzzlebox 3D, one of FAB LAB Mindanao’s main suppliers. Beside him, sits Lemuel Velasco, manager of FAB LAB Mindanao and associate professor of information systems at Mindanao State University Iligan Institute of Technology where the FAB LAB is located. Velasco shared that in innovation-forward countries, the idea of creating in a laboratory starts early on, with children as young as the first grade creating their own prototypes in Lego Labs.

In the Philippines, the idea of a lab is strewn with fear.

“Labs are intimidating because they’re treated like museums [here]. Labs are there for viewing,” expresses Velasco, “We try to impose so many penalties on people making mistakes in the lab.” We grow older carrying an intimidation towards spaces that are meant for discovery and creation.

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FAB LABs encourage students to experiment and innovate.

“WITH THE TECHNOLOGY IN FAB LABS, YOU JUST GO ON YOUR DIGITAL FILE, AND PRODUCE IT. AND IF YOU MAKE A MISTAKE, YOU CAN GO BACK TO YOUR DIGITAL FILE, AND DO IT AGAIN, AND RAPID PROTOTYPE IT.”

In the simplest sense, that’s what a FAB LAB is: a safe space for mistakes. But specifically, a FAB LAB is a type of Makerspace. Velasco explains the quintessential analogy of toothpaste brands: Makerspace is to toothpaste and FAB LAB is to Colgate. Makerspaces are innovation centers that give access to use the technology and expertise. These hubs are meant to augment the problem of the high costs of prototype creation: time, effort and money. Velasco points out that the keyword in FAB LAB’s production is rapid prototyping. “Compared to software design which is easy to pivot, hardware design requires a lot of iterations. You will need time. You will need all the neurons. You will still make a lot of mistakes. [With the technology in FAB LABs], you just go on your digital file, and [produce] it. And if you make a mistake, you can go back to your digital file, and do it again, and rapid prototype it.”

DIGITAL / PLAYG RO UN D

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Top: Digital files can be edited multiple times before prototyping them.

Bottom: Through FAB LABs, makers are taught the value of creation.

FAB LABs are normally equipped with heavy duty machines like 3D printers, millers, and laser cutters that are very expensive to own. FAB LAB is a brand of Makerspace created by Dr. Neil Gershenfeld in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that gives anyone within the community access to these technologies.

According to Velasco, that’s the next keyword vital for a FAB LAB: community. “FAB LABS have different models. But what makes us unique is that we are community-based. It’s more like an extension project to the community.” But despite this noble concept, Velasco explains that Makerspaces don ot often make the return of income one would expect. “There’s no model of a sustainable Makerspace but in the FAB LAB I’ve worked in Boston, we see the long-term goal of Intellectual Property. It’s not the operational income, it’s the income from royalties, it’s the income from patents, it’s the income from discoveries. Other than that, FAB LAB is an extension of the program.”

FAB LABs are subsidized by local governments or partnered with industries. In the Philippines, the organizations responsible are the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Science and Technology. Albeit a bit late compared to the innovation of other countries, one cannot deny the Philippines has gained potential for the creative economy. “What governments around the world right now are investing in the innovative capacity,” mention Velasco.

Compared to neighboring Asian countries like Singapore, Thailand and Taiwan, the Philippines lags in its innovative capacity. “The fact that we had K-12 only in the last 5 years, and emphasize STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) as a different track, HUMMS (Humanities and Social Sciences) as a different track, and the creative economy being very late means we haven’t built our minds to innovate,” expresse Velasco. While the country is language-centric in its

Top: A 3D printed airplane Bottom: Acrylic assembled into a Kalesa (horse drawn carriage).

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education, highly innovative countries like China and Japan train kids in coding, programming, designing at a very early age. Even kids with good ideas early on are strained by the complications of prototype production.

That is where Makerspaces come in: to simplify processes and lower expenses. With an open space that is supportive of making mistakes, creating prototypes using digital fabrication becomes less intimidating and more accessible to the public.

For a FAB LAB to do well, it must have the capacity to innovate and research and because it is centered and located within communities, they become hubs for the exchange of ideas and services where its members support each other. In fact, a whole community of FAB LABs is emerging in the Philippines, one that Velasco hopes to conglomerate as a unified league in time. “We envision our labs to get innovation systems that transform ideas for value creation and wealth generation.” These are people, partners, and affiliates working together so that people’s ideas can be transformed to create products that generate value, products that can solve problems, but also the ideas of people to be converted to wealth, to have the makers to earn.

FAB LAB Mindanao is a force in the country’s emerging creative economy. Velasco believes in the role of FAB LABs during this flux. “We have a lot makers who are using our technology and it’s easier for them to make designs, it’s easier for them to make products. And that’s our goal: accelerating the production and knowledge generation of output. Our role in the creative economy is still in the provision of technology and expertise.” Albeit the need for a stronger educational campaign for these hubs, members of this community like Velasco and Cu are optimistic about its concept and accessibility. “Our aim is to mainstream the education. [The public] will be willing to learn if there’s a need,” said Velasco.

DIGITAL / INSIG HT

Creatives disconnect to connect with ideas WeTransfer’s 2018 Ideas Report show that real life still bring out the best ideas for creatives WORDS

Nadz Ruiz |

INFOGRAPHICS

WeTransfer

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hen it comes to getting a copy, design, or concept that fits, more creatives find inspiration away from the screen despite living in the digital age.

WeTransfer’s Ideas Report, released late in 2018, provided insights from more than 10,000 creative professionals who answered seven questions, and the results showed that real life interactions, not computermediated experiences, bring out the best ideas for more creatives.

Reading materials (books and magazines) and talking with friends both inspired 45% of respondents.

Travel, music, and nature meanwhile wrapped up the top five inspirations for best ideas, at least for the respondents from 143 countries.

When it comes to recording ideas, 40% think with ink as they picked the classic pen and paper combination over keeping it in their head (24%) or saving it in their computer (19%) or their mobile phone (17%).

“What emerged was a picture of creative ideas at this moment in time,” said WeTransfer Ideas Report 2018 editor in chief Rob Alderson. “We deliberately focused on ideas, rather than say productivity. Everything starts with an idea, a spark, but it seems this is one of the lessertalked-about parts of the creative process “ Two of the five insights reported by WeTransfer focused on real world and tactile interaction: “switch off

to switch on your ideas,” and “the pen is mightier than the phone.”

“I’m not saying it’s impossible to gain insight digitally,” said neuroscientist Maryanne Wolf in the same report. “It’s just that you’re more able to gain insight when you allocate more time to these deeper processes.

They lead more naturally to insights and to creativity.”

The same concept of slowing down and taking time applies on pen and paper as well, said social psychologist Pam Mueller.

“If you have an idea, chances are it’s not fully formed as it comes to mind,” she said in the WeTransfer report. ”But as you write it down longhand, your mind is elaborating more than it would be if you just typed it out because you wouldn’t have to think as much about the typing as you do about the writing Getting the idea is one thing, but making it happen is a different struggle. A third of respondents also said that their creative spark picks no specific time of day, while 47% get their best ideas in the workplace. When it comes to bringing life to these ideas, silence works best for 65% to get the creative groove, but 41% said that other work pressures get in the way. 46%, meanwhile, share their ideas when they have “thought about it for a bit.”

“You need to engage your mind at a high intensity to have meaningful thoughts; previously non-existing thoughts,” explained neurosurgery professor Lu Chen.

C R E AT I V E E C O N O M Y I S S U E

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Top: When asked how they want to record their ideas, 40% of WeTransfer users said they still prefer pen and paper while 17% jots their ideas down on their phones.

Bottom: 10,128 WeTransfer users shared where their most productive “eureka� spots are.

DIGITAL / INSIG HT

C R E AT I V E E C O N O M Y I S S U E

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This infographic answers what inspires creatives’ best ideas.

“It doesn’t happen when you are totally relaxed that something just pops up.”

WeTransfer also reported that “musicians move to a different beat.” Their group get the best ideas at night, are inspired most by music, and are distracted by family commitment at a higher rate than non-musicians. The study also noted that “a free spirit stirs in Brazil,” with respondents from there picking the internet getting in the way of creativity and drugs aiding creativity more than others.

More insights include more Asian creatives working better in silence, designers finding inspiration online compared to other groups, and alcohol-inducing eureka moments in Japan.

The creative process is “maddening, mysterious, and messy,” said Alderson. “There are dead-ends, wrong turns and all manner of false starts.”

“We hope that our first Ideas Report starts a conversation.”

The full WeTransfer Ideas Report 2018 can be accessed through https://wepresent.wetransfer.com/ story/ideas-report-2018/.

“YOU NEED TO ENGAGE YOUR MIND AT A HIGH INTENSITY TO HAVE MEANINGFUL THOUGHTS; PREVIOUSLY NON-EXISTING THOUGHTS. IT DOESN’T HAPPEN WHEN YOU ARE TOTALLY RELAXED THAT SOMETHING JUST POPS UP.”

I S S U E 76 / C R E AT I V E E C O N O M Y

FESTIVALS On-location coverage creative awards and events.

COVERAGE 26 Cannes Lions 2018 60 Graphika Manila 2019 68 Baguio Creative Week 2018

Wrap Up Agency of the year Network of the year Philippines Awards Showcase Jury Insights Leo Burnett Predictions Lions seminar: David Droga Pandey Brothers, Lions of St. Mark Awardees See it, Be it Hackathon Scholar’s Report Snapshots Creative Cities: Cannes

COVERAGE Angel Guerrero Nadz Ruiz Jason Inocencio

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CANNES LIONS 2018

P U G N I R E B SO This 65th Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity showed a maturing industry gearing towards true value and purpose. words Nadz Ruiz

T

he Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity has always been known for its festive and colorful events, exhibitions, and parties.

After all, it is a celebration of the creative industry’s triumphs. Yet, the 2108 edition was a sober one and not just because of less rosé being poured around.

Following Publicis Groupe’s shock announcement in 2017 that it would hold off entering awards shows until July 2018 to focus its resources on building its Marcel platform, conversations around the lavishness of the festival and even the essence of the awards intensified.

The industry itself has been implementing costcutting measures by sending fewer people to the event and holding less agency-sponsored events and booths.

Despite the less-than-festive mood, there was much to gain from sobering up and focusing on what matters — how to keep on creating value for brands and more importantly, consumers and fostering innovation in a fast-moving global market.

Here are our takeaways from the Palais: Need for Speed As technology sped up communications and connections between people, culture has tagged along on its heels. News, conversations, and trends can be easily picked up by anyone with just a tap on their smartphone. The wealth of knowledge available to this generation of consumers influence their attitudes, behaviors, and preferences.

The point is, marketers are challenged to put themselves in front of their markets. Keeping up with their fast-paced consumers means faster reaction times and being fully immersed in their interests and lifestyles. Reacting to trends requires agile creative teams and of course, savvy marketers.

Need for Authenticity “Be authentic” is easy to say but difficult to practice. Today’s audiences reject traditional advertising and instead, notice brands that speak “truth” to what consumers feel and need.

Social media is widely regarded as a venue for fostering real-time and authentic engagement with consumers. Yet, top marketers like Unilever also caution against the haphazard use of influencers.

Discerning consumers can determine whether an influencer truly believes in the brand.

Need for Insight Times may change, but insight is the one truth that all advertising should start with. AI and data can help creatives in their search for deep and powerful insights. Using AI takes the tedious work out of making sense of consumer data and behavior for creatives.

This also makes the case for AI as a valuable tool for creativity because it already does the heavy data lifting, creatives can mine the insights which let them create compelling ideas and stories that will ultimately capture the audience’s attention.

Need for Innovation Innovation is largely equated with technology and rightly so — with the advancements in voice, data, algorithms, and AI, people are able to do more and better. But what always moved the industry forward is the ingenious use of both new and old media to bring to life powerful ideas.

HOST/Havas Sydney’s “Palau Pledge,” made innovative use of the immigration stamp in its environmental awareness campaign to get tourists to take care of Palau’s resources. “Savlon Healthy Hands Chalk Stick” by Ogilvy Mumbai won the Creative Effectiveness Lions Grand Prix for turning chalk sticks into soap to help children remain clean and sanitary. Meanwhile, TBWA\India Mumbai’s “Blink to Speak” made use of flash cards and booklets to contain the world’s first Eye Language to help motor and neurological diseases patients communicate with their loved ones. Even one of the oldest brands like Tide found a way to be innovative with their TV ads — hijacking all other ads and asking the question if “It’s a Tide ad.”

Other campaigns made use of technology to send powerful messages, spark movements, and of course, to fulfill business goals. BWM Dentsu Sydney used voice reconstruction technology and AI in the ALS awareness campaign through “Project Revoice.” Another campaign that combined AI and voice reconstruction is “JFK Unsilenced”

by Rothco|Accenture Interactive that gathered together all of assassinated US President John F. Kennedy speeches to form a powerful and inspiring piece that would have been his reaction towards the world of today. Grey Brazil Sao Paulo developed the “Corruption Detector” app which used face recognition technology to help citizens spot politicians with corruption charges.

Need for Equality Of course, the #MeToo movement has found its way to Cannes, especially that the industry has its own issues and challenges around women empowerment, equality, and harassment. This year though, the talks were more holistic as they went beyond the industry and onto society itself.

Speakers took the stage to say that there are larger issues that should be addressed. The crisis and redefinition of masculinity must also be included in the conversation. While women are fighting more and more to have their voices heard, many men are also grappling with their sense of masculinity as they also struggle against long-set norms. More conversations must be had on what it is to be a man.

In terms of the body of work, brands are braver in their stand for equality and diversity.

Sanitary napkin brand Essity with AMV BBDO, Glass Lion Grand Prix winner, broke advertising conventions to feature real menstruation blood on their ads and to normalize conversations around menstruation, an often taboo subject to talk about in mainstream media. BBDO New York and P&G showed real conversations between black parents and their children and how they have to be bigger and stronger as a minority in the society.

Need for Purpose All these lessons boil down to one thing: a purpose. Consumers will take time to give attention when they feel it will have purpose and value in their lives. Authenticity communicates a sense of purpose from the brand to the audience. Getting valuable insights strengthens the purpose and role of the brand to the consumers’ daily lives.

Innovation must not be had for innovation’s sake only but that it should have purpose in society and in moving the industry forward. Having a stand in societal issues like equality and diversity lets consumers know and feel that the brand does not wish only to sell but to have a greater purpose.

Today, brands are not expected to just sell products, they are regarded as actors in society.

Advertising today has taken on a greater role and responsibility to consumers.

This year’s festival had many firsts and changes. The duration was shortened to five days instead of the customary 10. Some categories were retired, others reclassified, and others added. The festival is not exclusive anymore to brands and agencies but also to media and tech giants. From the atmosphere to the topics under discussion to the body of work, the industry seems to have sobered up and is now more focused on delivering value, speed, authenticity, innovation, equality, and purpose.

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CANNES LIONS 2018

Y R O T C VI A

dam & Eve/DDB has been handed a haul of Lions this year including a gold, a silver and a bronze for “Trolling is ugly” for Cybersmile in Mobile; a gold and a bronze in Entertainment for “FIFA 18 More than a Game” for EA Sports, which also won a gold in Social & Influencer.

There was a gold in Creative Data for “Gene Project Case Study” on behalf of Marmite; a further gold for Marmite in Film, as well as a silver for “Personalised Cans for Father’s Day” for John Smith’s also in this category. It also won a gold and two silvers and a bronze across Media and PR respectively for “Project 84” – a male-suicide awareness campaign for Calm.

James Murphy, the co-founder of Adam&Eve/ DDB, said: “To win this a second time so soon is a huge honour. The spread of work, channels and clients at the heart of this award show the value of consistent creative performance, not just one-off fireworks.”

Adam&Eve/DDB was previously Cannes Agency of the Year in 2014.

K A E R T S H SEVENT

B

BDO Worldwide reigned supreme in Cannes once more. The 65th Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity saw the powerhouse walk away with the highly coveted Network of the Year for the seventh year in a row thanks to strong showing across the board claiming all kinds of Lions, including Grand Prix honors.

Twenty-one BBDO agencies from around the world combined to win 99 Lions for more than 30 clients, across 26 categories, ranging from Creative Effectiveness to Brand Experience, Craft, Design, Film, Glass, Mobile, PR, Print, Outdoor, Radio, Sustainable Development, Titanium and more. They were led by AMV BBDO in London, which won three Grand Prix Lions in Design, Glass and PR, along with a Titanium Lion, and BBDO New York, which won the Grand Prix in Film.

Both AMV BBDO and BBDO New York finished among the top three most-awarded agencies in the Festival at #2 and #3, respectively.

Said David Lubars, Chief Creative Officer, BBDO Worldwide, “Being named Network of the Year, this year, is especially gratifying given the changes that were made in Cannes to refocus the festival on creativity. Other changes placed an even greater importance on having depth and breadth of creativity in order to earn this top honor, both across the competition categories as well as an agency’s network. My sincerest thanks

go out to all our BBDO people and their clients in the more than 30 agencies around the world that contributed points to our success, and especially to our teams at AMV BBDO and BBDO New York. Their work was not only creative, but also purposeful, addressing important societal issues on a global stage, such as the environment, gender equality and race relations.”

Two Grand Prix were awarded to AMV BBDO in the categories of Design and Public Relations for a campaign called “Trash Isles,” in partnership with The Plastic Oceans/LADBible. The agency earned a third Grand Prix and a Titanium Lion for its “Blood Normal” advertising for Essity. BBDO New York won a Grand Prix in Film for “The Talk,” created to support Procter & Gamble’s “My Black is Beautiful” platform.

In addition to AMV BBDO and BBDO New York, the list of Lion-winning agencies includes Almap BBDO Brazil, BBDO Bangkok, BBDO Belgium, BBDO Chile, BBDO Group Germany Dusseldorf, BBDO India, BBDO Pakistan, BBDO Paris, BBDO Russia, BBDO Toronto, CHE Proximity Australia, Clemenger BBDO Brisbane, Clemenger BBDO Melbourne, Clemenger BBDO Sydney, Clemenger BBDO Touchcast in Wellington, Colenso BBDO New Zealand, Energy BBDO Chicago, Marketforce and Pages BBDO Colombia.

BBDO’s parent company, Omnicom Group, was named Holding Company of the Year.

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CANNES LIONS 2018

R A O R S E I C N E G A E N I PHILIPP NNES LIONS 2018 CA words Jason Inocencio

T

he 65th Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity saw several campaigns from the Philippines earning recognition for producing powerful work.

Dentsu Jayme Syfu’s powerhouse ‘Dead Whale,’ a campaign to raise awareness on the waste of plastic products on behalf of Greenpeace Philippines, earned a Gold Lion for Outdoor Lions and a Silver Lion for Design Lions for Noncommercial Exhibitions and Experiences. It was also shortlisted for PR Lions in Use of Events & Stunts and also shortlisted for Sustainable Development Goals Lions.

For its part, TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno’s ‘Disgusting Stories,’ a campaign to shine a light on child abuse on behalf of Bahay Tuluyan, earned a Gold Lion in Film Craft Lions. It was also shortlisted in Film Lions under Not-for-profit/Charity.

Likewise in Design Lions, BBDO Guerrero was shortlisted under Digital Installation & Events for ‘Playstreet.’ A campaign for client Johnson &

Johnson, it was launched to make children more aware about the possibility of road accidents and make streets safer for kids to play on.

Over at Media Lions, MullenLowe Philippines’ ‘The Killer Chatbot’ for TBA Studios was shortlisted under Use of Branded Content created for Digital or Social.

Not to be outdone, McCann Worldgroup Philippines continued to be recognized after an impressive haul over the past awards season.

The agency earned three shortlisted entries in the Retail category on behalf of client Fully Booked. ‘Lives: Ed,’ ‘Lives: Darling,’ and ‘Lives: Moe’ marked the agency as the only shortlisted entries from Asia in Radio & Audio Lions. McCann Worldgroup Philippines also earned two shortlists in Corporate Image & Communication in Health & Wellness Lions. One for ‘Budget Epics – The Great Sandstorm’ and the other for ‘Budget Epics – Himalayan Showdown.’

X I R P D N A GR OWCASE SH The 65th Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity awarded outstanding campaigns from different countries across the different Lions categories.

Direct Lions Grand Prix Titanium Lions Grand Prix Sustainable Development Goals Grand Prix

Palau Pledge

CLIENT: PALAU LEGACY PROJECT AGENCY: HOST/HAVAS SYDNEY

Everyone who enters the island must pledge to protect the home of the children of Palau. ‘Palau Pledge’ aimed to change people’s behavior and appeal to tourists’ humanity.

Design Lions Grand Prix PR Lions Grand Prix

Trash Isles

CLIENT: PLASTIC OCEANS FOUNDATION AGENCY: AMV BBDO

It takes a country to clean an ocean. With the increasing problem of plastic pollution in the oceans, AMV BBDO founded Trash Isles to oblige surrounding countries to conserve the ocean.

ASE C W O H S X I GRAND PR Creative Effectiveness Grand Prix

Savlon Healthy Hands Chalk Stick CLIENT: ITC AGENCY: OGILVY MUMBAI

Washing hands should be fun, engaging and memorable for kids; ‘Savlon Healthy Hands Chalk Sticks’ is a first of its kind initiative in a series of onground activities being undertaken by Savlon Swasth India Mission.

Grand Prix for Good

Project Revoice CLIENT: THE ALS ASSOCIATION AGENCY: BWM DENTSU SYDNEY

Most people living with Motor Neurone Disease (ALS) end up paralyzed and unable to communicate with anything but artificial ‘computer’ voices. ‘Project Revoice’ is a program that recreates the unique essence of any voice and give people with ALS the ability to speak freely and naturally, even after they physically can’t.

Glass: The Lion for Change Grand Prix

Bloodnormal CLIENT: ESSITY AGENCY: AMV BBDO

Bloodnormal is an honest campaign that puts real period blood in the spotlight. But more than that, it is a statement about removing the stigma surrounding menstruation.

ASE C W O H S X I GRAND PR Media Lions Grand Prix

Tesco’s Food Love Stories CLIENT: TESCO AGENCY: MEDIACOM LONDON/BBH LONDON

A collection of love stories told with food. Tesco shows how a mother cooks a homecoming meal for her sons, a nanny comforts her grandchild, and how a traveller can come home anytime by cooking the flavors he love.

Social & Influencer Lions Grand Prix

Nothing Beats a Londoner CLIENT: NIKE AGENCY: WIEDEN+KENNEDY LONDON

‘Nothing Beats a Londoner’ is a new short film from Nike that doubles as an ode to the city, its culture, and athletes.

Not the superstars, but the everyday people that keep this global capital moving.

Creative Data Lions Grand Prix

JFK Unsilenced

CLIENT: THE TIMES/NEWS UK& IRELAND AGENCY: ROTHCO|ACCENTURE INTERACTIVE

The Times and creative agency Rothco teamed up and used AI to recreate JFK’s speech he was meant to deliver the day he was assassinated. ‘JFK Unsilenced’ was inspired by a project through a family connection and how he saw the role of AI be used to enhance creativity.

ASE C W O H S X I GRAND PR Radio & Audio Lions Grand Prix

Soccer Song for Change

CLIENT: AB INBEV / CARLING BLACK LABEL AGENCY: OGILVY CAPE TOWN

Enough is enough. By changing the lyrics to a favorite soccer song in the biggest soccer event in the season, women are taking a stand that there are no excuses for abuse.

Print & Publishing Lions Grand Prix

Tagwords

CLIENT: AB INBEV/BUDWEISER AGENCY: AGENCIA AFRICA

A campaign that encourages people to Google different images of its place in musical history throughout the years, Tagwords leverages the ubiquity of Google search by replacing a billboard image with a search phrase

Outdoor Lions Grand Prix

The Daily Show presents: The Donald J. Trump Presidential Twitter Library CLIENT/AGENCY: COMEDY CENTRAL

The Daily Show Presents: The Donald J. Trump Presidential Twitter Library has visited New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, showcasing and analyzing the finest works from Trump’s Twitter collection, his preferred vessel for “communicating” with the public.

ASE C W O H S X I GRAND PR Outdoor Lions Grand Prix

Corruption Detector CLIENT: RECLAME AQUI AGENCY: GREY BRAZIL SAO PAULO

If during the four years in office, politicians involved in corruption try to hide and flee the spotlight, in election year they must appear to win over their voters. But through the ‘Corruption Detector, Brazilian voters will be able to unmask the candidates running for office.

Health & Wellness Lions Grand Prix

Corazon: Give your heart CLIENT: MONTEFIORE HOSPITAL AGENCY: JOHNXHANNES NEW YORK

Corazon is the true story of a sex worker whose heart was dying. The campaign aimed to get more people to register as organ donors by pressing their phones to their hearts and activating movie posters and billboards.

Creative Data Lions Grand Prix

Blink to Speak

CLIENT: ASHA EK HOPE FOUNDATION AGENCY: TBWA\INDIA MUMBAI

Blink To Speak is the world’s first eye language for patients who have an alert mind but a paralysed body.

An estimated 60 million patients around the world live for many years with ALS, MNDs, spinal cord injuries, brain strokes and partial paralysis. And their biggest battle against these fatal disorders is the simple act of communication. With Blink To Speak, patients are now able to express needs and desires.

ASE C W O H S X I GRAND PR Digital Craft Lions Grand Prix

Aeronaut VR Experience CLIENT: WILLIAM PATRICK CORGAN AGENCY: ISOBAR NEW YORK AND VIACOM NEW YORK

106 cameras, capturing data at 10 GB per second.

That was how Isobar innovated the future of digital content through a blend of creativity and next-generation technology.

Creative eCommerce Lions Grand Prix

XBOX Design Lab Originals: The Fanchise Model CLIENT: MICROSOFT AGENCY: MCCANN LONDON

The next Xbox controller is truly in your hands with Xbox Design Lab. Fans can start from scratch or customize an existing design online, choosing from a wide range of color and pattern options. They design it, Xbox Design Lab builds it.

Brand Experience & Activation Lions Grand Prix

Today at Apple CLIENT: APPLE

All 495 Apple Stores in the world offered classes ranging from photo walks to coding. ‘Today at Apple’ is the brand’s ambitious way of transforming their retail spaces to educational centers.

ASE C W O H S X I GRAND PR Entertainment Lions Grand Prix

Evert_45

CLIENT: KPN AGENCY: N=5 AMSTERDAM

This is the story of Evert_45, a Dutch boy whose life is confronted by the realities of World War II. The personal stories of war veterans are translated into the new generation via YouTube and Instagram.

Film Craft Lions Grand Prix

Hope

CLIENT: INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE RED CROSS AGENCY: BLUR PRODUCCIONES/ SRA. RUSHMORE

Little Raya is bleeding at the backseat of the car while her father is driving. When they reach their destination, the hospital is already in smoke, surrounded by soldiers. Even wars have rules; without hospitals, there is no hope. Healthcare is not a target.

Film Lions Grand Prix

It’s a Tide ad CLIENT: TIDE AGENCY: P&G CINCINNATI/ SAATCHI & SAATCHI NEW YORK

If it’s clean, it’s got to be tide. The brand won the superbowl by turning every Super Bowl commercial to a Tide ad. Within minutes, the ‘Tide ad’ created a buzz on the internet and even got competing brands to engage.

S T H G I S N I JURY BRAND EXPERIENCE & ACTIVATION

“You better be transparent and innovative. you better be trying to make it as good as possible, while costing as little as possible. And you certainly better be doing right by society and the environment.”

INNOVATIONS

MEDIA

“Innovation is hard, and we must set the bar extremely high in this category. Let’s all look for what’s truly new and let’s have some fun.”

“At a time of such seismic change in our industry, I am looking forward to seeing, through the entries, how brands and agencies are responding.”

Tor Myhren, VP Marketing Communications of Apple, Global

Tim Castree, Global CEO of Wavemaker

MOBILE

OUTDOOR

PHARMA

“Mobile phones have become, for many of us, the best camera we own, the best way of talking with friends and family, the best email device, our preferred way to consume content and a lightning rod for personal expression.”

“We’ve learned to distrust virtually everything on the social feed and in the news. There has never been a better time for outdoor.”

“This is the year when ideas and innovation and craft and execution all come together. This is the year when big, smart ideas prove that they can be created anywhere in the world.”

Rob Reilly, Global Creative Chairman of McCann Worldgroup Global

Jay Morgan, Innovations Director of The Monkeys, Australia

Chris Garbutt, CCO of TBWA Global

Rich Levy, CCO of FCB Health, Global

JURY INSIGHTS

PR

PRINT & PUBLISHING

PRODUCT DESIGN

“We will be focused on the creative idea and whther it was truly designed for an earned first world.

We will look at the craft of the work across the insights, the idea, the activation and the impact.”

“Advertising started with print, and print continues to give us that simple opportunity to show the power of our creativity.”

“Judging design is a form of time travel. We must imagine looking back in years to come and seeing which qualities and aspirations we chose to reward.”

Stuart Smith, CEO of Ogilvy Public Relations, Global

Kate Stanners, Chairwoman & Global CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi

Asif Khan, Architect of Asif Khan Ltd, Global

RADIO & AUDIO

CREATIVE DATA

CREATIVE eCOMMERCE

“I have a passion for working with sound. It’s reckless. Non-conformist.

It knows no boundary. It defies us, it escapes definition.”

“Consumers continue to crave experiences from brands and demand multi-platform content as opposed to being told about products as opposed to being told about products and why we should love them.”

“Without a compelling eCommerce platform, the data that tells companies who their customer are and how to serve them is lost.”

Jo McCrostie, Creative Director of Global, UK

Mark Maleh, Global Director of Havas, Global

Nick Law, Global CCO of Publicis Groupe

JURY INSIGHTS

INAUGURAL SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

DIGITAL CRAFT

DIRECT

“At the end of the day, there’s no winners here, the only winner is humankind. If we do what we need to do, and we do it well and we use creativity in a powerful way to create that tidal change, we will resolve the problems that we face.”

“Digital craft is the front and center of the customer and brand experience. We want to reward technological artistry that connects to the soul of a great story. We are looking for craft not for crafts’ sake but craft with a purpose.”

“Laser-focused ideas delivered with precision was once an expensive and nearly impossible ask”

Mark Tutssel, Executive Chairman of Leo Burnett Worldwide

Jean Lin, CEO of Isobar Global

ENTERTAINMENT

SOCIAL AND INFLUENCER

INDUSTRY CRAFT

I am eager to see if we have elevated the use of technology to create more immersive and transformational work in VR, AR, and live content that will help shape what comes next in gaming entertainment.”

We will celebrate the best ideas in the world created to reach people through the power of social connection; ideas designed to serve communities in new and innovative ways, and ideas that prove doing these things well drive exponential business growth.”

“It takes a lot of pride, passion, taste, a good eye, guts and intelligence, to invest in both time and money, when the worthy idea comes along.”

Debbi Vandeven, CCO of VML Global

Mark D’ Arcy, VP, CCO of Facebook Global

Susan Credle, CCO of FCB Global

Yang Yeo, Creative Kaiju of Hakuhodo Inc., APAC

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CANNES LIONS 2018

T H G I BR Leo Burnett successfully predicts seven 2018 Grand Prix winners

T

he previous Festival of Creativity attested to Leo Burnett’s prophetic prowess. Having hit the mark of 100 percent accuracy, the bar was set high for the succeeding festivals.

During the 65th festival, their prediction was nicked by three campaigns, yet the agency’s 85 percent accuracy remain unfazed.

The list is curated by Mark Tutssel, executive chairman and global chief creative officer, Leo Burnett Worldwide. Tutssel returned as a Cannes Lions jury president for the fifth time, presiding over the inaugural jury for the newly created Sustainable Development Goals Lions.

“It’s an exciting year of change at Cannes, with newly simplified award tracks that will allow us to be more focused than ever on recognizing bold creativity,” said Tutssel. “As the industry shifts beneath our feet, it’s important that we pause to acknowledge the truly innovative ideas and brilliant people who are creating work that drives impactful business results and, in some cases, contributes to the betterment of humankind.”

The Cannes Predictions list is a compilation of a yearlong evaluation of brand work that reflects global trends fueling the industry. Based on Tutsell’s analysis, five themes emerged from the 2018 collection: Episodes lead to Epic because it will never go out of fashion, Human Storytelling for its potency to thrive in meaning moments on film, Visual Spectacular from flawless executions and outstanding productions, Topical & Tactical demonstrated by brands seizing real-time moments, Spontaneity and Personalization which manifested in the industry’s pervasive push from empowering technology to somber efforts that make an impact.

GRAND PRIX GOLD

SILVER BRONZE

P&G Tide “It’s a Tide Ad”

P&G (USA)

P&G Tide “It’s a Tide Ad”

Wieden + Kennedy (Portland USA)

Orange Telecom “Now or Never”

FP7/CAI (Cairo, Egypt)

KFC “FCK”

Mother (London, UK)

Palau Legacy Project “Palau Pledge”

Host/Havas (Sydney, Australia)

National Safety Council “Prescribed to Death”

Energy BBDO (Chicago, USA)

EDEKA “The Most German Supermarket”

Jung von Matt (Hamburg, Germany)

Downtown Records “Live Looper”

BBDO (New York, USA)

Audi “Clowns”

Audi (UK)

The Times “JFK - Unsilenced”

Rothco - Accenture Interactive (Dublin, Ireland)

Mars Wrigley Confectionary Skittles “Exclusive the Rainbow

DDB (Chicago, USA)

Cadbury “Mum’s Birthday”

VCCP (London, UK)

IKEA “The Human Catalogue”

IKEA (Singapore, Singapore)

Snaptivity “Snaptivity App”

R/GA (London, UK)

“Welcome Home”

TBWA/Media Arts Lab (Los Angeles, USA)

Burger King “Scary Clown Night”

LOLA MullenLowe (Madrid, Spain)

LADBible & Plastic Oceans “Trash Isles”

LOLA MullenLowe (Madrid, Spain)

Mars NZ - Pedigree “Pedigree SelfieSTIX”

Colenso BBDO (Auckland, New Zealand)

P&G “The Talk” BBDO (New York, USA)

BBDO (New York, USA)

Nike “Nothing Beats a Londoner”

Wieden + Kennedy (London, UK)

GOLD

GRIT

BBDO Copywriter, Niño Jose Gonzales, faces award-winning Creative David Droga words Niño Jose Gonzales

I

n an industry where greatness is lauded by peers, David Droga finds value in humility: ‘Assume nothing, no matter how good you are. Don’t be seduced by your own hype.

Enjoy the hype but don’t live for it.’

His ‘I’m Not Sure I’m Right but Who Is?’ talk was the first session I attended at this year’s Cannes Lions Festival - and rightly so, my experience started with a bang. The legendary man whose works I studied in books and case film was there sitting on stage, inspiring a jam-packed crowd of global delegates inside the Lumiere Theatre. I was no less than awestruck.

But despite his superstar status, Droga sits not like a king. His posture resembles a wise man, humble and open to impart his knowledge to his ready listeners.

To that, he advised delegates to ‘be obsessed with what makes people tick.’ For the awardwinning creative, advertising is a visceral medium and should make people feel something and, hopefully, will make them change their behavior and perspective on brands. ‘Always present the best solution that’s best [for consumers], and not the solution that’s best for you,’ supplemented Droga. ‘Our job is to move people and make them do crazy things.’

On career, Droga encouraged creatives to focus on the grit rather than the gold. ‘Choose mentors over certainty,’ quipped Droga after he told the story where he left a comfortable post as a copywriter to follow his mentors at a smaller agency. Although the cost was living at half his original salary, Droga told the audience that the

reward of improving his craft and being guided by seasoned experts was priceless. Obviously, his little sacrifice was worth it in the long run. No one can argue with that today.

Droga’s inner drive and value for the craft resonated with me. It reminded me that to succeed in this industry, one has to take risk and experience the hustle, no matter how tiring and painstaking it can become. If one perseveres, all the overtime work, the countless revisions, and the unconditional love for the work, the work, the work will be worth it – that is, if we are willing to wait and learn. And if one day we have reached our peak, we must remain modest in our own greatness.

I left the talk inspired to learn more. True enough, the succeeding sessions did not disappoint. Learning from and sharing the room with influential people – the likes of Sir John Hegarty, Conan O’Brien, Tyler Perry, Evan Sharp of Pinterest and supermodel Naomi Campbell to name a few – has been a surreal and welcomed gift. I carry with me nuggets of wisdom, of all words, shape, and size, I can use and share with my colleagues once I get back home.

Being a Filipino delegate to the Cannes Lion Festival has been a dream years in the making.

I am thankful it finally happened at 30, the last year I can be considered a ‘Young Lion.’ And as the Festival draws to a close, I feel more fortunate and humbled to be part of this advertising industry I cherish so dearly, or as David Droga would describe, an industry where the ‘power of creativity translates across geography.’

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Y B D N BOU D O O L B Pandey Brothers conferred with the highest honor of Cannes Lions words Jason Inocencio

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rotherhood is a bond unlike any other.

Though many brothers throughout history have clashed and fought, the ties that bind brothers often result in strong partnerships and great success. Such has been the case for the Pandey Brothers, Piyush and Prasoon.

Long acknowledged as stalwarts of advertising in their native India, Executive Director and Creative Chairman of South Asia, Ogilvy’s Piyush Pandey and Director of Corcoise Films Prasoon Pandey were conferred with the highest honor ar the 65th Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

“This year the Lion of St. Mark is very special because for the first time, we are honoring two brothers and it is also the first time we are have honored Asian creativity,” noted Cannes Lions Chairman Philip Thomas as he inducted the brothers. “Piyush Pandey is known to many of us, of course, he is the Executive Chairman and Creative Director of Ogilvy India and is commonly referred to as the Godfather of Indian Advertising.

His brother Prasoon is a director with a vision that has graced hundreds of movies and commercials.

Respected and admired across the industry for their insightful and nuanced work the embraces the culture and the spirit of India.”

“I am thrilled the we can celebrate tonight their contributions to the industry on this global stage,” Thomas added. “Piyush Pandey won his first Lion, two Gold Lions, for his work ironically on antismoking campaign in 2002 marking the start of a period of worldwide recognition. His work was instrumental in popularizing advertising campaigns produced in Hindi during the 1980s and the 1990s, heralding a shift in Indian creativity and building its reputation all around the world.”

“His younger brother Prasoon, is repeatedly featured in the global rankings of top industry film directors,” Thomas said of the younger Pandey.

“And he is one of the most awarded creatives in the industry. Prasoon also directed the ad that won India’s very first Lion. Ericcson’s One Black Coffee back in 1996 which was wonderfully co-written by his brother Piyush.”

As he accepted the Lion of St. Mark, Piyush Pandey stated, “If I was to shut my eyes and rewind that dream, what do I see? I see my parents and my sister flagging me off on this run, and as I start running, I see millions of Indians

cheering at me in 16 different languages. I can see at their faces that they are cheering at me, I don’t understand their language. As I go along I see a lot of wonderful clients who are handing me over bottles of water and lemonade. As I run on I see my family again, they have grown in size. Now my sisters have married and have children and grandchildren.”

“I also see my wife with her six dogs wagging their tails and she asks me to keep running,” Piyush Pandey added. “And I keep running. Along the line I see somebody running alongside. And I look from the side and it’s my brother. So we rub shoulders and we keep running. So as we run along I see a lot of Ogilvy people from India and international who are waving Oglivy flags and tell me, don’t stop. And there are also competitors, who have wonderful expressions on their faces.

They don’t look like rivals, they also cheer me up.

And at the end of the day I still feel like running.

My heart is pumping and I look up to the sky and my parents and my two sisters whom I lost are saying, don’t stop, keep running.”

“So before I go I must add one thing, I’d love to see a Lioness on this stage very shortly,” Piyush concluded.

For his part, Co-recipient of the Lion of St.Mark, Prasoon Pandey attributed a part of his success story to being born in a large family.

“By the time Piyush and I came in, all the four corners of the house were taken up by our sisters,” Prasoon shared. “One was learning classical dance where another one was learning music or rehearsing lines for a theater performance. In another corner my father was teaching someone how to recite poetry, my mum was discussing powerful women characters in literature. It was like one cramped art school where one could just not escape the learning.”

Introduced in 2011, the Lion of St. Mark was received by the likes of Sir John Hegarty, Dan Wieden, Lee Clow, Joe Pytka, Bob Greenberg, Marcello Serpa, and David Droga.

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F O EE E I T B E I T THS Senior Art Director of LEGO® System A/S’ takeaway from See it, Be it words Leah Mababangloob

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wo years ago, when I found out about See It Be It, I did not think twice about forwarding the link to my esteemed female friends in the industry, one of them was Knox Balbastro who cited me in her adobo interview when she got in. I did not think of applying back then. I almost missed my chance this year, had it not for Knox’s Facebook post which reminded me of the deadline. So as fate (or luck or whatever you call it) will have it, it is now my turn to cite her. I am truly amazed by how things seem to circle back and how this inarguably demonstrates what female friendships can do.

“You can’t be what you can’t see” – the founders of the See It Be It initiative cannot be more right. Women make up 49% of the workforce in advertising but only 11% are creative directors. In the introductory session it was pointed out that while there is no disparity among young creatives in the Young Lions competitions in terms of gender, it is another story in the jury room.

Something happens along the way from being a young creative to being a top-level creative and though it’s a herculean task, the See it Be it (SIBI) program aspires to address this issue by calling the attention of the industry to urge action action.

In the 4-day program, I interfaced with inspiring people that I would not have met otherwise. Not a moment did it escape me to have

the immense privilege of hearing directly from some of the most formidable minds in the industry like Louise Benson, Madonna Badger, David Droga, Colleen DeCourcy, Tea Uglow, Laura Maness and the founders of the 3% Movement Kat Gordon and Lisen Stromberg and Spotify’s Danielle Lee, to name a few. The theme ‘Leadership from within’ was explored and expounded thoroughly by our amazing ambassador Chloe Gottlieb who led us to a place where it was open to discuss and safe to exchange ideas, stories, and even silences, when we needed. I was blown away by inspiration but more so by the realness of it all.

The mentorship program is said to be the heart of SIBI and it truly overflowed with transference of knowledge, experiences and without a doubt, of courage. I was fortunate to be paired with Google Director Sadie Thoma, Ogilvy Mumbai CCO Kainaz Karmakar and Spotify VP for Brand and Creative Jackie Jantos. Listening to each one was privilege enough but having them listen to me is just out-ofthis-world. I would never get this kind of platform, not even in my wildest dreams! For a first-timer to the festival, this chance to converse and engage with these leaders was truly extraordinary.

I came to the program expecting to take away pointers on how I can better navigate my career, meet extremely talented people in the industry, get tips to becoming more confident and outspoken

– and though I did get all of these profoundly, I went home with so much more. I found myself a wolf pack - the name we very unanimously decided to call our collective (inspired by Abby Wambach, Olympic gold medalist and Activist) to remind us to be bold, trust our instincts and despite obstacles, take control of our paths. To instill in us that resilience is a muscle and vulnerability is courage and how we are all on the same boat – just in different waters.

To quote Jaclyn Johnson, “Behind every great woman, are great women,” and if there is one key takeaway from the whole SIBI experience, it is that in a world of imbalance and under representation, we are our best allies, our best teachers, our best cheerleaders. We are our best chance to encourage equality. And though this industry is but a small fraction of the world, its ripple effect is one we have seen many times able to provoke change.

If only for that, I implore us to try harder, speak up louder, get out there, together.

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Dentsu Jayme Syfu’s Chief Technologist’s experiences in Huge and Amazon’s #ChangeForGood Hackathon words JR Ignacio

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hen I think of Cannes Lions, the first thing that comes to mind is awardwinning work, learning from people who made award-winning work, and beach parties to celebrate the people and their award-winning work. For the most part, it’s about looking back on what happened in the past year.

When I learned about Huge and Amazon’s #ChangeForGood Hackathon at Cannes Lions this year, it got me excited. As a technologist/ programmer in a creative agency, I love the idea of hackathons because it gives us space and time to focus. It’s all about solving problems, creating and testing prototypes to illustrate how your solution will work. It’s about looking towards the future.

I was even more thrilled when we got word that our team at Dentsu Jayme Syfu was one of seven teams selected out of 35 applicants worldwide. Our group, the only one coming from Asia, is composed of team captain Nikki Golez (Creative Director), Biboy Royong (Creative Director), Benci Vidanes (Art Director), Aya Hamada (Copywriter at Dentsu Inc. Japan) and me.

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: S G N I S U A CUB ’S M MAK

E C N E R E F F I D E H T S E Roger Hatchuel Academy’s Scholar’s Report words Katrina Olan

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t’s been days since the Cannes International Festival of Creativity 2018, and my chat app’s still buzzing like crazy. It’s my Roger Hatchuel Academy (RHA) classmates, messaging each other: one’s showing us her hometown in Spain, the other is snapping us her cross-country trip through the EU, another one is simply sharing us their cat’s photos. There are long Facebook captions in different languages all linked to our class photo, friends dropping me private messages about how grateful they were for sharing the experience, and let’s not forget: epic memes as a memento of the occasion. If this isn’t #SepAnx, I don’t know what is.

It was a complete emotional turnaround from the start of the week. When I left the country, I was dead anxious. One could imagine the weight on my shoulders—I’m barely out of college and already representing the entire country for the greatest advertising festival in the world. I was overwhelmed at the thought of the world watching, wary I’d let down all the people who had such high hopes and expectations. I felt like I’d screw up one way or the other.

Then, another thought hounded me. We were thirty-five students from twenty-six countries who knew zilch about each other: how could we possibly find anything in common? Yet, at the end of the week we’re laughing and sharing stories over unlimited rosé, dancing ’til our feet can’t tell tomorrow. It’s pretty amazing how it only took five days to turn a couple of complete strangers into family. It was a whirlwind romance. We were in love with being in Cannes Lions, creativity, and the class. It was also within those five days that I learned a most valuable lesson: difference does make the difference.

DIVERSITY was one of the main themes running the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Aside from the spectacle of TECHNOLOGY, which was also a big conversation piece, the themes of diversity, empathy and inclusion were on the main stage. How could the creative industry become a place where everyone had a voice, felt like their opinions mattered, and reflect the real world? We saw these themes throughout the entire week through the workshops, talks and simply through bonding with our fellow Rogers.

The Roger Hatchuel Academy is a five-day intensive training workshop for selected young

creatives across the globe. We had talks, activities and reflection sessions. It was facilitated by The Pop Up Agency’s very own awesome tandem, Abraham Asefaw and Maksimillian Kallhed.

They were our awesome homeroom teachers and mentors who guided us through the week, introducing to us their edgy business model of cracking a creative brief in 48 hours. This kind of concept was once a college side-hustle, now turned into an international career. What really stunned me about this pair was their drive and commitment to success. One of the advices they gave me, which I will never forget is: “You have to be naïve enough to believe your idea works, and stubborn enough to see it through.”

Abe and Maks were also the gateway to a plethora of speakers who talked about their passion for the work, and how all of them struggle to drive home the message that creativity is for everyone. We had top executives from giants like Lego®, editors for magazines like Intern and Rolling Stone, advertising queen bees who pushed for women empowerment, and many more. The eclectic lineup of guests gave us brain pickings and new perspectives about the industry. One can really see how Cannes Lions is a melting pot of all those voices.

Google was our most gracious sponsor for this year’s Roger Hatchuel Academy. Three out of five mornings that week were spent on Google beach, under striped umbrellas and bean bags, listening to the top brass of the engineering giant talk about the future of creativity. Our minds were opened to the possibilities of using virtual reality, augmented reality and artificial intelligence to make easier organizing the world’s information. They showcased various campaigns where digital data drove marketing success. However, much more touching than that was the fact that Google was making a conscious effort to create a future where no one would get left behind with technology.

One of the speakers said that Google first started as a company filled with white men from the West Coast. However, they came to realize that the world wasn’t the West Coast, and it surely wasn’t filled with white men. And that was the importance of diversity: it enabled people from all walks of life to create versions of Google that would mean something to all types of audiences.

Then, it was our turn to create something that would cater to all types of creatives. Our diverse

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team had to crack a brief in 48 hours, ala Pop Up Agency. Shout out to Clara (Switzerland), Cheryl (UK), Luca (Italy), Minh (Vietnam) and Han (China), you guys were an amazing team! We really put our heads together to create a platform called Creatives Discovered, which leveled the playing field for first time jobbers of diverse backgrounds. We presented this in front of Cannes Lions juries, who were impressed by our work.

The trends don’t lie. Diversity means more ideas generated, more points of views, more voices that speak to a wider range of audiences, a greater ROI for the business side, a more dignified and respected brand or company image.

However, inclusion should not only be for show.

It should be lived. It should be learning how to respect and love people who are different from you.

As human beings, it’s in our nature to shy away from the unfamiliar and the uncomfortable.

Our first instinct is to avoid or alienate those with different race, gender, sexuality, disability, religion, etc. but the real challenge is to walk in someone else’s shoes. The challenge is to engage in authentic dialogue with them. The most important part is how we treat each other, and how we help each other grow as part of this one giant classroom—humanity.

Beyond the talks and workshops, the way I really discovered the value of diversity is by simply being around my classmates at the Roger Hatchuel Academy. We were such a motley bunch, sharing stories about our own personal lives and passion projects over a couple of beers. One girl was passionate about linguistics, and designed her own alphabet…another was passionate about mentorship and created a foundation that built girls’ self-confidence through creative programs… yet another friend wrote and illustrated an entire book based on theoretical and quantum physics.

Everyone was so different, yet so similar. Our lingua franca was the love for creativity and the values that were common anywhere in the world.

Cannes Lions was transformative—borderline spiritual, even. I have seen, engaged and collaborated with others. I have listened to their stories; I have shared my own. Leaving Cannes was not the end, it was the just the beginning.

Surely, we will meet again in the future, perhaps on the Cannes Lions stage one day giving a talk or accepting an award? In the meantime, we return to our own countries as transformed people, hoping to transform the world.

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1. Jung von Matt from Germany, Independent Agency of the Year 2. FCB India for the Shindoor Khela - No Conditions Apply campaign for Times of India.

3. Health and Wellness Jury Carol Ong having an adobo Live 4. Google’s Creative Lead Umma Saini in her session “Still I Rise: Discovering the Depths of Creativity in the Unexpected“ 5. Young Marketers Academy participants from the Philippines, Cat Trivino of Jollibee and Justin Ilagan of Coca-Cola.

6. Kerry Washington attended Twitter’s #HereWeAre brunch

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1. The Industry Craft Jury with Jury President Yang Yeo 2. The Cannes Lions Beach 3. Representatives from Dentsu Asia who accepted the award for ‘Dead Whale’ 4. The Philippines delegates in Cannes 5. adobo magazine’s President & Founder Angel Guerrero catching up with Kerry Washington

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1. Dentsu Jayme Syfu’s Merlee Jayme serves as mentor for the Young Marketers Academy 2. Philippines Press and Outdoor Judge Leigh Reyes, President of MullenLowe Philippines 3. adobo magazine’s President & Founder Angel Guerrero 4. Walk to the Palais De Festival in Cannes 5. BBDO Guerrero’s copywriter Niño Jose Gonzales

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: S E I T I C E V I T A E CR French journalist and vintage clothing collector Nawal Bonnefoy shares her favourite addresses in Cannes, her home town. words Nawal Bonnefoy

La Malmaison The most creative museum or gallery

La Malmaison art gallery, on the Croisette. I’m fascinated by this majestic building surrounded by palm trees. I’ve heard, by the way, that it will soon be completely refurbished, in connection with the artists’ residence in Le Suquet, with a new curator who is (very) well known in the contemporary art world. Sounds promising! http://www.cannes.com/fr/culture/centre-d-art-la-malmaison.html

Da Laura The café where you go to read, write or be inspired

Without hesitation, the Da Laura, an indispensable address when I’m in Cannes. It’s an Italian restaurant that’s also a café and bar. Their wines are incredible, and always served with a selection of charcuterie and Italian cheeses. It’s also ideally placed on the corner of the rue Hoche, which virtually guarantees a light breeze and a few rays of sunshine every time…

Ideal for daydreamers and bon vivants! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Da-Laura/135144399868111

NAWAL BONNEFOY Nawal Bonnefoy works at BFMTV and has a blog about vintage clothing, Serial Chineuse.

Le Jardin Secret A restaurant with a difference

Le Jardin Secret, an unusual and hidden away place in la rue des Frères, in the old town. https://www.facebook.com/lejardinsecret.cannes/?hc_ ref=ARRAILp5XImP2Lf--8f99fG5tg7xCxmKkT2XmuwlboHQDJ4nv5TzA0HW KKG4bSZ3h64&fref=nf

Soquet-Forville The most creative neighbourhood

Without doubt Suquet-Forville, with its artists’ residence, its exhibition spaces, the restored Castre (chateau), L’Association des Beaux Arts, the future Victor Tuby Museum and the Budin/Goutte de Lait space dedicated to contemporary music, not to mention the galleries that are moving in there at the moment.

A building you find stunning The museum of La Castre, which crowns the hill of Le Suquet, in the vestiges of the medieval chateau founded by monks from the Lerins islands. I often ask myself why Game of Thrones hasn’t been filmed there yet! http://www.cannes.com/fr/culture/musee-de-la-castre.html

Couleur de Lune The store you can’t pass without going in

Couleur de Lune, an adorable pink-hued boutique, which has sublime retro dresses and nostalgic pin-up ensembles; some designed by the shop’s owner and others rare pieces imported from London. A treat for a vintage fan like me! https://www.facebook.com/Couleur-de-Lune-boutique-boudoir148606548533859/?rc=p

Creativity by the Dozen Graphika Manila continues to inspire creativity on its 12th year WORDS

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Niña Venus & Pauline Nacar

oth on their twelfth year, Graphika Manila and adobo magazine partnered to boost the conference on creativity. Continuing to be a celebration of the global collective of creative talent, some of the world’s greatest potentials converged under the roof of SMX Convention Center on February 2 and 3 to see the world in through a different lens.

Graphika Manila was opened with a bang with James Sweigert of Laundry! starting off the weekend of creativity. He delivered a visually striking presentation of the projects he has worked on for the Simpsons, Tyler the Creator, and the stunning title sequence for Graphika Manila 2019 itself, to name a few. He also gave a powerful ending message about the impact of spoken word: “Tell the universe what you want and your feet will follow”.

He was followed by proud Filipina illustrator Yeo Kaa who opened her heart to the crowd with her raw and very personal art that she also showcased in different galleries all around the world. She imparted a very important message on the power of art in shedding out the negativity in one’s life, and shared how her art has been a channel for her to not only express herself, but an outlet for her emotions to not consume her.

Multi-disciplinary artist Shane Griffin talked about his 3D design work with Nike which earned a lot of appreciative claps from the “sneakerheads” in the crowd. He also shared about his conceptualisation of the Chromatic project which led to the iconic iPhone wallpapers, discussing how it simply started from a night out and a too-long look at the moon and the colors it started to create in the shadows.

James Sweigert @swimmy11 @surfclown

@yeo_kaa

Shane Griffin @grif @Mr_Grif

Michael Parker @mikeparker_

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Yeo Kaa

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Justin Harder @clausstudios @clausstudios

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Buff Monster @buffmonster @buffmonster

Gordon Reid @middleboop @MiddleBoop

Ivan Dixon @ivanreecedixon @IvanRDixon

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Filipino artist and founder of And A Half Design Studio, Michael Parker, showed off the stunning design works he and his team have created for local brands and organisations like Commission on Human Rights, Archipelago, and the like. He gave a prime on people and relationship-building within the team and the impact it has on its creative output.

Justin Harder of Claus Studios shook the crowd with laughter and awe as he showcased his impressive work with Marvel’s Deadpool and Thor: The Dark World which blew everyone away. His session was very light and funny, but his work was heavy with design and sleepless nights of ideation, which he shared with the whole Graphika audience.

Closing the 1st day was street artist Buff Monster who recounted his journey on how he had established his personal brand so strongly, that he was able to collaborate with multinational brands with his iconic characters. His love for punk music was a stark contrast to his colorful illustrations, and it made the whole session that much more memorable.

The momentum of the conference on its second day only went higher with an opening from Middle Boop.

The convention of students and young designers roared with laughter as he showed epic moments in football. For Gordon Reid, a hundred-percent commitment marked the spot for the Weird World cup, a transformation of legendary football moments to beer mats. Thinking about the product, Reid wanted something more unique than the traditional mediums of shirts and posters.

His main takeaway from the project is that timing is everything. He considered all elements to be spinning plates where a single halt will disrupt everything.

His beer mats ended up in pubs all over the world and the profits went to Football without Borders.

The act was followed by Ivan Dixon, a pixel artist, illustrator and designer from Australia. Slide by slide, he flipped through his portfolio, the most remarkable of which is his collaboration with Childish Gambino for the music video of Feels Like Summer. Apart from that, he codirected the pixelated title sequences to The Simpsons, Rick & Morty and Adventure Time with Paul Robertson.

The next speaker was a homegrown artist: the self-proclaimed geek Rian Gonzales. That being said, she started from doing fan arts of characters she liked watching, her favorite being Sailor Moon. She spoke of things she wished she knew earlier on: like not letting ideas stay in a sketchbook and exploring different kinds of media. Her talk resonated well with the audience because she was once an attendee of Graphika.

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For Lauren Hom, passion projects are never really wasted. For example, what started out as a drunken idea by her friend ended up with a massive following of its own on Tumblr—Daily Dishonesty is a collection of little white lies that later turned into a book. To further explore medium, she started Letters for Lunch, a chalkboard mural for restaurants in exchange for the food she transforms into chalk typography. She found that the better her ideas are, the lazier she can be with her marketing. In her own words, she built a serious career out of a not-so-serious work.

Anthony Francisco saw comics as a way of heroes saving the world when he was growing up. He wowed the audience not just by his current projects in Marvel but also with his dedication to integrate Filipino background to his work. For example, his design on Dora Milaje had distinct references to Ifugao’s clothing.

However, what really caught his audiences’ endearment was his reveal that Baby Groot is inspired by his son— from the grumpy face they pull off while playing a game console to the character’s cute little dance sequence.

Aaron Draplin was the strong finish to Graphika Manila 2019. James is a believer that design is not only for paychecks. His clientele is not characterized by the money they give him but what they stand for. Between doing pocketable FIELD NOTES and pro bono logos, Draplin built a creative life while providing for his loved ones. In the end, he found that the things he held closest to his heart had nothing to do with design but design found a way to embellish his life with good work.

With close to 4,000 creatives in the audience and 12 powerhouse artists onstage, Graphika Manila 2019 was definitely one for the books. The energy that radiated off of the convention center also bounced off to all the passionate creatives at the event. Unquestionably, the creative community has more plans to astound the world with.

Rian Gonzales @rainbowart @rainbowart

Anthony Francisco @anthony_francisco_art @SketchPaintDraw

Aaron Draplin @draplin @Draplin

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Lauren Hom @homsweethom @homtweethom

Tinatik artist Maela Jose standing beneath her creation Mandala that hung from the ceiling of the Dominican Hill and Retreat House during the Baguio Creative Week.

Baguio Creative Week WORDS

Niña Venus |

PHOTOS Chaz Requiña

ENTACool A CELEBRATION OF BAGUIO’S CREATIVE FLOURISH

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housands ran past the Lion’s Head on the 10th of November, not because of a bloody chase in the jungle but because the hunters that use their hands to create converged in the den that is Baguio City.

Recently hailed as the first UNESCO Creative City in the country, it was apparent that a Creative Festival was lying in wait to explicate how Baguio was put on the map on the United Nations Creative Cities network. As one of the 180 cities to join the network, Baguio was prompted to promote creative industries and integrate culture into sustainable urban development policies. Thus gave birth to ENTACool, the city’s first Creative Festival.

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ENTAcool was hatched from the union of the words Entaku, the Cordillera indigenous word for “let’s all go,” and the cool climate of the city. To spark the fire of the teeming artistry of the place, the local government unit of Baguio City, Department of Trade and Industry Cordillera Administrative Region, University of the Philippines Baguio and the Baguio Arts and Collective curated activities including cultural presentations, gallery exhibits, art discussions and workshops by master artisans.

Speaking to adobo, Tourism Promotions Board CEO, Venus Tan, shared how the collaboration came to the thought of the creative economy being a driver of the city’s progress.

“Being a UNESCO Creative City, it has to be lead by the city, and so I think that we have provided impetus to it, coming from the national agency plus the other stake holders, the creative community, the academe for instance, like UP,” she explained.

CREATIVE CRAWL

To successfully revitalize, the organizers used mobility to show that their creativity is not only housed in one place, but seeps through the entire summer capital. A tour of the Tam-awan Village hyped the anticipation for the opening of the festival.

The Crawl Tour featured different creative sites that power the craft sector of Baguio. One highlight was the grand launch of the Forest Bathing Trail, a personal retreat with nature and a treat to the human well-being.

ENTAcool also provided a venue for the exchange of experiences on a wide range of topics on culture and the arts: silver and metal crafts, weaving and fabric tie-dying; 1-on-1 mentorship on creative economy, and a mini book and zine fair. Also on display were graffiti arts, tattooing, plein air or the art of painting outdoors and portrait sketching.

Featuring local masterpieces on film and media art, the creative festival hosted an independent film festival as well as a cultural concert featuring local bands and performers.

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“WE HOPE IT’S GOING TO BE A CONTINUING THING BECAUSE SUDDENLY BAGUIO WAS CATAPULTED INTO THIS GLOBAL AWARENESS SO WE HAVE TO SHOW WHAT WE CAN BRING OUT”

Wire sculptures on display during the Baguio Creative Week

The festival was considered a take two of the former Baguio Art Festival, a famed international festival celebrated before the 2000s, and as a revival, it needed to serve a bigger purpose: the Creative Festival was not merely a showcase but an engagement of the established artists and the upcoming young cubs of the industry.

“We started with name artists like Santiago Bose, and then Robert Villanueva and also there was BenCab and Kidlat Tahimik who are now our National Artists.

So they’re like the lolos, I would say. Now we’re coming and seeing what the next generation is going to be,” shared Adelaida Lim, Chairperson of the Baguio Arts and Creatives Collective Incorporated (BACCI).

As part of the first generation of the Baguio Art Guild, Lim found it exciting to nurture the young blood that would sustain the creative fire of Baguio, emphasizing that the artists may be anonymous now but have talents that need introduction.

“We’re with the second generation and it’s something to see what they’re going to come up with,” she continued.

CREATIVE WEEK BAGUIO 2018 PANEL INTERVIEWS ON YOUTUBE

Venus Tan on adobo Live!

DOT-CAR regional director explains Baguio’s role in her campaign RevBloom.

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AN INSTITUTION ON THE PROWL

But more importantly, the clamor to Baguio as a tourist designation needs to be paired with the commitment to its heritage and culture. The hopes of the people behind the festival is to institutionalize it and position the city as gateway to the world of creativity.

“Our intent is the following: the first one is for people to discover that creativity actually happens year-round in Baguio, not just during the Creative Festival,” said Paolo Mercado, Founder and President of the Creative Economy Council of the Philippines.

From here, a conversation will start and there will be no downtime for the City of Pines.

“You know, we hope it’s going to be a continuing thing because suddenly Baguio was catapulted into this global awareness so we have to show what we can bring out,” added Lim. Mercado surmised that the implications of being a creative city will turn artisans into innovators and creators into entrepreneurs. After all, the painting of a vibrant creative economy will not mar the picture of Baguio but will wake the lion and roar to call the other cities to join its pride.

Adelaida Lim on adobo Live!

Lim reflects on the second take of the Baguio Arts Festival.

Paolo Mercado on adobo Live!

Mercado talks about the focus and intent of the Baguio Creative Week.

C R E AT I V E E C O N O M Y I S S U E

A BRIDGE BETWEEN GENERATIONS

FESTIVALS / BAG UIO C R E AT IVE W E E K 20 1 8

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Old City, New Sight

T

he quiet and vibrant city of Baguio may be old but never has it failed to offer the best of sceneries. In 2018, after its declaration as a UNESCO Creative City, three existing heritage destinations were revamped to bring something new to the City of Pines.

One such old landmark of Baguio is the Dominican Hill and Retreat House. Those who come regularly to the city better know this as the Diplomat Hotel.

The hotel has become a widely-renowned destination not entirely because of its picturesque landscape but because of its disconcerting history. For one, its establishment to become a vacation house for Dominican friars over a century ago is enough to stir whispers but the story does not end there.

It also became a seminary for a time, Colegio del Santissimo Rosario, before becoming a prison camp

during the Japanese occupation in 1945. Hence began the grim tales of headless nuns, sobbing children and ghosts of tortured and raped women. The original structure was damaged during the World War II bombing but was rehabilitated to become the Diplomat Hotel.

This new purpose only lasted until 1986 when the manager of the hotel died. Since then, the site became the subject of urban stories and gruesome tales but horror aside, the establishment is reclaiming its place as a destination for artists. It was spruced up to celebrate the Opening Ceremony of the ENTACool; a giant mandala made by Maela Jose hung from the ceiling of the lobby and art installation exhibits breached life to the space.

Apart from the renewal of the Diplomat Hotel as an art house, Baguio also inaugurated the Bell House in Camp John Hay into a photo and visual arts gallery. The place once served the US Army

From left to right: Baguio’s iconic pine trees; Gaia Earth Music ft. Alab Dance Company; Visual arts gallery and exhibit called “Kulay ng Siglo”; Regional Director of DTI-CAR, Myrna P. Pablo.

as a residence site and has long functioned as a museum. During the Creative Week, painters and photographer including National Artis Benedict Cabrera collaborated to mount “Baguio: Our City, Our Home,” a flashback of what the city used to look like.

In the same vicinity is the country’s first Forest Bathing trail. The trail is a part of the regional director of DOT-CAR Venus Tan’s Rev-Bloom campaign, an homage to the old Baguio she loved as a child. Simply put, it is “re-greening, re-blooming, reviving the colors of the city, colonial colors, green and white, and so certainly reviving arts.”

Forest bathing has nothing to do with nakedness and drawing a bath in the forest; it is a figurative bath but likewise cleanses the soul by seeping in the energy of the forest. The practice has existed

for many decades in Japan where it originated.

“When forest bathing came to my mind, it was not a new idea,” Tan said during her introduction in the Grand Launch of the trail.

“It has become a lifestyle for the Japanese because it is proven that when one walks in canopies of forests, you actually lower your heart rate, it de-stresses,” she explained.

Basking in the lush forest and taking in the smell of the grass has calming and healing effects on trekkers.

Forest Bathing discourages use of gadgets and talking; one must mindfully walk, be one with the Earth, listen to the chirping of the birds and crickets. Meditation and yoga were also offered during the launch.

“Heart of the revival is not hospitals.

It’s about healing,” concluded Tan.

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Swirling Energies Into One Identity Secretary-General of the Philippine National Commission to UNESCO, Lila Shahani, encourages the government, art community and the private institutions to join hands in perpetuating Baguio’s Triumph

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A

triumph for the creative communities throughout the Philippines; this is how Lila Shahani described Baguio being claiming the country’s first UNESCO Creative City designation.

“Baguio is, and always has been, a world-class Creative City. Tatlong dekada na po kini-kilala ang mga manlilikha dito sa Baguio ng buong mundo!”

The Secretary-General of the Philippine National Commission to UNESCO shared her first encounter with the iconic Baguio Arts Festival.

She recalled how witnessing artists such as Roberto Villanueva, Santi Bose, Kidlat Tahimik, Ben Cab, Willy Magtibay, Laida Lim, Katrin de Guia, Tommy Hafalla took her breath away.

“The gifted and iconic Baguio Arts Guild left a deep impression on me. It was my first time to experience that ethereal feeling of being here, surrounded by the lush green environment that the people of Baguio call home — with its Igorot culture and vibrant arts community.”

Unfortunately, the festival was not able to sustain itself. Between sourcing the financial demand, and getting their exhibits ready on time, the wonderful artists of Baguio found it difficult to wear the organizer and the artist’s hat.

Top: Lila Shahani, Secretary-General of the Philippine National Commission to UNESCO Bottom: Apo Wang-Od sculpture

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Baguio native wearing their traditional clothing.

“BAGUIO IS, AND ALWAYS HAS BEEN, A WORLD-CLASS CREATIVE CITY. TATLONG DEKADA NA PO KINI-KILALA ANG MGA MANLILIKHA DITO SA BAGUIO NG BUONG MUNDO!” —Lila Shahani, Secretary-General of the Philippine National Commission to UNESCO

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What made Baguio a creative city?

The synergy of artistic sectors generating local business enterprises is mainly responsible for Baguio’s designation of being a Creative City, says Shahani.

As the home of two National Artists: Kidlat Tahimik and Ben Cab, Baguio does not run short of artist-run efforts and private initiatives that resulted in creative centers, like the BenCab Museum, the Maryknoll Ecological Sanctuary, Victor Oteyza Community Art Space, Tam-awan Village, Easter Weaving Room, Narda’s Handicrafts, the Ili Likha Artists Watering-hole, Asin Woodcarvers Village, and Café by the Ruins.

Apart from this, Baguio has benefited from the conjunction of rich Igorot culture, on the one hand, and artistic cosmopolitanism, on the other.

What this means for Baguio

The attachment of UNESCO’s name to the city is a form of investment. She took Vigan as an example of how UNESCO-inscripted places can benefit from its status.

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Reviving the infamous Diplomat Hotel for the first for ENTACool

Prior to 1999, Vigan was merely a second class municipality with an annual revenue of P27 million. The city’s annual revenue has also increased more than 12 times since 1995. It also reduced the unemployment drastically from 45 percent to 8 percent in the past 23 years.

With the prestige that comes with the inscription, the responsibility for the place is also weighed down on the government. This is because a UNESCO inscription will only be as permanent as the place is in a good condition.

“To ask artists and craftspeople on their own to not only create and curate, but also to finance, the arts community as a whole (as the Baguio Arts Guild had done in the 80s,) is not only unrealistic — it’s a pathway to burnout and cynicism.”

For Shahani, the cooperation of the art community, the government and private institutions is the way to go to ensure that Baguio’s triumph will not be short-lived.

“I add the commitment of my office and my own personal energy to propel the Baguio arts community to an even higher level of brilliance.”

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THE WORK The creative industry’s inner workings revealed.

DECONSTRUCTING CREATIVITY 78 The Talk

OPINION 84 Paolo Mercado

CREATIVE REVIEW 94 Chris Chiu of DDB Group Singapore

BANG FOR THE BUCK 82 Trash Isles

RAW 88 Neena Gatdula and Anne Karla Rivera

EXHIBIT 98 Toqa Twinflame Museum

THEN & NOW 92 Industrial Revolution

THE WORK / D ECO N S T R UC T IN G C R E AT IVIT Y

Let’s have “The Talk” P&G’s “The Talk” talks racial bias WORDS

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TITLE The Talk AGENCY BBDO NY CLIENT Procter & Gamble

Nadz Ruiz

Background

“Remember you can do anything they can.

Difference is you gotta work twice as hard and be twice as smart,” the mom told her young girl as she sent her off to school camp.

Another mother had a worried look on her face as she told her teenage son to come home early after band practice and even reminded him to have his ID on.

The next mom admonished her teenage daughter as she took the wheel of their car, “this is not about you getting a ticket. This is about you not coming home.”

The spot ends with the first mom sitting with her daughter in front of a mirror saying, “you are not pretty for a black girl. You are beautiful period.”

The ad did not just focus on black beauty but also revealed the different trials that black people go through — not having the same opportunities, working harder for the same privileges, being safe, and so much more.

While the ad gained 1.9B media impressions and downloaded more than 5,000 times, it also received backlash from groups and individuals claiming it’s “identity-politics pandering,” racebaiting, and hatred against the police.

Yet, P&G stood its ground. In a panel discussion set during the Cannes Lions festival last June 2018 between Facebook and P&G and its collaborators including Egami Consulting Group, Damon Jones, Director, Global Company Communications said, “It was authentic, put together from consumer insights and from personal stories.” He pressed on, “racism makes us all uncomfortable. Our goal wasn't to get to one universal piece of copy that everyone agrees with.

We wanted to spark a conversation that would turn into dialogue, then understanding, and finally, change."

AWARDS SUMMARY 2018 CANNES LIONS

2018 THE ONE SHOW

2018 EMMY AWARDS

• Grand Prix for Film

• Gold for Broadcast / Long Form - Single

• Outstanding commercial

• Gold Lion for Film - Corporate

• Gold for Craft - Writing / Single

Social Responsibility (CSR) • Silver Lion for Entertainment - Excellence in Brand Integration & Sponsorships • Silver Lion for Social & Influencer Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

• Gold for Online / Short Form - Single

2018 LONDON

• Gold for Craft - Direction / Single

INTERNATIONAL AWARDS

• Gold for Digital / Social Media &

• Grand LIA - Integration

Viral Marketing - Single • Gold for New Trends

2018 AD COLOR AWARDS • Ad of the year

• Silver Lion for Film Craft - Casting • Silver Lion for Film Craft - Cinematography

2018 NEW YORK FESTIVALS

• Bronze Lion for Sustainable Development

ADVERTISING AWARDS

2018 CLIO AWARDS

• Second Prize for Corporate Image, Information

• Gold for Social Video

Goals - Reduced Inequalities • Bronze Lion for Film Craft - Direction • Bronze Lion for Film Craft - Editing • Bronze Lion for Sustainable Development Goals - Reduced Inequalities

& Recruitment under Branded Content • Second Prize for Corporate Image, Information & Recruitment under Film • Second Prize for Acting under Film Craft • Second Prize for Direction under Film Craft • Second Prize for Script/Copywriting under Film Craft

2018 BRITISH ARROWS • Gold BAD Award

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When we hear the phrase “the talk,” we shudder and think about the awkwardness of having to talk about sex to our parents and from parents to their children. But for P&G and millions of black parents in America, “the talk” is a serious conversation between parent and child on the realities of being black. For generations, black parents had to sit down with their children to warn and ready them for the racial bias they will face throughout their lives.

P&G, BBDO, and minority-certified consulting firm Egami Consulting Group came together for an ad that takes an incisive look into what racial bias means for black families and how they cope with and rise above it.

“The Talk” was made in time for the relaunch of P&G’s Black Is Beautiful initiative which is designed to start conversations about racial bias and cultural diversity. Egami Consulting Group, the communications agency of record for My Black Is Beautiful, conducted in-depth interviews with African-Americans to get real insights and experiences of racial bias.

The ad starts with a mother asking her daughter while brushing her hair in front of a mirror, “who said that?” Without explicitly saying what was said, the mother continues, “that is not a compliment” when her daughter answers, “the lady at the store.”

The video then shows different conversations made between parent an child throughout the years.

Another mother says, “it’s an ugly, nasty word, and you’re gonna hear it. Nothing I can do about that.

But you are not gonna let that word hurt you.”

The next mother told her son who was left out of his baseball team, “there are some people who think you don’t deserve the same privileges just because of what you look like. It’s not fair.”

THE WORK / D ECO N S T R UC T IN G C R E AT IVIT Y

Behind the Campaign

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P&G collaborated with BBDO, whose team included several African-American women, and Egami Consulting Group, an integrated multi-cultural marketing and communications agency.

P&G has been working with Egami since 2016 to relaunch the “My Black Is Beautiful” campaign which was actually started by a group of African-American employees to push for a shift in the portrayal of black women in advertising and marketing.

Teneshia Warner, Egami CEO went back to P&G and presented a change in perspective of beauty. In an interview, Warner said, “when you think beauty, you may initially think of hair, skin, and nails. But my community is beautiful. My culture is beautiful.”

“Moms are rethinking college decisions for their children based on how safe they felt about it. They were thinking about whether they’ve had the talk soon enough with their

child. Do I need to have the talk again, given this moment in culture? So we basically held a mirror up to the AfricanAmerican woman’s reality at that time,” she continued.

Multicultural marketing typically just adapts a nationwide campaign targeted towards general markets to more targeted demographics. Warner saw “The Talk” by P&G and BBDO as an opportunity for multicultural agencies to produce work that can reach a wide audience.

“If we’re looking at the demographic trends in America, there should be a shift where it’s about great work that reflects culture and reaches a wide audience, and not looking at multicultural agencies for just niche work. There needs to be a redefinition of what general market is,” she said.

CREDITS BBDO NY

Editorial Work Editorial

Agency Partners

Chief Creative Officer, Worldwide David Lubars

Lead Editor Rich Orrick

Multicultural Strategic Communications

Chief Creative Officer, New York Greg Hahn

Editor Theo Mercado

Egami Consulting Group

Creative Director Marcel Yunes

Producer Jamie Lynn Perritt

CEO Teneshia Jackson Warner

Creative Director Rick Williams

Executive Producer Erica Thompson

Senior Strategic Advisor Cheryl Overton

Associate Creative Director Nedal Ahmed

Vice President Liv Lewis

Associate Creative Director Bryan Barnes

VFX Studio The Mill NY

EVP, Global Account Leader Anita May

2D Lead Jeff Robins

Media Hearts & Science

EVP, Group Planning Director Sangeet Pillai

Producer Sophie Mitchell

Website Barefoot Proximity

Director of Integrated Production David Rolfe

Executive Producer Rachael Trillo

Multi-Cultural/Collateral Burrell Communications

Senior Producer Whitney Collins

Music Pulse Music NY

P&G My Black is Beautiful

Executive Music Producer Melissa Chester

Composers Julia Piker & Dan Kuby

Chief Brand Building Officer Marc Pritchard

Senior Integrated Business Manager Matt Friday

Producer Steve Grywalski

Director Kristine Decker

Executive Producer Dan Kuby

Associate Brand Director Betsy Bluestone

Executive Producer Dan Blaney

Production Company The Corner Shop Director Malik Vitthal

Brand Manager Verna Coleman-Hagler Sound Design Trinite Studios | Brian Emrich

Exec Producer Anna Hashmi

Randall Smith BBIC John Lick BBIC

Director of Photography Lasse Frank

Mixing Studio Heard City

Senior Manager Communications Crystal Harrell

Production Designer Wynn Thomas

Mixer Phil Loeb and Keith Reynaud

CMK Brittany Body

Costume Designer Isis Mussenden

Producer Sasha Awn & Andi Lewis

Producer/ Head of Production Jessica Miller Line Producers Stephen Love & Blake Pickens

Color Grade/Transfer Company 3 Producer Clare Movshon & Alex Lubrano Colorist Sofie Borup

ADVERTORIAL

THE WORK / BA NG F OR T H E BUC K

The Trash Isles, the 196th country in the world?

LADBible, Plastic Oceans Foundation, and AMVBBDO “founded” a new country made out of trash.

WORDS

Nadz Ruiz

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DEFINED TERRITORY CHECKED A GOVERNMENT CHECKED INTERACT WITH OTHER STATES CHECKED A POPULATION CHECKED A PASSPORT, FLAG, & CURRENCY CHECKED

TITLE Trash Isles AGENCY AMVBBDO CLIENT LADBible & Plastic Oceans Foundation

The Trash Isles is about to become the 196th country in the world. While the United Nations will probably not grant membership to this country that UK online publisher LADBible, environmental conservation group Plastic Oceans Foundation, and ad agency AMVBBDO “founded” The Trash Isles received the recognition it wanted — widespread awareness on plastic pollution in the oceans.

The problem of increasing plastic pollution in the oceans has been persistent for several years now. Despite vigorous environmental campaigns by many groups and policies and programs by countries and the United Nations itself, the problem continues to balloon, with experts estimating that “plastic to outweigh fish by 2050.” According to LADBible and Plastic Oceans Foundation, eight million tons a year or a garbage truck full of plastic makes its way into the ocean every minute.

The accumulated area of garbage in the ocean forming in the Pacific Ocean has reached the size of France.

For the most part, it was case of “out of sight, out of mind”. Most people ignore the consequences of indiscriminate plastic usage and disposal since they do not know where their trash ends up.

With this alarming situation in mind, LADBible together with Plastic Oceans Foundation came to AMV BDDO with a brief aiming to raise awareness among the youth about the problem of plastic pollution in the oceans.

The search did not stop at the document. The team looked through the United Nations’ membership rules.

An application must be read by all members of the UN Council, which means that the Trash Isles’ appeal will have to be seriously considered by the UN. Putting two and two together, AMVBBDO and its collaborators founded the country of The Trash Isles to gain recognition with the UN and oblige other countries to clean up the trash.

The Results

The challenge for any environmental awareness campaign is how to make it different from a host of others that aim for talkability and cut-through.

The AMVBBDO team looked into the behavior of their target audience. Research showed that younger people are more politically active online, but another challenge is how to get their attention.

The creative team decided to take a light-heated approach but made sure the statistics and the facts of the problem were still communicated clearly.

But what would make the campaign unique?

The inspiration for the campaign came from thorough research into legal paperwork — the 1992 Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, instituted by the United Nations conference on Environment and Development.

It states that countries have a collective responsibility to conserve the environment.

For a budding country, The Trash Isles attracted over 200,000 citizens via change.org, making it the 26th smallest country in the world by population. Dame Judi Dench accepted queenship over the Trash Isles, while Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson became Minister of Defense. Former US Vice President Al Gore, himself an ardent conservationist, became the country’s first honorary citizen. Among The Trash Isles citizens were celebrities Chris Hemsworth, Jeff Goldblum, Andy Serkis, Mark Ruffalo, and many more.

The campaign reached more than 340 million across LADBible’s social media channels and websites and totaled more than a billion people reached via features in leading news outlets and publishers worldwide.

The 10 videos included in the campaign and published on LADBible’s channels have been viewed by more than 50 million people, while the editorial articles reached 18 million users and amassed more than 130,000 engagements.

But perhaps the biggest achievement to date by The Trash Isles was an official statement from the spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, Stéphane Dujarric, saying the campaign as “a very innovative and creative way to bring attention to a problem that is often not seen given the location of these piles of trash, but a problem of polluting the oceans and killing life in the oceans."

The Trash Isles may not have been recognized as a country, but it has gained massive recognition from all over the world as hard, alarming proof that plastic pollution may just be the biggest threat to our oceans.

CREDITS

AWARDS SUMMARY

Chief Creative Officer Paul Brazier

Cannes Lions 2018

D&AD 2018

Executive Creative Director Alex Grieve, Adrian Rossi

• Grand Prix in Design

• Yellow Pencil in Branding

Creative Director Nicholas Hulley, Nadja Lossgott

• Grand Prix in PR

Art Director Dalatando Almeida, Mario Kerkstra

• Gold Lion in PR

Clio Awards 2018

Copywriter Michael Hughes

• Gold Lion in Sustainable

• Gold Clio in Partnerships

The Work

Designer Mario Kerkstra Agency Producer Greg Kates Head of Creative Partnerships Matthew Harrington

Development Goals

& Collaborations • Gold Clio in Public Relations

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The Brief

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Will the Philippines Catch Up? adobo magazine’s resident columnist gives an overview of ASEAN Creative Economies Paolo Mercado |

ARTWORK

Senior Vice President for Marketing, Communication & Innovation at Nestlé Philippines. He is also the Founder and President of Creative Economy Council of the Philippines and adobo magazine’s resident columnist.

Vnita Sohal

I

n past articles, I have written about how countries like the UK, South Korea, Japan and China are embracing a creative economy strategy for growth. But is a creative economy agenda being embraced in ASEAN? Is growing the creative industries an articulated objective of ASEAN member countries? Are they taking concrete steps to nurture and grow creative industries and talent?

The answer is an emphatic yes for 5 out of the 10 ASEAN member countries, namely: Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Here is a quick overview of what these countries are doing: CREATIVE INDONESIA In 2009, the former Ministry of Tourism and Culture of Indonesia was renamed as the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, making Indonesia among the first ASEAN countries to elevate its creative economy agenda to a ministerial level responsibility and identity.

In 2014, the Ministry of Tourism and the Creative Economy was reorganized into two separate entities: the Ministry of Tourism to focus on Tourism, and the Creative Economy Agency (Badan Ekonomi Kreatif www.bekfraf.go.id). The aim of the BEKRAF is to implement the creative economy roadmap beyond tourism with the ambition to make Indonesia a globally competitive creative economy by 2025.

Through the leadership of the above agencies, Indonesia was among the first ASEAN countries to pursue and accredit two of its cities as UNESCO Creative Cities. Pekalongan was accredited in 2014 and is known as “Batik City” as hand-drawn and handstamped batik are the main pillars of the city’s economy.

It is cited by UNESCO as an “excellent example of

how culture based development can support citizens, particularly women, in developing viable income generating activities and improving their quality of life” (en.unesco.org/ creative-cities/pekalongan).

Indonesia also successfully accredited Bandung as a Design Creative City (en.unesco. org/creative-cities/bandung) recognizing the Bandung Municipal Government’s strong commitment to stimulate the creative economy through the implementation both infrastructure and investment project such as the Regional Development Acceleration Innovation Program.

In parallel to these efforts, the Ministry of Trade of Indonesia published in 2011 a study that laid out the blueprint for Indonesia’s creative industries development that focuses on the 14 sub-sector of the country’s creative industries. This study consists of the vision, mission, target, and the road map for the development of the 14 disciplines for the 2009-2015 period.

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WORDS

PAOLO MERCADO

THE WORK / OPINION

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CREATIVE MALAYSIA In 2009, the government of Malaysia established the Performance Management and Delivery Unit (PEMANDU) an agency reporting directly to the Prime Minister of Malaysia, with the ambitious task of transforming Malaysia into a high income economy by 2020. The Agency leads the development of the Economic Transformation Programme that will deliver on this goal.

Part of the Economic Transformation Programme are a list of priority “Entry Point Programmes” (EPP) that are the top priority investment initiatives for the country. The Number 1 EPP is “Nurturing Malaysia’s Creative Content Industry.” The following is a direct excerpt from the PEMANDU website: “This EPP aims to enhance capacity, capability and competency in Malaysia’s creative industry to produce world-class content and make the country a regional hub for digital content.

This EPP will also focus on building the foundation for a thriving and lucrative creative content industry to optimize the mature development of the digital network, targeting an annual growth rate of 20% for content exports.

To achieve an annual growth rate of 13% in the domestic segment, efforts are focused on producing more local content, attracting foreign filmmakers to invest in Malaysia. The marketing of Malaysianmade content will also be re-strategized to increase sales of Malaysian-made content domestically and internationally.” (etp.pemandu.gov.my) CREATIVE SINGAPORE To many outsiders, “Creative” and “Singapore” may seem like a contradiction in terms. The citizens of the island City State are best known for being excellent traders, manufacturers & businessmen, and their youth excel in math and sciences rather than

the creative arts. However, Singapore was actually the first country in ASEAN to draw-up a creative economy masterplan in 2002, directly borrowing many concepts and strategies from the UK’s DCMS Creative Industries Task Force blueprint.

The Ministry of Information, Communications, and the Art (MICA) leads the Creative Industries Development Strategy (CIDS) of the country.

Since the formulation of their blueprint in 2002, the list of achievements of Singapore is nothing short of impressive as they have transformed their city from being a financial, trading and transport hub, to a true regional creative hub.

Singapore is a UNESCO Creative City for Design (en. unesco.org/creative-cities/singapore), it is the regional

headquarters for many global advertising, digital, media production and R&D companies, and it hosts many world class exhibitions, conferences, and performing arts events for a regional audience. They are building Creative Zones beside IT Learning corridors. A recent feather in their cap is the completion of the last installments of Star Wars in the Lucas Films Studios in Singapore.

While Singapore borrows a lot of creative talent from western and regional expats, the Singapore government ensures to retain a significant amount of IP rights for work done in Singapore. They are also investing in leveling up their local talent base with high profile education institutions such as the Singapore School of the Arts for Middle School and High School, as well as the La Salle University. On the other hand, Singapore has encountered a rough spot with the closure of the New York University Tisch School of the Arts Singapore Campus due to lack of students and an expensive expat teaching staff. Yet despite this setback, Singapore is determined to lead the ASEAN as the region’s most vibrant creative economy.

CREATIVE THAILAND Thailand has always had one of the most vibrant and aesthetically refined local cultures in the ASEAN, having enjoyed centuries of autonomous rule that preserved their Siamese heritage. While the creative economy strategy of Thailand is not as explicit as those of Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, it is no less active.

Attempts were made around 2008 to 2011 to clearly define the country’s creative industries and creative economy strategy. However, the creative economy policy was sidelined in the tumultuous political administration of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. Yet in spite of these difficulties, Thailand has had a few major milestones in their creative economy development.

make a name for themselves for producing low cost software and tech solutions for clients based in Singapore or elsewhere. It won’t be long before Vietnam makes a name for itself in Creativity as it is already doing for other sectors such as agribusiness.

Advertising professionals the world over recognize Thai creativity as among the world’s best, as the country regularly wins in international competitions such as Cannes. Furthermore, Thailand is also seen as a desirable location for shooting advertising films as well as full length films because of their highly professional but cost competitive production capabilities.

Phuket, a well-known holiday destination, is also a UNESCO Creative City for Gastronomy (en.unesco.org/creative-cities/phuket), recognized for its efforts in preserving and promoting traditional ancient Thai cuisine.

Last but not least, in 2007 Thailand partnered with the Accademia Italiana of Florence Italy to open a college for Design in Bangkok. Such an academic partnership ambitions to not only develop the next generation of world class Thai designers, but it also aims to make Bangkok a regional hub for world class art & design education.

CREATIVE VIETNAM Last but not least, Vietnam may be in it’s early days of developing a formal creative economy strategy and policies, but the country is certainly buzzing with energy as they establish creative hubs in different parts of the country. Already they are starting to

THE OTHER HALF OF ASEAN The countries that have yet to formalize their creative economy strategies are: The Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Brunei.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the Philippines is unfortunately a laggard in ASEAN as far as creative economy policy is concerned. However, there is hope. Attempts have been made in 2010 to map and measure creative industries and define an initial growth roadmap. Today, there is renewed interest and action towards a creative economy policy, led primarily by the DTI. But we must catch up quickly as many of our neighbors in ASEAN are 10 to 15 years ahead of us. I do believe though that we have the talent and ability to leapfrog our ASEAN neighbors.

What would truly be remarkable is if a Collaborative Creative Economies Strategy is developed across the major ASEAN countries, each contributing their own strength to make the region a global creative powerhouse. Imagine content & design from Indonesia, Malaysia & Thailand, performed & transformed by English speaking Filipinos for a world market, and leveled-up with Singapore based technology and performance venues.

Perhaps an ASEAN Creative Community is only a pipe dream, but 50 years ago, ASEAN itself was likewise only a dream. With creativity and tenacity, any dream can come true.

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THE WORK / R AW

Suit-up Creative LIAisons Neena Gatdula and Anne Karla Rivera talk about the need to portray realistic women in advertising.

WORDS PHOTO

Jyrmie Eisenheart Ladiero Josh Ke

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T

o deliberate over 70 entries from young creatives across 24 Philippine agencies, adobo magazine gathered the first-ever all-female jury headed

by Abi Aquino, the Executive Creative Director of Mullenlowe Group Philippines.

Neena Felizzi Gatdula from Publicis JimenezBasic and Anne Karla Rivera from Over The Moon Communications emerged as the winners of the adobo London International Awards (LIA) Young Creative Competition 2018. The annual Creative LIAisons, which is limited to 100 attendees around the globe, runs concurrently with the LIA. The winning work of Gatdula titled ‘Meet Real Women’ was favored by majority of the jury due to its simplicity and realistic solution to the brief given.

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For someone who has joined the competition thrice, Gatdula knew that the theme is something she would put her heart into because women empowerment has always been her advocacy.

“Seeing that they actually made a brief addressing the lack of portrayal of women in our ads is something that I’ve always thought about before,” she said.

When asked about the idea behind her entry, Gatdula shared, “I think the problem with how we portray women in advertising is that they’re one-dimensional.

So, the idea of creating a way for advertisers, marketers, even casters to ‘Meet Real Women’ to get inspired with for their advertising is where I’m at.”

The one-dimensional woman is not only problematic for Gatdula but for women all over the world. Being idealized as the perfect female makes it difficult for normal women to relate to them.

“They’re just your moms who basically live in the kitchen, sexy crush and the thing is these women seem like they just exist in that world,” explained Gatdula.

On the other hand, ‘Badly Put Women’ by Over The Moon Communication Inc.’s Anne Karla Rivera had won the votes of the jury because of its creativity and shareability on social media platforms. “‘Badly Put [Women]’ is something that—if you have any idea or example—it’s on top of mind.

And usually, badly put ideas or examples are the ones that get approved. So, naisip ko, ‘What if we create a badly put woman?’” Rivera shared when asked about the inspiration behind her work.

TITLE Meet Real Women

BY Neena Felizzi Gatdula

adobo London International Awards Young Creative Competion 2018 call for entries poster.

TITLE Badly Put Women

BY Anne Karla Rivera

(Sitting down) Rachel Teotico-Yulo, Creative Director at BBDO Guerrero; Kat Gomez-Limchoc, Executive Creative Director at BlackPencil Manila (From left to right) Betsy Baking, Managing Partner at Over the Moon Communications; Abi Capa, Creative Director at Nuworks; Maan Bautista, Creative Director at McCann Worldgroup Philippines; Bia Famularcano, Creative Director at Publicis JimenezBasic; Abi Aquino (Jury President), Executive Creative Director at Mullenlowe Group Philippines; Drea Dizon, Art Director at J. Walter Thompson Manila; CJ de Silva Ong, Creative Director at TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno; and Donna Dimayuga, Creative Director at Ogilvy & Mather Philippines.

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Rivera initially thought that the brief for the competition was challenging. However, she realized that being one of the target demographic of the problem and also being an entrant gave her an advantage in changing the landscape.

“They see a woman from an existing ad typically doing this role and then you cut and paste this woman to badly put her to another scenario and that’s it.”

For Rivera, her entry was her way of showing that women can do more and also a proof of how she could push herself.

Creative LIAisons is an annual program limited to 100 attendees from around the globe and has become one of the most sought after programs in the industry.

The program consists of networking, seminars and the privilege to sit in on statue deliberations. Access to the judging room from the beginning of statue discussions through to the final metal decisions is an experience no other award show offers. Not only does it provide insight as to what is an award-winning piece of work, but provides a guide as to what sets apart great creative. This has been described by many of the Creative LIAisons’ alumni as priceless.

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Indispensable

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Technology may have been progressing at an alarming rate through the years, but humans are still here to stay — and it’s all thanks to the creative economy.

Christa Escudero Sam Macaisa

WORDS ART

The world has evolved so much since the beginning of history. Every phase of development came with a multitude of ways human lives have been improved and made easier. Although, with that also came a multitude of ways humans were not needed anymore.

All that can be broken down into the different Industrial Revolutions, and illustrated as simply as the evolution of how we send messages.

POWER OF TECHNOLOGY

Sentryo, a solutions provider focused in cybersecurity, breaks down the whole Industrial Revolution into four ages.

The Industrial Revolution commonly written down in history books is considered to be the First Industrial Revolution, which spanned from the end of the 18th century to the beginning of the 19th century.

This age marked the rise of mechanization, or when humans passed on the production of work to machines powered by the fundamental steam engine. At this time, our messages were written in letters, delivered through steam engine trains that ran on rail tracks.

At the end of the 19th century — nearly a century later — came the Second Industrial Revolution. This age saw a new generation of developments brought forth by electricity, gas, and oil. The machines powered by steam were now powered by electrical energy. As the process of producing work became much faster, mass production became possible. Transportation became less rigorous when the automobile and the plane were created.

Letters did not to be written and delivered anymore with the invention of the telegraph and the telephone.

Then came the Third Industrial Revolution, nearly a century again later in the middle of the 20th century.

This time, electronics and information technology started to rule. At this age, production became automated, with work being produced in a snap with the introduction of robots and artificial intelligence.

Communication became much faster, with the existence of computers, cell phones, and other small devices that were as capable, if not more, as their predecessors.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is happening right now in front of our very eyes. With the creation of the internet, disruption is occurring across many industries, especially production. This age lives on the technological phenomenon called digitalization. Whereas the first three Industrial Revolutions conducted their processes in the physical world, this fourth one sees processes happening in a virtual world where the internet does them for us. Yes, even messaging. Scheduled emails, predictive text, and chatbots now let us communicate even without much movement of our hands.

The pattern is crystal clear: As technology continues to progress more and more, human labor is needed less and less.

So where do human beings enter the picture now?

POWER OF THE PEOPLE

There’s a line that connects human beings and technology, and on that line lies the creative economy.

As stated by the UN Institute for Training and Research, the creative economy is where heritage, arts, media, and functional creation come together and thrive. It breathes life into anything bearing creative content — anything that involves ideas, knowledge, and skills, which are inherent in human beings.

That includes technology.

All the past Industrial Revolutions — all these developments that have shaped the world and their processes into what they are today — are the product of the ideas, knowledge, and skills of human beings.

Our capability to come up with new ideas and create innovations are what led to the convenience of messaging and a whole lot of other things. And with many things out of our hands now, we become freer to create more, to dream more, and to achieve more.

The creative economy is what drives revolutions. As long as we human beings have the capacity to create, there’s no stopping us.

In the end, there’s no question of where we enter the picture. We are in the picture, and we have been in it all along. Without humans, all industrial revolutions wouldn’t have been possible, and all subsequent ones wouldn’t be possible.

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t some point in our lives, we may have thought of robots and AI then tremble in fear, because alas, mankind is doomed.

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CHRIS CHIU

For the Creative Review of selected campaigns that won the Grand Prix in the 65th Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, adobo magazine tapped DDB Group Singapore's Chris Chiu to share his insights:

Chris Chiu is the Group Chief Creative Officer of the DDB Group Singapore and a member of the DDB Global Creative Council. He currently also serves as the Head of the DDB Asia Creative Council.

Over the last 26 years, he’s won numerous awards most notably Golds at Cannes, One Show, Golden Drum, Effies and Spikes AsiaPacific as well as the Grand Prix at AdFest and the Singapore Creative Circle Awards.

Creativity can change the world it’s been said time and again by creative luminaries the world over. In this Creative Economy issue, Angel and her team have compiled a list of campaigns for review that have celebrated positive change.

Please bear with me as I share my thoughts. (I’m told that these pieces have all won big previously, so this should be interesting.)

As a creative, I believe the best advertising persuades people to share what’s valuable to them - time - to listen to a message. Perhaps even act on it, if the message is compelling.

The more persuasive, the more provocative the manner it’s told; the stronger the persuasion. Essentially if it makes one feel, I reckon the job’s done. So that’s my lens, now let’s look at the work:

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TITLE Today at Apple CLIENT Apple

Like millions of others, I love the brand and obviously can only imagine the kind of environment they must foster to be the company they are. But sadly that’s all this piece does; it tells me how cool and fun it must be to work there. It doesn’t change my perception or give me something to new get excited about. So no it didn’t move me. An amazing piece for HR at best.

TITLE Hope AGENCY Blur Films, Rushmore CLIENT Red Cross

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As a creative, we’re constantly exposed to film. Lots. Of. Film. Which is why it takes quite a lot for a spot to give you goosebumps. This one more than accomplished that. It kept me rooted throughout (and rooting for the man and his kid). It left me devastated. It made me feel loads. It made me want to do something to help the cause. Great job.

TITLE JFK Unsilenced AGENCY Rothco, Accenture Interactive, Screen Scene, CereProc CLIENT The Times

This audio technique – of using past leaders voices pieced together – has been used quite a bit. Not sure when this particular campaign was done but I found myself scrubbing through it quite a bit; hoping to find a nugget as to why this particular time there was a poignant reason. The hook being it was the speech he would have made if he survived that fateful day. I was intrigued because JFK said many things during the course of his presidency. Words that have transcended the years, inspiring many. Admittedly, I didn’t find it in this particular piece. Although I did watch it till the end – so job done. It got me to share my time.

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TITLE Evert_45 AGENCY N=5 Amsterdam, Pupkin Film, Superhero Cheesecake, Maak, Mindshare, A

Bigger Circle, Hill + Knowlton Strategies, Ambassadors, Soundcircus, Orange CLIENT KBN

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Like the JFK piece in that, again, it’s a technique used before. Obviously the 45s is a teaser/prelude to the actual individual films. Applaud the production quality, casting although I didn’t get the ‘feels’ I thought commensurate with the topic.

TITLE Blink to Speak AGENCY TBWA\India CLIENT Asha Ek Hope Foundation/NeuroGen Brain & Spine Institute

As far as creativity for positivity, this ticks all the boxes. I’ve seen this done before in judging for the various afflictions like loss of sight, autism, etc. Always inspiring to know there are organisations out there like this. But as far as advertising, not fresh as we say in the business.

TITLE Savlon Healthy Hands Chalk Sticks AGENCY Ogilvy Mumbai CLIENT ITC

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Have seen this campaign several times across various award show judging as well. Yet I continue to be in awe of it. Fantastic idea! But more importantly, contextually, it’s brilliant. Quite possibly the epitome of the power of creativity and the definitive campaign for this issue!

TITLE Aeronaut Music Experience AGENCY Isobar U.S., Viacom CLIENT Billy Corgan

Music videos have long been a hotbed for experimental techniques, this doesn’t disappoint. Visually stunning, this piece made me go ‘wow. I suppose my only dilemma is, like the Apple campaign earlier, what’s the relevance on how it contributes to the creative economy assuming that definition means socially contribute. This piece intrigued me but didn’t move me. Stunning nevertheless.

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The museum was a collaboration between Toqa Twinflames, Cenon Norial III, and Mav Bernardo (Cenon at Mav).

Tropics on Display The Toqa Twinflame Island Museum at Tarzeer Pictures brings the sustainable in high fashion through art.

WORDS

Niña Venus |

PHOTOS

Cenon at Mav

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ne would think that museums are for those whose noses are always buried in books. The current trend is if the displays are conducive for self-portraits, people will flock to the museum–however, such museums tend to be trifling and short-lived. Enter Toqa Twinflame Island Museum, a non-museum but an experience one has to go through.

Disguised as a pop-up shop, the Toqa Twinflame museum is Toqa’s first physical presence and so, there were no holds barred by the founders, Isabel Sicat and Aiala Valdovino. From the way they made the pieces’ names self-explanatory to the material they used in the pieces, the two women are stripping high fashion of its hifalutin nature.

Aside from pushing creative boundaries, Toqa’s main material, basahan (rag), is a way to introduce sustainability to high fashion. Taking to next level the common patched together round rags, they played along the concept of making something unexpected out of basahan and develop it into something other than a dusting material.

An Encyclopedia-like gallery is what first opens the museum; with definitions in English and Tagalog, everyone can understand and familiarize

themselves with what they are about to walk into.

“We came from first definitions, then the more abstract idea of what is the problem in the fashion and textile industry with regard to the environment and bring it into how we approached it from our textiles, the manipulation, then seeing it again in full form, in actual pieces.”

Unlike galleries that put the exhibits three feet away strictly for staring, the second room is interactive—encouraging the tactile experience of fabrics in different forms.

“We wanted to have our stuff in a physical space where everyone could interact with especially this is our first physical presence so we had to layout what Toqa stands for, if you can actually feel the textiles because that is a huge part of what TOQA is, the humor.”

Another room contains an art installation of banana leaves collaged in a wall, the leaves’ decay added texture to the walls and served as a timestamp.

The humor, which they were referring to, is the big reveal in the last room, marking TOQA’s ideals.

“When we pitched this idea, we wanted to talk about the environment and the problematic parts of the fashion industry which no one really knows about and frame it parallel to the problem and the solution through our work,” said Sicat.

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“WE'RE EXPANDING THE VOCABULARY OF THE TROPICAL AESTHETIC, MAKING SURE THAT PEOPLE KNOW THAT WAS IMPORTANT TO US.”

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“DESIGN IS A DEMOCRATIC MEDIUM AND SHOULD BE SHARED WITH PEOPLE.”

The TOQA Twinflame Island Museum is just one kickstart of the brand which is baptising Manila as its homebase. A part of the museum's proceeds will go to the World Wide Fund for nature. From their years spent in New York, the two designers agreed that they could not see TOQA’s birth someplace else.

“Design is a democratic medium and should be shared with people. We love fashion but we also don’t believe in exclusivity. Creating a space where everyone can enjoy a part of and feel like [they’re] equally valued, equally welcome is essential if you’re gonna foster a community in an authentic manner and that’s the most powerful thing that you can do: create a nurturing environment cause everyone is just stronger together.”

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104 Creative Hubs UK 108 Creative Innovator's Programme 112 Arangkada Philippines Fora 2018 118 Liza Diño: 100 Years of Philippine Cinema

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WORDS

Yael A. Buencamino

In May of 2018, Angel Guerrero of adobo, JP Deloso of ASPACE and I spent a week immersed in Creative Hubs in the United Kingdom along with about a dozen other hub managers from around Southeast Asia. The exposure to varied creative hub models in different cities, at different stages of development brought home the idea that each hub is a unique response to its context and the needs of its stakeholders.

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Representing the Philippines at the UK Creative Hubs tour courtesy of the

LONDON We visited 3 vastly different types of hubs : Makerversity, Plexal and the Institute of Making.

Maker visity Makerversity is a co-working space with both low tech (woodworking, sewing and things normally associated with crafts) and hi tech workshops (3d printers, laser cutters, milling machines and the like) operating on a membership model. As a hub it enables entrepreneurs who are just starting out, providing desks and office spaces at an excellent central London location within a vibrant complex with a museum, contemporary art spaces, studios, and restaurants. The workshops give people the opportunity to create prototypes and experiment with their production processes. Among the makers we met were the founder of Grafton Saddler, a company that makes bespoke bike seats so lovely that they look like shoes designs and the founder of Ultra IoT, a tech company that explores the possibilities of the internet of things affecting behaviour and the environment.

British Council are Angel Guerrero, Founder and EIC of adobo magazine, Yael A. Buencamino, Executive Director of AretĂŠ Ateneo de Manila University and JP Deloso, Associate Founder of ASpace

Plexal Plexal in East London is an enormous complex that was used as the headquarters for the international press during the London Olympics, in an area of London that saw rapid development as a result of that.

It was the most corporate site we visited with cool interiors and playful touches in the vein of Google and FB complexes; and like them it is geared towards business. It has everything that a start up might need to get off the ground - a recruitment company, law firm, insurance, branding and marketing development, website design, secretarial services, accountants, funding partners, and a bank. There are of course spaces that can be rented out - desks, offices, gathering places and even spaces to be alone. This model seems ideal for government or institutions looking to redevelop or develop an area because it creates critical mass.

Institute of Making Institute of Making is part the University College London and is exclusively for the use of UCL faculty and Students. While it is funded by the Engineering Department, it is interdisciplinary in its DNA. The directors are from Engineering, Fine arts and Design.

It is an ideal makerspace for the the university because it enables people to visualise and create physical manifestations of their theories. What stood out for me, apart from the amazing products (we were shown a tile that had the properties of a ceramic tile that was actually made of coffee grounds) was the ethos of their makerspace : openness, curiosity and respect. These are ingredients that really set the stage for a creative, collaborative environment.

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BIRMINGHAM & MANCHESTER Unlike slick and cosmopolitan London, the hubs in Birmingham had a more grassroots feel to them. They were very connected to each other, rooted in and driven by a desire to contribute to the community. We visited several hubs, 3 of which stood out most: our hosts BOM, Impact Hub Birmingham and Friction Arts.

BOM

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BOM (Birmingham Open Media) is co-working with studios that deliberately encourage the interaction of scientists, engineers and artists through residencies and fellowship programs that provide space, time and networks to develop exciting collaborations and test new ideas. They were remarkable for their focus on understanding diversity and encouraging inclusivity. They had a major autism program which involved autistic led autism training for staff, a Virtual Reality project developed by a couple of resident artists that created a VR environment to show notions of autistic beauty and the renovation of their hub to make it friendly to those with autism.

Friction Ar ts Friction Arts founded by Sandra Hall about two decades ago was more akin to the artist run spaces that we have in the Philippines than a co-working or makerspace as we understand it. Friction arts is in her home but her projects go all the way to Africa and Scandinavia.

All of them involve bringing together people and creating environments conducive for dialogue.

Madlabs Asa and Rachel, founders of Madlabs and our hosts in Manchester provided us with an excellent context of the historical role of creativity and learning in their city. They took us to one of the oldest libraries in England, walked us through a park where Alan Turing used to go and reminded us of the role that innovations from places like Manchester played in sparking the industrial revolution. While Madlabs had many of the elements that other hubs had, co-working and event spaces, lectures and workshops, what really stood out for me was their program that brought the labs out of their space and into the peripheries in order to expose kids to fun and exciting ways of engaging with Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math. The workshops are free for the kids and are facilitated by the maker members of Madlabs - it was a fascinating model of how strong communities built in creative hubs can come together to do outreach activities that make a lasting impact. It was a truly inspiring way to end a trip that was filled with learning and eye opening connections.

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The SEA team at IMPACT HUB in Birmingham UK.

The SEA team at Somerset House in London

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For The Young,

By The Young adobo picks four fellows from British Council and DTI-Design Center of the Philippines' Creative Innovators Programme.

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ne trouble that plagues creatives is the lack of networks. Be it reluctance to self-promote or simply not knowing the right people, artists and designers are more likely to focus on honing their talent if they did not have to worry about places of convergence.

“You know when you’re talking about an artist outside Manila looking for opportunities, the network would really be quite limited so being able to provide a platform that would enable artists and creative entrepreneurs to build networks is quite precious,”

said Malaya Del Rosario, Head of Arts and Creative Industries at British Council in the Philippines during the Arangkada Fora at Fairmont Makati on November 26.

Despite the density of galleries and museums in Manila, the need of creative incubation outside the Metro has been on the back of the minds of creative enthusiasts. In 2018, with the British Council and DTI-Design Center of the Philippines, four fellows from different cities found the support they need to sustain and grow their creative hubs.

ASPACE

• Cebu City ASPACE founder Matthew Morrison thinks of hubs as signals to gather creatives together. He said, “You don’t have to import everything in and that’s given a whole generation of entrepreneurs now confidence to build on their ideas, attract other people to support them and that’s given us a flourishing market here.”

True to his statement, Morrison entrusted Cebu’s ASPACE branch to a young entrepreneur: Regil Kent Cadavos. As the Community Engagement Lead, Cadavos working towards making ASPACE the go-to hub for creative, innovative, forward- thinking, go-getter locals who aim to make an impact in the city and help elevate the local scene.

Photo by The Backbone Company

Regil Kent Cadavos Community Engagement Lead, ASPACE Cebu City

K araw Craftventures • Naga City

From a simple school project, Karaw Craftventures grew into a social enterprise targeted at uplifting the marginalized sectors. The primary community of the hub are inmates of the Naga City Jail—they are enabled to practice craft by upcycling scrap textiles into plush toys, key chains, and shoes.

Artist and social entrepreneur Paul Orpiada founded Karaw Craftventures out of conversations he had with the inmates during an outreach in college. Currently, he wants to be more adept in managing a creative hub that constantly introduces human-centered product designs that can effectively cater the ever-changing needs of the market.

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Photo by Paul Andrew Orpiada

Paul Andrew Orpiada Founder, Karaw Craftventures Naga City

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Ar tisanal Heritage Studies and Creative Enter prise Center • Davao City

The Artisanal Heritage Studies and Creative Enterprise Center (AHSCEC) aims to open new dialogues and fresh entrepreneurial platform for established and up and coming artists, artisan crafters and designers to converge and converse.

As the Project Leader whose passion includes multidisciplinary design education, Emi Englis would like his hub to become a venue for culture-based design ideation and business incubation, moving up from a school-based to a community-wired creative entrepreneurship hub.

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Photo by Emi Englis

Emi Englis Project Leader, Artisanal Heritage Studies and Creative Enterprise Center Davao City

ANTHILL Fabric Galler y • Cebu City

ANTHILL is an abbreviation of Alternative Nest and Trading/ Training Hub for Ingenious/ Indigenous Little Livelihood Seekers. They promote social and cultural enterprise to preserve local weaves through contemporary and zero waste design for sustainable livelihood.

Formerly Anthill's Creative Operations Officer, Cherame Lopez wants to set up and formalise a PRD (Product Research & Design) Center where continuous innovation and creativity flourish along with designers, thinkers and artisans.

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Photo by ANTHILL Fabric Gallery

Cherame Lopez Former Creative Operations Officer / Designer, ANTHILL Fabric Gallery Cebu City

As opposed to the traditional business model where growth is measured solely by financial success, creative hubs are unique in their ability to tolerate and embrace making mistakes.

“When we talk about business, it’s all about success and I think hubs are places where you can fail. These are places where you can experiment, prototype and refine your ideas and products, so they are really incubators,” added British Council's Malaya del Rosario.

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Creative Industries: The Next Sunrise Industry MODERATOR: Florentina Colayco, President of the Metropolitan Museum of Manila PANEL: Nora Terrado, Undersecretary for Trade and Investments Promotion Group of Department of Trade and Industry Atty Guiller Asido, Administrator of Intramuros Malaya del Rosario, Head of Arts and Creative Industries British Council Rhea Matute, Executive Director of the Design Center of the Philippines Matthew Morrison, Founder and CEO of ASPACE Ces Rondario, Co-Founder of Impact Hub Manila Brain Tenorio, Chair of the Philippine LGBT Chamber of Commerce Dolly Anne Zuluaga, Assistant Department Head and Zoning Administrator of Planning and Development Office of Iloilo City

*for reference or QR code: https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=-IQsEqBpTBM

How do creative hubs actually figure out in the strategy and plan of creative industries?

Malaya Del Rosario: Creative hubs are places where creatives work, not just artists but people from different industries who apply creativity in their work, and hubs benefit communities and societies through a triple bottom line - not just creating economic value but social and cultural values as well.

In the Philippines, hubs could be big spaces or coworking spaces, even artist-run spaces where people from different sectors convene. There will be no economy without created output and ideas which thrive in creative hubs and innovation. When you bring artists together from different sectors, they make magic.

What more if they’re coming from the sciences, the arts, from accounting, you bring them together and you give them a platform to talk, to exchange ideas and to create new things. Creative hubs are really at the core of the creative economy and we need to make sure we are able to sustain them and make them thrive.

The forum is annual event bringing together public officials and business leaders to improve the country's business climate.

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a brand name for faster economic growth and higer investment.

What are your current initiatives on design?

Rhea Matute: Design Philippine is about engaging the population with what is outside the exhibition halls of Manila Fame. Creativity lives outside our regular exhibition halls in World Trade Center or SMX. We put focus on various hubs and creative environments throughout Metro Manila and even beyond.

One of our advocacies is really like that of Intramuros, which is not just about the past but getting people to look at Intramuros as a place of the future so this is where it provides context within the Philippine landscape. If we bring in the creatives, bring in technology in Intramuros, it widens the opportunity to gather not just people who are into the heritage and cultural sector but it also brings in the creative sector. That collaboration brings an exciting environment by which innovation can thrive and innovation can be driven. A true Filipino innovation can be driven through a hub like Intramuros.

Atty Guiller Asido: We partnered with Design Center of the Philippines and the Creative Economy Council. We were just going to see the sights but after that they saw the 44-chamber property beside the Pasig river, we decided already. The board of administrators already approved

the concept and are going into the next level ensuring the completion of the Maestranza as a creative hub.

There was really no business plan for the Maestranza but to make it a commercial space. We recognized the value of the space beyond that and our intention is to give it a proper value in terms of our direction also in creating this new narrative for Intramuros as a hub for creativity, heritage, culture and tourism.

What are some of the critical factors necessary to promote creative hubs?

Matthew Morrison: As a foreigner, I see the Philippines already as a hub for creativity. I also believe everyone is creative, no one decides I’m going to be a boring person, no one chooses to work in a boring office or live in a boring neighborhood or condominium.

When we pioneered ASPACE, we accepted that there was a creative community of people and morey people who wanted to be more creative: doctors, nurses, teachers, even people in government are desperate for their creativity to be recognized. One way of creating a hub is literally just to open your doors and start helping people be more creative, reduce the risk that comes with bringing new ideas to the surface, figure out what they need to thrive, and then get out of the way.

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COVERSTORY / ROUN DTABL E

work and gender inclusion. We realized that diversity in marginalized sectors creates more chances for innovation and creativity. These sectors include LGBT, people in mental wellness situations, people from various ethnicities, things that are determined by your genetics.

You can also be part of a smaller sector because of your life situations. For example: heartbroken, extremely happy, coming out from a great job. If you’re in a different situation and you’re different from most people, there’s a larger chance for you to be more innovative, creative.

The development of a country perspective here is an interesting thing because we understand how it is to make raket, to make diskarte, to be able to create from little resources. If you think about it, design is doing more with less. That’s why I think it’s more fun to be a designer and a creative in the Philippines.

Metropolitan Museum of Manila's President, Florencia Colayco

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There was a development of cultural confidence over the last decade. There’s a lot more of this emerging flavor that is worth exploring and listening to. Not having to import everything has given a whole generation of entrepreneurs confidence to build on their ideas, and attract other people to support them. The important thing is recognizing that everyone is creative so hubs can gather them together and the rest of us can make each other thrive.

What is your involvement and roles in key initiatives in galvanizing hubs of talent?

Ces Rondario: Impact Hub is a global network, the largest network of entrepreneurs in about a hundred cities in 50 countries. When we brought the brand to the Philippines about three and a half years ago, the core goal was really to help social enterprises from across the sector. We’ve had the pleasure of working with artists, from the grassroots community, from textile who were doing crafts; we work alongside organizations whose core goal is to uplift the lives of those people.

We have noticed that they have been forgotten and were not given access to the tools that entrepreneurs have in Manila. Our core goal is to give every business a cause for the people and the planet.

Hubs put people in programs, and we want to give voice to those who really want to be an entrepreneur. Although we have startups, we want to produce people who will create more, who will innovate more, and who will disrupt the country.

What are your initiatives in working with poor communities to build what he calls hotbeds of innovation and creativity.

Brian Tenorio: One of the things the Philippine LGBT Chamber of Commerce has been working on is diversity

Would you like to tell us about the well-balanced environment of heritage, art and culture in your city.

Dolly Zuluaga: Apart from Iloilo’s rich creative industries, we have a subculture–I myself grew up in a culture of metal fans. Subcultures such as these are entrepreneurial so we create accessible places not only in the physical landscape but also policies in the local government.

As I understand, creatives pop sporadically.

The major role of governments is to keep them together because creativity flourishes when there are plenty of minds that work so we put a prime on developing public open spaces.

Popular parks and esplanades are still growing not just for beautification or aesthetic purposes but also to converge people and give them access

Head of Arts and Creative Industries British Council, Malaya del Rosario

to beautiful landscapes. In these places, they can think of something beautiful, something out of the ordinary, something out of the box.

We want to show the less privileged that there’s a beautiful world out there because I think the best way to create things is to combine a little ounce of misery and a little ounce of drive. That’s the beauty that Iloilo is putting in its public open spaces.

What would cross cultural, cross border creative hubs mean for investments and for organizing projects?

Intramuros Administrator, Attorney Guiller Asido

Founder and CEO of ASPACE, Matthew Morrison

all these machines, digital things and technology, the thing that will survive will be the creatives.

What programs are you doing today that supports the 2030 roadmap to making the Philippines the leading creative economy in ASEAN?

Ms. Del Rosario: As the UK’s cultural relations organization, we are here to support creative hubs, we see them as creative communities and we connect them with wherever British Council is working. That means strengthening the ecosystem and supporting the skills and professional development, and developing long term policies and giving them access to networks.

The value of networks is often underestimated but when you’re talking about an artist outside Manila who is looking for opportunities, the network would really be limited so being able to provide a platform that would enable them to build networks is quite precious..

As a way also of building the future, future industries, future businesses, and future societies is quite important. On a personal note, I treat the people beside me like my family. I see them more often than I see my boss. It’s really about being part of a movement with shared goals and being part of this group is quite a precious thing, and would enable us to reach the 2030 goal that CCP started earlier on.

Mr Morrison: It’s exciting when you see the members thrive, when you see them employing new people, paying taxes, investing in new technology, taking their place regionally, nationally, globally even.

It’s helpful if we’ve got great policy, if we’ve got tax incentive, if BIR is more friendly with their filing.

Ultimately speaking, despite those challenges, there is a push for excellence and success in business

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Usec Terado: The world is so interconnected that we cannot be isolated– connecting with hubs in Germany, Korea, Taiwan, and China is very important. To enrich somebody means there should be elements of talent exchange, not just ideas exchange. It is in the cultural differences and ability to interact with other creatives that would enhance opportunities and open minds.

The role of the government is an ecosystem builder. As a builder, we have to be conscious about the environment because some countries have innovation strategies.

For example, KPop’s connectivity is about tolerance.

It’s about building that environment and connecting to the outside world. An experience could be customized for our environment and then later on create something for ourselves. In our own respective roles, we should be movers and shakers ready for the future. Among

COVERSTORY / ROUN DTABL E

and I think certainly with ASPACE and their members, we can’t accommodate the growth of the businesses. That’s gotta be a great sign and we just got to continue to help those success stories grow.

Dolly Zuluaga: The role of local government unit in this is to improve the business environment.

As secondary cities, our resources are limited and the population is smaller; I think we can have this sibling competition where we want to match somebody’s success but at the same time support the success of the country. It’s a good brotherhood or sisterhood and ultimately, it creates a good business environment and a role model for the entire country.

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Brian Tenorio: I think self-awareness and selfmastery will make any person sexy and desirable. A sector that is self-aware with great mastery will be a sector that can bring itself to the future. I remember in a conversation with a friend a few weeks back, he was talking about how Pinoys would say, ‘the Filipino can’ but we have to move beyond that and say we have to do it already. It’s no longer feels like a question of capability but a commitment of things we have to do. Any form of support–government, NGOs, IGOs, from private sector–to support will be something good to bring us to the future.

Ces Rondario: I think we need more pipeline. We need to go back to the core which is education, to what we teach peop le, and available training programs. Do we have data, science, machine learning available in the Philippines to get us to the next level? Everything is centralized in Manila

Co-Founder of Impact Hub Manila, Ces Rondario

Assistant Department Head and Zoning Administrator of Planning and Development Office of Iloilo City, Dolly Anne Zuluaga

and the mega cities of Davao, Iloilo, Cebu.

When we did a nation-wide roadshow, we saw plenty of brilliant talent. There’s so much were not doing for the countryside and it’s only going to be cured through enough access and education.

We need a mindset and a failure fund. We need to allow artists to fail, to start prototyping, to start failing, to start doing and being creative about what they’re doing. We need pipeline and more investment that match. There’s a mismatch of where the money is going, because everybody wants to invest in the new technology to the hi-tech which is great but the Philippines has yet to grow into a tech giant. We are supposed to invest in the grassroots and try to get people out to create a fuller, more robust economy.

Rhea Matute: My goal is for people to appreciate design beyond making things pretty–that is using design and the design talent to solve real world problems. I really want the Philippines to have a hub for disaster and resilience, research and design. I think we have the environment by which to test ideas, to understand what’s happening in terms of design and climate change. It’s also just really developing that environment by which people can explore solutions and test them out. I think there’s that space and that’s where Filipino innovation should be known for because it is an easy jump from what we are as a country and what we can provide the world.

That is also an answer to Professor Howkin’s

us to create that environment where the shared value creation is so important. We need things that allow us to learn more skills that are not present here.

The most important thing for us as a country before we talk about trade and investments is our intent, our vision. We have the Creative Economy Council of the Philippines who wants to drive that vision, which should be shared and inclusive because of the available resources in the country. The first group of people who should invest to make this ecosystem thrive would be the local economy.

In creative, we also have a different workforce now: a lot of contractors, a lot of gigs. The gig economy can overcome our archipelagic approach to everything and instead build bridges and take advantage of available resources. If we have that vision as a country to create a new sunrise industry, we can do it in the next 10 years..

of the Philippines, Rhea Matute

challenge about the global market risking the idea for a hub for international hub for resiliency and disaster design and quarantine.

One important policy is the openness in terms of the creative economy. We had the first Manila Biennale and offered the entire Intramuros as a canvas. That openness policy enabled us to convince artists to actually use the space. Even the NCCA offered and there are still ongoing exhibits in the walls itself of Intramuros. That policy of should be emulated by local government units.

The other matter is to remove the physical barriers, there is consciousness in the agencies that we really really should create that network. The simple removal of a physical barrier between Intramuros and National Museum and improve the GomBurZa monument as a public space does not completely enhance the space but assures the connectivity between the historic district and the National Museum. Those are two learning points we have had so far. Openness and really strategic direction to remove the barriers.

What are our prospects for investments that can tap into the wealth of talent and pool of resources here in the Philippines?

Usec Terrado: We are very attractive because we have the supply. We need to attract investors who have the willingness to be a partner of the Philippines in building the ecosystem because this openness allows

Chair of the Philippine LGBT Chamber of Commerce, Brian Tenorio

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Executive Director of the Design Center

Ms Del Rosario: If business is all about success, hubs are places where you can fail. These are places where you can experiment, prototype and refine your ideas and products, so there really is incubation. When you talk about local development and inclusive growth, it’s worth noting that they support small businesses and are made up of a lot of MSMEs. Maybe the businesses of the future are not about scale, about the power and numbers of small businesses. Essentially, we would be sharing our services with each other which could also go to the question of competitiveness or collaboration.

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100 Years of Philippine Cinema

As Philippine cinema turns a century old, the industry has spawned a passionate community of storytellers dedicated to portraying the Filipino narrative. Holding the fort is Liza Diño-Seguerra, Chairperson and CEO of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP). On its hundredth year, Liza makes the case for local filmmakers and why their time to shine on the global stage is now.

Pauline Nacar |

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he Philippine film industry is a thriving sector of passionate storytellers dedicated to portray the Filipino narrative in various forms. For a community blazing with so much fervour for their craft, it’s only fitting that someone with equivalent fire should hold the fort and represent them. Having been appointed in mid-2016, Liza has gracefully fulfilled her duties as the #1 supporter of Filipino films and has brought our stories all over the world through her incessant efforts. In light of the government’s proclamation of the Centennial Year of Philippine Cinema from September 12, 2019 to September 11, 2020, we can surely anticipate a year-long celebration of local storytelling.

As a result of the changing tides and behavioural motivations of society, the creative economy has rapidly grown in influence, in both the global economy and that of the Philippines. Liza shares with adobo magazine her thoughts on this phenomenon, where the industry currently stands in the country’s creative economy, and a sneak peek of what to look out for in 2019.

adobo: As the FDCP Chairperson, could you tell us about the scale of film’s contribution to the creative economy of the Philippines? Where are we in terms of production capabilities?

Liza Diño-Seguerra: The creative industry’s impact in the economy is strengthening, and the film industry’s contribution to it, all the more. In terms of economic contribution this year, the entire Philippine film industry has grossed around 11 billion but 70% of that is foreign films or Hollywood films, as opposed to probably three billion to four billion coming from the local productions or our studios.

This year, we have a lot of local projects traveling in international film labs and international project markets, all of which gives us the opportunity to be able to work with international countries for co-productions. It’s also an easy way for us to globalize our content and have the opportunity to create avenues and platforms for our local producers to get exposed to [international] partners.

PHOTOS

Joseph Pascual

As we celebrate 100 years of Philippine cinema, how would you describe the current landscape?

It seems we have two very extreme outputs in terms of how we make our films. We have one sector that’s very local, that can get down to the lowest common denominator and get the films to the cinemas and that’s very special because not all countries can do that. We have a very thriving local industry in the sense that our films that work or that are making money are part of the top 10 highest grossing films in the country and we have to see that as an asset. But we also have this super extreme arthouse community that’s creating a name for the Philippines for making brave and very edgy content. Filmmakers Lav Diaz, Brillante Mendoza, as well as icons Lino Brocka, Ismael Bernal, and Mike de Leon—they’ve created a facet about the Philippines that’s so raw, and so on the next hundred years of Philippine cinema, we have to nurture the cusp, the ones that can make art house films but still have commercial viability and that can also be appreciated by the international audience. Now, how can we create the in-between, and I think it’s the films that will create a balance and really define Philippine cinema.

The filmmakers you mentioned—Lino Brocka, Mike de Leon, Ismael Bernal—have always been regarded for their work in what is referred to as “the Second Golden Age of Philippine cinema.” In your honest opinion, are we in the midst of a new renaissance with the filmmakers and content creators today?

Just to be part of that and that happening during my time, is very humbling. Looking back, the year 2016 was so historic for Philippine cinema. We were in the top three film festivals in the world: Berlin, Cannes, and Venice. (You’ve made it when you’ve gone to Cannes—and won.) In 2016, Lav Diaz won the Silver Bear: Alfred Bauer Prize at the Berlin Film Festival for ‘Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis’ (A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery), as well as the Venice Film Festival Golden Lion for ‘Ang Babaeng Humayo’. Then Jacqueline Jose won Best Actress for her role in ‘Ma’ Rosa’ at the 69th Cannes Film Festival. All in the same year.

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COVERSTORY / PHI L IP P IN E C IN E MA

"WE HAVE A LOT OF PARTNERS RIGHT NOW JUST WANTING TO MAKE THE PHILIPPINES A COUNTRY OF FOCUS. THEY WANT TO GIVE A PLATFORM FOR PHILIPPINE CINEMA TO HAVE A VOICE THROUGH THEIR FESTIVAL, AND I THINK THAT’S BEAUTIFUL."

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We [the Philippines] are very much relevant in the global scene. We have a lot of partners right now just wanting to make the Philippines a country of focus.

Last year, we were the country of focus to six important international film festivals and this is something wherein we don’t just present—it’s a partnership. Like they want to give a platform for Philippine cinema to have a voice through their festival, and I think that’s beautiful.

audience. So I hope that the next hundred years of cinema, parang ganito sana yung maging direction natin kasi mas malaki yung audience na makakapanuod ng pelikula natin. Mas maganda and mas magtravel yung films natin (the direction of our films will go to bigger audiences. It’ll be better if our films travel to) other countries just like Japan and Korea. They’re Asian films, it’s subtitled but people watch it and it’s already a global content like you can see it in the mainstream market.

Are there people or films in particular that you think played a huge part in entering this third Golden Age?

How do you think the way we tell stories has evolved?

Brillante Mendoza has really created his own brand of cinema and what he’s doing in terms of the image of the Philippines, his process, his truth is so real and so grounded, and it really created and opened up more opportunities for other filmmakers and for Philippine cinema to be known. The same with Lav Diaz and his signature of slow cinema.

That said, it’s not really about a particular film or a particular filmmaker. What I’m trying to do as head of FDCP is to create more platforms for our other filmmakers that are strong—as strong and as brave and as talented to be out there. But we have to give opportunities to our other filmmakers that are really creating a lot of notable works and finding their own voice to have that platform.

You have these new filmmakers (like Trev Monteras and Mikail Red) that are understanding, not just the route to prestige and creating films that can be appreciated by these festivals, but creating something that can be palatable and accessible to the wider

It helps that the Philippines gives so much importance to freedom of speech and freedom of expression. I mean, it’s just self regulation here in the Philippines and that’s beautiful because it allows for the filmmakers to just really be free in telling their stories, and I think we should capitalize on that and we should continue that because that’s what will set us apart from the rest of the world.

It’s no longer about just being able to create and see that film on screen. I think we’re past that because the opportunity for us to see our films on screen is already there. Even if we have a very very unique distribution situation, they’re able to showcase their films in cinemas so I think that’s something. But now, how do you make sure that the lifespan of your film is not just after its theatrical release. How can you exploit these other windows? These other revenue streams for you to make sure that you can monetize that creativity you know, that intellectual property, that you invested so much on. I think that’s what we want to bring in for the entire industry to understand.

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Without any prejudice to my predecessors, perhaps now I want to approach it as really understanding and filling in the gaps. The biggest challenge is [to have] a public fund that is sustainable and that is coming from the industry. Right now, the restructure of the FDCP is inspired by our partnership with Korean Film Council. Korea and France has a very unique model in terms of creating fund for the industry so movie admission tickets are a portion of that, like, let’s say 5% goes to National Film Agency, and National Film Agency redistributes the fund through various programs; development, production, distribution, marketing.

The film industries sustain itself, ngayon kasi parang galit na galit tayo pag kumikita yung mga Hollywood films kasi parang we think it’s unfair. But in France, the more Hollywood films make money, the more French films are made. So it became like a beautiful relationship in a sense na, sige manood kayo ng mga Hollywood films, pero kung mas kumita sila may mababalik na pera to fund the French films. So sana ganun din yung maging energy dito sa Pilipinas, kasi malaking bagay ang maitutulong nito sa industriya. We shouldn’t have to rely on state funding. So that’s my dream in terms of how we can find ways to strengthen and empower the film industry.

As this is a year-long celebration, what events can we expect to mark this milestone?

We have an organization called sandaan, which stands for a hundred. It’s the National organizing council composed of various government institutions like CCP, NCCA, MTRCB, OMD, FDCP private organizations like NCAP, Animation Council of the Philippines, the Philippine Motion Pictures Producers Association, as well as different educational institutions with film programs.

We will have a hundred luminaries giving tribute to the hundred years of Philippine cinema. A concert of a hundred theme songs from over the last hundred years.

We also have a tribute to our living legends such as Gloria Romero, Eddie Garcia, Anita Linda, Eddie Gutierez, and more. We have conferences and workshops on the different genres; we have partnerships with the UPFI where they’ll be holding an experimental film festival and a lecture series to talk about the hundred years of Philippine cinema. There are books commissioned to celebrate this Centennial—there’s a Pelikula Journal that’s dedicated to this. Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino will be the launching a platform for the official celebration.

We have celebrations internationally, as we are strengthening our global partnerships. We have an assistance program called the Philippine Embassy Assistance Program, which is our partnership with all Philippines posts all over the world and we encourage them to hold Filipino Film Festivals in their own respective

countries. FDCP will help them curate, secure screening rights for the films, and we want to really launch this and activate our partnerships this year para kasama naman pati yung Filipino communities abroad when we celebrate the Centennial Year of Philippine Cinema.

Could you share with us what projects are currently in the pipeline?

I just launched a week ago the Southern Voices Film Lab. This film lab is dedicated to champion the stories of the Mindanao filmmakers. It’s a film lab wherein [filmmakers] will participate in a residential workshop, so it’s a year long, full feature development lab where we will have script consultants helping them develop their projects; they will be attending four residential workshops in three days where they will learn about about script writing, understanding audience design, understanding creative producing, how to look for funds, and then each project would be given Php100,000 [a hundred thousand] to develop their projects, and then come pitching showcase in December, we will be choosing two projects to get one million as co-production grant for their project.

The former head of Torino Film Lab, Matthew Deras, has a new program called First Cut Lab; it’s a script development and editing lab. We’re looking for around 6-8 projects with two slots for animation. You want to start looking for original content coming from our animators or animation filmmakers. It’s going to be in April and it’s an intensive 10-day lab, where they will be working with international script consultants, international producers, international editors to help them internationalize their projects. We were just given a go signal by the DBM to create a research on policy units, which would allow us to do market research for film policies and implementation so that we can work closely with our legislators.

We just approved an online box office system, which enable us to know the gross box office of each film in real time. The goal is for all of the cinemas to plug in to this server so that we can understand how much films are making each day. It will allow us to have analytics on what people watch; this would really help us understand the landscape of Philippine cinema through data. It will create transparency sa lahat ng producers natin na gumagawa ng films, so it will help us all to see which films are not earning and help them realize what to improve in terms of promoting their films.

We also just sealed a partnership to have the heritage building of Philippine Film Archive in Intramuros. It’s the permanent storage facility for our cinematic heritage; we will have consultations to make sure that the look and the design will be compliant to the Intramuros requirements, but also in terms of technology. We’re bringing in experts so that the Philippine Film Archive will have a film museum, its own arthouse cinema, its own lab and film vault so that we can store more films, and so we can acquire more films from the production studios. I’m very very excited about this.

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Budget and funding is a common problem among filmmakers, and usually hinders them from finishing or even starting their work.

How does the FDCP help with this?

COVERSTORY / PHI L IP P IN E C IN E MA

"WHAT I’M TRYING TO DO AS HEAD OF FDCP IS TO CREATE MORE PLATFORMS FOR OUR OTHER FILMMAKERS THAT ARE STRONG —AS STRONG AND AS BRAVE AND AS TALENTED [AS THE FAMOUS ONES]—TO BE OUT THERE."

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I S S U E 76 / C R E AT I V E E C O N O M Y

DESIGN Functional creativity.

DESIGN THINKING 126 New Clark City

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Royal Pineda of BUDJI + ROYAL Architecture + Design talks about the country’s newest business hub, New Clark City, and about designing an entire city inspired by Filipino sensibilities.

WORDS PHOTOS

Sam Beltran BUDJI + ROYAL Architecture + Design

O

ne could feast their eyes on a vast stretch of nothing but pasture, all 9,450 hectares of it, and see nothing.

But for top Filipino design duo Budji + Royal, this presented a tremendous opportunity.

These stalwarts of Filipino design and architecture had been presented with the opportunity of a lifetime: designing the New Clark City, the Philippines’ next hub for international trade and commerce, the newest destination that is supposed to uplift the country’s portfolio as a rising star for global business and infrastructure in the face of Manila’s worsening congestion, and the daunting possibility of “The Big One”. And it’s quite a feat, really, to head the creative vision for not one, two or three buildings, but essentially an emerging world-class city.

Of course it sounds like an incredibly ambitious undertaking that will raise skeptics’ eyebrows, especially coming from a nation that does not exactly hold the best track record for follow-through. Yet if there’s anyone that was more than willing to step up to the plate, it’s Budji Layug and Royal Pineda.

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Top: Permeability is a factor in building the modern Filipino city; open spaces allow the free passage of air, unobstructed by towers while returning the land to the people.

Bottom: The Athletics Stadium and the Aquatic Center, projected to finish in time for the SEA Games in December 2019, has a capacity of 20,000 people.

“I THINK THE BEST THING TO DO IS TO OWN THIS PROJECT BY BIRTHRIGHT AND NAME IT AS THE MODERN PHILIPPINE CITY.”

as well as premier housing for local athletes. Both the Athletics Stadium and the Aquatic Center are cutting-edge amenities that showcase the duo’s mettle, incorporating Filipino elements such as capiz and Mount Pinatubo into daring architectural feats, all while meeting international standards. Meanwhile, the much-touted second terminal of the Clark International Airport is eyeing a 2020 deadline, a Sierra Madreinspired hub spanning 140,000 square meters, as large as Hong Kong International Airport Terminal 2.

The New Clark City is many things, but what it isn’t is a template of another megapolis; it’s not aiming to be another New York or Shanghai, let alone Makati or BGC. A core element of Budji + Royal’s ethos is defining Clark as the “Modern Philippine City”, harbored on a strong local identity that shaped its design blueprint.

Royal shares, “When we were tapped to work with the government, the way they were [initially selling] the project such as ‘The Green City’, ‘The Sustainable City’… and if you really look at it, there are better green cities in the world and there are more sustainable cities in the world. So when we asked them, ‘What makes this city different?’, nobody could answer us.”

The best course, they thought, was to look inward, creating standards for themselves and studying from a design perspectives the actual needs of the country instead of competing with other cities. “I told them, ‘You know, I think the best thing to do is to own this project by birthright and name it as the Modern Philippine City’”, Royal explains, “Because Italy will never do a Modern Philippine City, they’ll do a Modern Italian City. I mean at least by name and by aspiration, we’ll try to see something forward and try to ignite something that will make the people want to see betterment of the country.” Rethinking the New Clark City as an innovative development within the local context took the project out of a rut and the rest, as they say, is history. “So, when we started to talk about the Modern Philippine City, it brought in a new

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Individually, Budji and Royal hold stellar accomplishments of their own: Budji, the Principal Designer and Chairman is a pioneer in using traditional techniques and indigenous materials such as bamboo long before the world fell in love with tropical design; Royal, who is Principal Architect and CEO, made his career as a hotshot architect, seeking tutelage from National Artist for Architecture Leandro Locsin.

Together as a firm, however, Budji + Royal have become an unstoppable force, taking on projects that challenge the concept of Modern Filipino architecture and design.

“I never thought of designing our city — I was happy enjoying my private practice”, Royal Pineda shares.

True enough, the pair made a lucrative career out of their usual repertoire of posh resorts and exclusive residences, bringing their bold designs that feature an interplay between local elements and nature. “But you know, it’s always been my and Budji’s constant collaboration in all the things that we are doing — we travel, and then we come back and we see the country again, then we always talk about, ‘How do you make this country better?’” What is frustrating to the architect is that innovative Filipino architecture and design exists, but never reaches public consciousness. ‘I think you need to have the heart to think for the many and dream for the many, not for yourself”, Royal muses.

“Whenever we talk about Modern Filipino architecture and design, yes, we are doing it but it’s always landing in the very high-end private homes in the private resorts that are expensive, and my frustration personally as an architect is that I don’t get to make the public — the real Filipinos out there — feel that sensibility.”

Massive plans are underway for New Clark City, some of which have already begun and are expecting completion within the year and the next. The Philippine Sports City Complex is due for turnover this August in time for the SEA Games, a district that contains world-class sports facilities such as the 2,000- seating capacity Athletics Stadium and the Aquatic Center,

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“ONCE WE PRESENT A WAY OF LIFE WHEREIN IT ADDRESSES THE FILIPINOS’ MODERN LIFESTYLE, AND WE HAVE REFINED IT TO THE POINT THAT WE BELIEVE THAT THIS IS HOW WE SHOULD LIVE TODAY AS BETTER FILIPINOS, THE WORLD WILL SEE THAT.”

Arch. Royal Pineda, Principal Architect and CEO of BUDJI + ROYAL Architecture + Design

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dimension to the project — everybody was now challenged to dig in to what [defines] a Modern Philippine City”, Royal adds. “For me it’s like, I don’t want to be a copy-paste of the world, I don’t want to be a victim of that [mentality], I don’t want to be just a repeat of what they have done.”

Great cities require great infrastructure, which Royal knows the country does not have much of. So the idea was never to construct state-of-the-art buildings through the most expensive means, but to make the best out of what we have in true Pinoy fashion. “Modernity is not about steel glass and concrete. Modernity is the mindset so we have to have the freedom to think of what is progressive”, Royal shares. “We are a very tropical country, and I think we don’t need to be competing with the first world in terms of trying to be luxurious as the green city or the sustainable city. Instead, New Clark City thrives on sustainability and practical solutions that answer to the call of the difficulties in living in a tropical, typhoon-prone climate. Achieving this sophisticated yet cost-effective design approach is what Royal dubs as “practical luxury”, not through expensive materials but from humble things and root them in nature.

A brilliant example is the usage of lahar in place of conventional concrete — it’s 30 percent cheaper than hollow blocks, and naturally becomes thermally insulated which is better suited for Filipino houses in the all-year sun. There is of course, a poetry to co-opting lahar to build residences after once ravaging homes in the Pinatubo eruption. Now, we have plenty of it being put to use. Royal shares, “We are using the lahar as the new fabric and the fiber of the city, because it’s basically for us, nature brought it out, its beauty, and I think it’s like saying, ‘Use me’. It’s nature saying, ‘I am Pinatubo, I was placed in Tarlac, in Pampanga, and this is my material.’”

Aside from its insulating properties, there is also an effortlessly refined look to lahar as walls and floors, a warmer appearance than typical concrete. “The way that

lahar looks like, you know it’s something you just leave alone. It’s low maintenance, zero maintenance”, Royal declares, adding, “Once we present a way of life wherein it addresses the Filipinos’ modern lifestyle, and we have refined it to the point that we believe this is how we should live today as better Filipinos, the world will see that.”

Part of Budji + Royal’s plan is to lift buildings up from the ground, allowing for open spaces below where people can freely walk under them, these structures providing them shade. They call it “permeability”, where the city should be permeable enough to allow the free passage of air, unobstructed by towers while returning the land to the people. “It’s never about the architects showing their egos to be flamboyant, designing a spectacular building and then totally forget the people. In this city, we protect the people from the heat of the sun, make people breathe because of the permeability of the buildings and make it more walkable aside from just doing all these covered walks”, Royal explains. Completely unlike Makati, where the planning has become an afterthought; Makati is designed for buildings where developers build all the way to the property line, sacrificing sidewalks. Yet, all of these ideas are not so revolutionary — it’s tapping into our DNA to look into what we need. “Like the bahay kubo, it was common sense; you lift it up because there’s mud when it rains, and there are predators during night time, they were just responding clearly to what is common sense. We’re only doing common sense here.”

Yet, common sense is what drives this incredible vision.

The Filipino’s signature ingenuity, Royal predicts, is what will drive New Clark City and the Philippines into the global forefront. “I see the New Clark City as a model of a tropical city. Though this is the Modern Philippine city, it will be a laboratory for any tropical nation to look into and see how honest, how practical you can build your city without so much effort.” To do that, we only need to look at ourselves.

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PEOPLE Profiles on creative industry, brand, and media personalities.

CENTERFOLD 132 Patrick Cabral

CREATIVE CORNER 152 And a Half Studio

PROFILE 138 John Howkins 140 Marvin Conanan 142 Manu Respall 144 Maco Custodio 148 Kidlat Tahimik

FLIPSIDE 154 Jennifer Santos 155 Stephen Douglas ESSENTIALS 156 Sino Pinas

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The Intricate Life of Patrick Cabral 132

Meticulous, persevering, and obsessive to a fault—these are just some of the words that have been used to describe Patrick Cabral. His art—award-winning, highly lauded and coveted bodies of work—speak volumes about the mastery, the craftsmanship, and the commitment poured into each and every single piece, far more than words ever could.

WORDS Chiara de Castro PHOTOS Jether Dane Guadalupe

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“I AM NOT A MINIMALIST.”

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"We inspire each other," says Cabral of his artist wife, Camy Francisco Cabral, whom he met at Graphika Manila a few years ago.

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atrick Cabral tells me this, as I make a sweeping survey around his apartment: the place is neat, but far from sparse. At a glance, it’s evident that the young artist, as well his wife, Camy Francisco–Cabral—also an accomplished artist—likes things, whether it’s coveting them, collecting them, or making them. By the entrance, a tower of stackable containers provide shelter to an impressive number of assorted footwear, most of which are sneakers (I assume the collection is a conjugal one and neglect to ask whose is what).

On one side of the apartment, an entire wall is lined with panels dedicated to books and collectible figures and various knick knacks that arouse curiosity as much as nostalgia; several are remnants from the past, varying from treasured childhood toys (e.g. a pizza-shooting Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles tank, owned by Francisco-Cabral) to recognizable Funko characters on display without their boxes (proudly owned by Cabral, while their respective boxes are stowed by his wife).

The wall across, on the other hand, bare on display frames upon frames containing some of Cabral’s best work to date.

Enclosed in its own glass box, a tiger sculpture stares back at me from the wall. I stare back, transfixed by its lifelike stare as I am with the intricate layers of paper it was constructed with to achieve its three-dimensional relief effect. How can something seemingly so simple as paper be so elaborate and ornate at the same time?

Cabral chuckles at this, sharing that it’s a thought he’s heard of numerous times. “Some people have dismissed my artworks, saying these are just mere cut-outs from paper, but when they finally see it up close, they wonder how I actually made them.”

The enigmatic tiger is just one of the 11 endangered animal paper relief sculptures in Cabral’s series for World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), wherein 50% of the proceeds from each sold artwork would go towards the organization’s conservation efforts across the globe. Several reports have claimed that this is the project that had catapulted Cabral into the international art market, boosting the price of his work into the six figures.

Something that Cabral is far from apologetic about. “I’ve worked really, really hard my entire life to get to this point,” he shares. “And every single piece of artwork takes a lot of work to construct; a lot of time, a lot of thought and attention goes into each of my works.” He pauses for a moment, shaking his head as he gnaws on his thoughts. “Why shouldn’t I put a price on my hard work? I’m practical and I’m realistic; yes, I love art, but this is work and I work to earn and survive and have a life—just like every other person who’s trying to make a living and make something of themselves. Why should I be ashamed or shy about that? Hard work is hard work.”

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Among his recent notable projects is the commissioned paper-cut sculptures by Starbucks, which are on display in the Starbucks Reserve® store in SM North Towers in Quezon City, depicting animals that represent each of Starbucks’ coffeegrowing region: The Sumatran Tiger for Asia Pacific, the Kenyan Elephant for Africa, and the Guatemalan Quetzal Bird for Latin America. Cabral was also chosen as one of the ambassadors for Starbucks’ “New Strong” campaign which celebrated modernday strengths while empowering individuals to break away from the mold and find their own definition of ‘strong’. As an ambassador, he created a stunning paper-cut typography piece for the campaign.

I ask him if he always intended to be an artist, perhaps a reason for his segurista (calculated, no-room-for-error) approach to almost everything he sets his mind to in his life. Cabral tells me no, that this was far from the realities of his youth, as a child growing up in the humble parts of Olongapo City and Camarines Sur. “I got into art because I constantly had to make something with my hands; I guess it was a need to constantly be productive, to create something useful,” he recalls. “We were poor when I was growing up, and at a young age, I already knew that if I wanted something I had to figure out how to make it. It would never just be handed to me.” He shares that he developed his competitive tendency in his early years, driven by the inherent need to rise above his peers in school and in his community. “You know how in schools, there would be these contests and competitions?

These were opportunities to win prizes, to get elevated, to finally get out of there.” Cabral chuckles at the memory. “I had some classmates who could draw really well and would win these contests.

But they didn’t have the drive to become really good, to be able to live a much better life. Some of them are still there; same place, same life.”

His wife chimes in, pointing out his meticulous, methodical approach to producing his artwork. “His technique is very calculated, very logical, practically mathematical,” Francisco-Cabral describes. “It’s nothing like your quintessential starving artist’s style, because he lived his entire life believing that you only have one shot at making it in life and everything is earned, that nothing is ever just given to you. And the only way for him to have a shot was to be the best—in everything he did. And if there was an opportunity for him to earn more, to live in a better place—whether it

meant learning code to develop websites and graphic design because the digital market was ripe—he would teach himself and master it.” She proceeds to explain the idea of overcompensation, something that she believes truly describes Cabral’s approach to life and work. “Imagine having spent your entire life since childhood believing that the world is a battleground and success is the only way out. Of course there’s no room for error for him, of course it has to be perfect.”

While the couple hail from extremely opposite backgrounds; hers being the more privileged and comfortable life, they clearly have learned from each other both as artists and as individual adults just trying to make it while doing what they love doing the most. “I was a very stubborn and difficult child and I know my parents really struggled with me,” Cabral intimates, and I detect a tinge of sadness in his voice. “They wanted me to have a ‘real profession’ and so their struggle of raising me would be worth it. But I couldn’t just do work every day that I’m not interested in—I can’t live like that. So I needed to prove—to them, to myself— that what I do can actually give me a good life.”

In addition to crediting Francisco-Cabral for her impact on his creativity, as well as for her steadfast support, Cabral reflects upon the other person who stood by him without fail throughout his entire life. “My younger brother has always been a great influence on my work since we were kids,” Cabral says thoughtfully, recalling childhood memories laced with healthy competition and punctuated by fondness. “He is probably the most hard-working and resilient person I know, and he continues to inspire me to keep working harder, to keep working better. He helps me with my artworks, because he’s so good with logistics and dealing with people. I don’t know if this would all be the same without him.”

While the couple are unable to disclose the details of their next project, they share that they’re both restless and ready to get back to work. “Patrick is definitely more organized and methodical with his process, while I work in bursts,” Francisco-Cabral shares, as we peruse some of her own unpublished typographical illustrations. “But I guess when you get used to a cycle of months of intense work, followed by months of rest, you can’t help but look for that intensity of grit and the flow of work again, you know?”

Needless to say, we are brimming with anticipation for their next masterpiece.

To learn more about Patrick Cabral’s work, visit www.patrickcabral.com.

50% of the proceeds from each sale from the WWF artworks goes to wildlife conservations efforts.

We had a sneak-peek at the early personal work of Cabral's wife Camy, and the equally meticulous and passion involved.

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John Howkins and The Creative Mind

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The Father of Creative Economy talks about how creative talent and unique cultural values are leading the world into the 21st century.

WORDS Sam Beltran | PHOTO Jojo Llamanzares

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to seriously think about their creative economy [in the f there’s anything John Howkins believes in, it’s mid-2000s] and they are now fully committed to it, even that creativity truly knows no bounds. If traditional at the government level. It’s totally understood at every resources such as land and capital are finite, then level of society that it’s important”, Howkins muses. “The the pool of creative potential is virtually limitless. talent in China is hugely impressive — and we’re talking The “Father of Creative Economy” chalks it up to about talent on a big scale. They are creating something creativity being inherent in individuals — that is to say, it’s beautiful and beneficial and that is a very important completely normal. From the moment they are born, young part of it and the Chinese think that in a big way.” children actively use their brains as they learn and make Creativity, according to Howkins, is about using an sense of the world, with their imagination peaking at around idea to generate another idea, an endless cognitive and three or four years old. According to Howkins, “Children emotional process of creation, exploration and innovation. love to play. Play is really serious for them… they love The beauty about the global creative economy is that it’s not dressing up in weird costumes and playing and performing a one-size-fits-all landscape, with each region contributing acting. They love drawing, they love color and they’re not their own cultural values, a melting pot of distinct identities embarrassed if someone thinks because they never think this and approaches that translate to truly unique ideas. is good or bad. They just want to explore their creativity.”

“Every country has its own culture, every country has its Creativity is a true hallmark of the 21st-century own history, every country has economic landscape, as more its own aesthetic. Some are very and more creative economies “CHILDREN LOVE TO PLAY; THEY visual cultures, some are more have emerged around the globe.

LOVE COLOR AND THEY’RE NOT verbal cultures. Every country The United Kingdom, Howkins’ EMBARRASSED IF SOMEONE has its own language and every home country, has long been THINKS BECAUSE THEY country has its own place in a dynamic force in the global NEVER THINK THIS IS GOOD the world, and every country creative economy, partly in OR BAD. THEY JUST WANT TO has its own education system. thanks to a rich cultural and EXPLORE THEIR CREATIVITY.” So those factors will be the creative history. “The British prime factors in determining have had an undisturbed whether or not there is the history of creativity across passion and the ambition to be creative”, Howkins shares, virtually in every form and genre — let’s say Shakespeare, adding, “When I’m asked about by a city or a country, for example”, Howkins explains. “Since 1600, the UK has ‘How can we do it?’, I ask: Do have your own culture and grown an undisturbed and highly educated population history and what’s happening here? What are you good with a huge emphasis on culture and [diversity] from at? What do you like to do? What do you really have a around the world. [We’re] very argumentative, very passion to do and to do well? And then if you want to make passionate, and very skillful. We’ve been very lucky.” a business out of this or you want to export, then look Howkins is keen on using the term ‘creative economy’ around the world and see what other people are doing.” instead of ‘creative industries’, which according to him The creative economy thrives on a cornucopia of only makes up part of the sum of the entire economic knowledge and immense talent; according to Howkins, chain, including trade, labor, and production. it’s important to break the barriers that may hinder And though the Age of Enlightenment has historically other people from joining, and to promote diversity and provided the West a head start in developing mature creative inclusiveness. “You can open the door but whether or not industries, that’s not to say that the rest of the world has the people walk in — I mean, you can do all sorts of things not caught up. In the Philippines alone, creative industries to help them come in, and be particularly welcoming to have generated over 600 billion pesos in the country’s GDP, people who might, for reasons of ethnicity, or gender, or making up 14.4 percent of the labor force. In fact, there’s family home situation, or education might feel excluded a peculiar trend when it comes to the surge in the creative from the creative industries”, Howkins shares. economy in Asia, mainly because of how Asian cultures A trade that relies on creativity, encourages view society. In China, Howkins attributes the boom in innovation and strengthens identities — now their creative economy to a collectivist identity, that each that’s a modern-day concept. individual action benefits a bigger number. “China began

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Paving a Path for Philippine Street Culture Marvin Conanan on the origin of PURVEYR and where the brand is heading WORDS

Niña Venus | PHOTO Jether Dane Guadalupe

“WE FEEL LIKE A LOT OF CREATIVES HERE IN THE PHILIPPINES ARE REALLY TALENTED BUT THEY STRUGGLE IN MAKING THEIR PASSIONS SUSTAINABLE OR THING FOR THEM TO LIVE OFF WITH.”

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URVEYR was hatched out of need. In 2012, Marvin Conanan surveyed the local media landscape and found this—magazines were dominated by fashion and local creative culture only made sporadic coverages on daily newspapers. “I just created my own brand, my own media channel to promote my own,” and with that, PURVEYR was born.

Like a true creative, Conanan followed the philosophy: if it does not exist, invent it. “Purveyr is a multidimensional brand that fosters the creative spirit through stories, objects, experiences, from the Philippines. Multidimensional because we work in different channels such as digital, print, retail, and events,” Conanan told adobo magazine in an interview.

Being the owner of Chief clothing, Conanan knew what the local street culture had to offer; there was a stream of artists untapped by the media because of the size of their community. “Creative culture wasn’t big yet in that aspect, street culture, street arts,” he surmised.

There were media that picked up on the street culture like Hypebeast but specific to the country, there was none. From his experience at Chief, Conanan met artists who wanted to create a conversation about the Philppine street culture, “They were looking for a voice or a platform that focuses on [local culture].”

Hence, the first issue of PURVEYR Magazine was launched in 2016. However, the costs of the printing pushed the team to be creative with the fundraising. Events such as the Prism fair became the bloodline of the magazine. Without the backing of a big publisher, Conanan relied on the patronage of the street community. Starting with three contributors,

the magazine was published bi-annually but after their first taste in events, he realized that it was something that the brands enjoy and PURVEYR can grow into.

“The reason behind also why we created the magazine is that in 2015, we were creating of something new, something different for the brand for us to challenge ourselves basically.” Conanan and his team tinkered day and night to expand the brand until PURVEYR was no longer just one thing. Through PURVEYR, Conanan’s network of street community brands broadened to include lifestyle and the creative culture.

To strengthen and connect creatives, collaboration came naturally to the young founder. Looking back at how the brand grew, Conanan attributed PURVEYR’s current standing to the relationships he built. “In the past, there were artists that shows outside the Philippines but not just like murals and street artists. Some is more contemporary but now, it’s more street artists style who’s really big, street artists who shows a lot outside so the scene is as prone so much in every aspect, in the industry, in the community as well, in art, retail, and food.

With what he started, Conanan is on a momentum to explore all mediums he can expand PURVEYR to: digital and podcasts. “Hopefully people would resonate with it, find stories that they like, find info that might inspire them to do something locally, or find someone locally,” he chimed.

Amidst all their dimensions, Conanan impressed that the print will be the proponent of the Filipino creative culture. “We’re doing something that is just for Purveyr magazine, something small to just champion print more as a brand,” dotted the editor-in-chief.

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The Designer Who Cannot Sew adobo magazine profiles multi-disciplinary artist Manu Respall WORDS & PHOTO

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NiĂąa Venus

“YOU HAVE TO BE BRAVE AND YOU HAVE TO STAND YOUR GROUND WITH YOUR PHILOSOPHY BECAUSE NO ONE CAN EVER DICTATE YOUR SOULFUL ARTISTRY."

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eing able to sew is not a prerequisite to being a designer. For Manu Respall, design is about creating function that follows form.

Born into a family of artists—his mother being a theater actress and his father, a painter— Respall always knew the financial struggles of the artisan. However, another struggle that plagued him is people refusing to execute his designs.

For many times, Respall found himself rejected by different shows, including Project Runway, because he cannot sew.

“I don’t sew but I can create it anyway and it’s worn anyway in runways and fashion shows.”

Despite the refusals, Respall founded Doggficher in 1994. The name came to him in a dream; having fancied fairies, angels and other spiritual beings, he liked the word although he did not know what it held.

Eventually, he took it to mean fishing dogs because as his initial designs were made for the male demographic.

As a materials guy, he describes his designs as soulfully organic. When designing a new piece, he would not go to the infamous Ilaya in Divisoria but to Ace Hardware where he would source mats which he’ll create a skirt out of.

“It’s beautifully broken. Experimental. Free.

Contemporary Avant-Garde, broken silhouettes.”

That was how his colleagues came to know Respall–an immovable force of nature. As a case in point, he was tagged the “monster of fashion”

by Daiana Menezes and the directors behind their

television show, The Fiercest of Them All. From production design to headpieces, Doggficher embraced the show. Respall himself would come in week after week, painting skulls on his face, wearing braids and dreadlocks.

“You have to be brave and you have to stand your ground with your philosophy because no one can ever dictate your soulful artistry. There’s no rule with art.”

Ambitious is not equal to impossible, said Respall. If one can imagine, one can create. In fact, one his latest creations are dressories, a term he invented for accessories that can double as clothing to the body–also a testament of how being unable to sew is not a loss for a designer.

“I created it in such a way that you can still wear it anyway by diskarte. Like I put clips, I put hooks” As a designer who has been featured in international magazines, Respall is a firm believer that Filipinos do not have to leave the country to make names for themselves. Going abroad for the sake of having gone there is an ugly formula for him.

“I wanna make people realize that you can turn things around no matter how much you like,” he said.

One of the his theories is that the world is keeping the Philippines at bay because of the magnanimous capability of realized talents. He believes that all local potential are dormant and lying in wait.

“When we realize that we are king, the world is gonna be troubled by us.”

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Purposeful Design Maco Custodio talks about the design of his upcycled sneakers: Lalapatos WORDS Denise Gonsalves | PHOTOS Chaz Requiña

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fter a break of nearly two years from shoemaking, all-around designer Maco Custodio makes a comeback with his newest and most collaborative shoe collection yet, Lalapatos. Marking his first venture into sneaker fashion, the ever-youthful designer shares how undertaking this project has led him on the path of sustainability.

From sheets of leather to bundles of foil, to dustcovered boxes, unfinished bags, and various tools strewn across a crowded worktable, no one can navigate through this sea of paraphernalia better than Maco Custodio. His studio, which lies at the heart of Tandang Sora, Quezon City, holds at least ten years’ worth of dedicated work: shoes, bags, hats, purses, wallets, even flowerpots, to name a few. Though Custodio had already made a name for himself in the fashion industry, working with recycled materials like pre-consumed foil, the veteran designer is eager to create more. His mind is always on the lookout for fresh ideas, which might explain the unkempt state of his creative lair. “I don’t really throw [away] anything here,” he says, walking around his studio. “All these things are just here because I’m thinking of ways how to at least use them again.”

Custodio’s latest shoe collection, Lalapatos, is one example of the designer’s inclination towards upcycling.

"ALL THESE THINGS ARE JUST HERE BECAUSE I'M THINKING OF WAYS HOW TO AT LEAST USE THEM AGAIN."

Made from hand-woven scraps of pre-consumed foil, Lalapatos was made in collaboration with Zapateria, a recently launched co-creation hub in Marikina that connects Filipino shoemakers and designers. In correspondence with adobo magazine, Custodio reveals more about his philosophy as a designer and openly shares a few upcoming plans for Lalapatos in 2019.

A PRODUCT THAT SUSTAINS

Lalapatos marks the designer’s comeback into shoemaking, after being on hiatus since 2016. It also marks his first venture into sneaker fashion, having been more accustomed to creating dress shoes in his past works. For Custodio, creating Lalapatos was the fulfillment of a long-term dream to create a product that intersects all the important stakeholders in his career. “I’ve been really thinking,

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what product can I make that would be sustainable for me and for everyone I’m helping? I really want to push helping the community, the shoe industry in Marikina, while also supporting foil-making communities in Baseco, and of course, my own life.”

To bring his ideas to life, Custodio sought the help of Zapateria and collaborated with different local communities such as HABI, a community-based in Baseco, Manila where he sourced the needed bundles of pre-consumed foil packaging. He also partnered with a small community of mothers in Rizal, who wove the strips of foil and leather by hand, giving Lalapatos its distinct look. It only took a little

over three months for the first batch of Lalapatos to be completed; By October 2018, the collection finally made its soft launch at Manila FAME. With Lalapatos, the designer hopes not only to sustain himself in the long run by branching out into different categories of footwear, but also the Marikina shoe industry through Zapateria and the livelihood of his partner communities. Although Lalapatos is only set to gain traction this year, Custodio is already knee-deep in preparations for the collection’s launch in trade shows abroad—first in Las Vegas on August, then in Milan on September. “I really feel like this is our time, which is why we’ve been preparing since last year,” he says, excitedly.

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THE VALUE OF UPCYCLING

To continuously challenge himself as a designer, Custodio tries to maximize the potential of a material as much as he can. He confesses to practicing a zerowaste mindset when it comes to surplus materials: If he has excess foil, he would create small flowerpots for housing succulents. If he has excess leather, he would fashion bag tags, handbag accessories, or even necklace pendants out of these scraps and wastes.

Though it takes a lot of time and effort for him to create one new thing from another, it is a challenge he gladly welcomes. “That’s how design works,” he says, simply. “That’s what makes [a product] valuable.”

Moving forward, the designer strives to always keep his creativity on the path of sustainability, whether by maximizing existing materials through repurposing and upcycling, or tapping into local community talent to sustain livelihoods. As long as ideas are abundant, nothing can stop Maco Custodio from creating products that will not only last long, but can also sustain longterm partnerships across different stakeholders.

“Design can change lives. It can cater to a bigger market. Plus, it will put a smile on your face.”

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Kidlat Tahimik Runs with the Wind The renowned Filipino filmmaker talks about his “inner dwarf," the film that took 35 years to finish, and how his cinematheque ended up looking like a boat.

WORDS Sam Beltran | PHOTOS The Extra Mile Productions

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he moment you step foot in Kidlat Tahimik’s Cinematheque in Baguio City, you are greeted by the larger-than-life images of the Ifugao wind goddess Inhabian on one side, and Marilyn Monroe’s iconic wind scene in the movie Some Like It Hot on the other. Both statues are starkly in contrast from one another, yet share share some things in common: the two are depicted as female, and share the element of wind.

Inhabian, according to Kidlat, is a deity the Ifugao people invoke during a particularly strong typhoon. In Ifugao mythology, Inhabian was once a mortal woman whom the gods decided to test.

The gods blew her around using the wind, but Inhabian, clinging on to her backstrap loom, prevailed. Impressed by her resilience, they decided to name Inhabian as the goddess of the wind.

In Kidlat Tahimik’s mind, Inhabian and Marilyn represent two sides of filmmaking at odds against each other. Inhabian represents our indigenous culture and sensibilities and the local stories embedded within them waiting to be told, while the American screen siren stood for the big blockbuster formulas sold worldwide. “Maybe, maybe, this is the dilemma of indie filmmakers," Kidlat muses. “Do I tell only the blockbuster and make a lot of big bucks — I can buy a Mercedes Benz after my first production — or do I tell the local story? There are a lot of local stories that are never mentioned, never released because producers only want quick money makers.”

The filmmaker waxes poetic on the longstanding struggle between cinema as a medium to tell the stories of our people, versus boxoffice cliches. So there’s a certain poetry about Kidlat’s new cinema house, an ark called the “Balanghai ni Ikeng” (Ikeng’s Boat) that sits atop Ili-Likha Artist Village. The name is inspired by Enrique de Malacca, Kidlat’s hero in the film “Balikbayan No.1,” also known as Magellan’s kayumanggi (brown) slave who was likely the first person to circumnavigate the world when he was brought along the Portuguese explorer’s voyage. “I guess after 35 years, I’ve been ‘brainwashed’

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The National Artist for film is seen playing with a handheld camera.

His film, “Balikbayan No. 1”, took over 30 years to finish.

This feature is powered by Victory Liner’s Know Your North series.

by the story of Magellan, so I decided that my cinema will look a little bit like a boat.” Still, it’s not hard to conjure the biblical image of the balanghai as Noah’s ark, a refuge of sorts for Filipino independent cinema.

How exactly the filmmaker ended up with a 108-seater arthouse shaped like a boat is a process only Kidlat knows intimately. Rebelling against the usual mall movie houses that feature plush cotton seats, the balanghai experiments with organic slabs of wood for audiences to sit on. Like the script-less films Kidlat has been much renowned for, the cinematheque goes against the grain of conventional engineering and architecture. He eschewed engineering plans and architectural drawings, typically required for building any sort of structure. Instead, Kidlat took home some wood scraps, planks, and leftovers from the city’s annual Panagbenga flower festival and allowed these materials to make “cosmic suggestions” on how the cinema would take form. It’s a process he’s left solely to kutob, the indigenous sense of intuition and natural knowledge, unshackled by the concepts of master plans and organizations that drive a modern, industrialized world.

Kidlat shares, “Perhaps if we’re not stuck with the protocol of whatever your profession is, whether you’re a filmmaker, or architect or storyteller — it’s more efficient, and therefore more profitable for you to do it this way, [like having] a master plan for your film production, or a guidance map and boat engineering principles to cross great whole bodies of ocean. [But] sometimes if you leave things sa daloy ng kataastaasan (the will of the universe), the flow… you’d be surprised, somehow, you get to your destination.”

To some, Kidlat’s processes are highly unorthodox, yet it’s in his free-flowing methods where he thrives; after all, he was once part of the system. Born as Eric de Guia and educated at the prestigious Wharton School after graduating from the University of the Philippines, Kidlat tore up his MBA diploma 30 years ago, took on the name that translates to “Quiet Thunder”, and has since changed the course of his life. The filmmaker calls it “straying on track”, guided by his so-called “sariling dwende” (inner dwarf), or his own spirit.

“Balikbayan No. 1”, the first film to be screened in the Cinematheque, took 35 years to complete and tells the fictionalized story of Enrique de Malacca, Magellan’s slave who, after being sold in Sumatra, had set sail around the world and back to return home — hence, becoming the first balikbayan (returnee). The Italian diarist Antonio Pigafetta, who chronicled Magellan’s travels around the globe, wrote that Enrique could converse with the locals when Magellan’s fleet landed in Visayas. Although whether he was actually Filipino

The Ili-Likha Artist Village in Baguio City is adorned with wooden sculptures and other indigenous art pieces.

is disputed, Enrique was undoubtedly one of us, a fellow kayumanggi rooted in his indigenous culture.

According to Kidlat, it was Enrique’s strong sense of kutob that brought him home. This kutob, Kidlat believes, is the Filipino’s central core value that informs how we look at the world differently than other cultures.

“He came from our part of the world, and it’s a proof of what our local indigenous people can do. They were seafarers, they had natural knowledge… they knew how to read the winds, the currents, the flow...

All these little elements, I think are responsible why Enrique de Malacca survived the trip. He was not just a sailor; he was a connected sailor. He knew from the greatest depths of his heart how to return home.”

Through the years, Kidlat has learned to work with his kutob, unlearning the rigidities from all those years of formal education and Western dogma, and letting things flow and take shape on their own -- a mindset he’s adopted in filmmaking, and in all other aspects of his life. Kidlat isn’t fazed by plans, knowing that his own flow will take him where he needs to be. “[Just] like my film, [it had no] script but different elements and themes were patched together. I think that’s how the sariling dwende (inner dwarf) works; you’re open to getting these things that are being thrown to you by chance, and then you combine them. And that’s why my films get recognized… I’m not as knowledgeable in the intricacies of the camera or lenses, but I am able to play with and combine different elements.

That’s how I come up with a unique story or film.”

Like the winds of Inabhian, Kidlat is hoping that the winds of change inspire local filmmakers to create more local stories that need to be told. Just as the winds have blown Kidlat, straying him where he needs to go.

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Eclectic installations like wooden boat carvings and glass mosaic stairs came out as “cosmic suggestions” for this artists’ haven.

PEOPLE / CREATIVE C ORN E R

And A Half 1.

Work Stations. Open spaces are built on an environment

of trust and responsibility. Structured to make each member personally engaged in every project, the work stations reflect each one’s work style and strength.

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Library. As designers, solving problems is always

on the minds of And a Half. Their creativity is balanced with creativity, insight with inspiration, and context with vision. One initiative is the book club in the studio to encourage a community of reading and learning within the team.

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Frames and artwork. Every member of the team had an input in decorating their work space, with each designing one frame with their individual representation of And A Half. As one of the highlights in their office, the team took a whole day putting together all the 14 frames.

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Office Pets. In lieu of cigarette breaks, the And a Half team get to de-stress with a pair of furry friends in the office. The two, who never fail to keep the energy up and calm at the same time, are considered as members of their family.

PROFILE “How might design solve this problem?” This is the question that guides the small, yet fast rising design studio known as And a Half. The seemingly unassuming group helmed

by Mike Parker has taken on projects with some of biggest brands around such as UNIQLO, San Miguel Corporation, Shangri la Hotels, Ateneo Art Gallery, among others.

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PEOPLE / FLIPSID E

Jennifer Santos CHIEF MEDIA OFFICER, PUBLICIS ONE PHILIPPINES

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DESCRIBE YOUR ROLE IN THE COMPANY.

WHAT'S A NORMAL DAY IN THE OFFICE LIKE FOR YOU?

As Chief Media Officer, I oversee Publicis Media in the Philippines helping drive the growth of our 4 media agency brands: Starcom, Zenith, Spark Foundry and Blue 449 and our 2 specialist agencies: Performics and Liquid Thread, working very closely with agency brand leads like Gladys Basinilio, Mako Chaves and Jay Lim as well our practice leads. What makes us unique about how we are structured in Publicis Groupe is our “Power of One” philosophy where we get to work very closely with other agency brands in our fold namely communications, shopper and digital amongst others, to bring to our clients the best, most integrated solutions for their business.

Anyone who has worked in advertising as long as I have will tell you there is no such thing as a normal day and that is precisely what I love about this industry. There is so much to learn, so many people to meet, so many challenges to fix and opportunities to be had that you are always on your toes and you never know how exciting the next week will be!

WHAT CHANGES IN THE INDUSTRY HAVE YOU SEEN

WHO ARE YOU OUTSIDE THE CONFINES OF YOUR OFFICE?

Technology has driven much of the change in terms of consumer habits, skills required to thrive in the industry as well as expectations of a media agency. There is a proliferation of touchpoints, diversity of choices in terms of reaching the consumer and I am happy to say that future ready global agency networks like Publicis is always at the forefront of these innovations and advancements. The power of ideas to build long-lasting, market-leading and iconic brands and the importance of driving business metrics hence the need for agencies to act more as business partners have remained important.

Like everybody else – someone who loves spending time with friends and family, will travel every chance I get if I can and during my down time regularly Netflixes & chills and tries to read the many books I have collected over the years (because nothing beats the smell of old paper!)

IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN PART OF THIS INDUSTRY,

where would you have ventured into?

I’d have to say I also very much into travel, art and shoes so I would have probably set up a business that is aligned to one of my 3 passions.

Stephen Douglas GENERAL MANAGER, PIXELBOX

DESCRIBE YOUR ROLE IN THE COMPANY.

According to the title on my business card, I’m the General manager of PixelBox and am based here in Manilla. As GM I’m responsible for overseeing the startup, growth and development of the new Manilla office, as well as continuing to expand our already successful Shanghai operation, which sees me spending a week there every month. But there’s more to it than that. While systems and procedures are important, what drives the success of any company is its people, so helping to attract, nurture and inspire world class talent with the right skills and the right attitude is a key part of my role also.

And it goes without saying that among my top priorities is fostering strong, mutually rewarding relationships with the most important people of all of our clients.

WHAT CHANGES IN THE INDUSTRY HAVE YOU SEEN FROM WHEN YOU STARTED AS COMPARED TO NOW?

Obviously, technology has been a game changer as has the advent of digital and social media.

While technology has revolutionised how we create content and how our audience consumes it, what has remained constant throughout is the combined power of meaningful strategy, original/brilliant creative thinking and excellent production values.

With brands competing for our attention across multiple platforms, devices and channels, the

cut-through and connection this combination can achieve is more valuable than ever.

Clients have changed too, with more in-house production happening and, in some cases, less reliance on traditional agencies and production companies for ideas and inspiration.

WHAT'S A NORMAL DAY IN THE OFFICE LIKE FOR YOU?

Coffee, update and WIP from staff, answering emails, coffee, building the empire, lunch, attending shoots, visiting clients, coffee IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN PART OF THIS INDUSTRY, WHERE WOULD YOU HAVE VENTURED INTO?

Most of my mates know of my love for music but not many know, that I always had a ‘hankering’ to be in A&R at a record label!

WHAT ARE YOUR GUILTY PLEASURES?

The legendary Elvis impersonator at the Kashmir Curry House in Makati!

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PEOPLE / ESSENTIAL S

#SinoPinas

adobo RUMMAGES THE BACKPACKS OF ALEXIS LIM, KARL IVAN PRESSENTACION, RANIEL HERNANDEZ AND JOHN AUSTRIA OF SINOPINAS

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Starbucks planner: For deep thoughts and planning the next trip

6.

Sony A73 with a 12-24 ultra wide angle lens:

7.

This is the secret to surviving a long drive or flight

Our travels are best documented visually 3.

Sea to Summit Dry bag: Guards our

iPhone 7+: Multifunctional; to post on our

page and stay connected wherever we are 5.

Macbook, Hard drive, Adaptor from Baseus, Power bank from Asus: For editing photos,

watching movies, and transferring files

Sea to Summit towel: Light on the

backpack and quick to dry 8.

equipment when we travel by sea 4.

Air pods/Earphones from Audio Technica:

Organizer from Gauche: To keep

accessories and whatnots in a neat bag 9.

Fleece Jacket from Columbia:

Lightweight and warm overlay for hiking, plus it does not restrict movement 10. Ultra Light Down Vest from Uniqlo: A pocketable

outer vest for staying warm on mountain peaks

I S S U E 76 / C R E AT I V E E C O N O M Y

BUSINESS Focus on brands and media.

SPECIAL FEATURE 158 Advertising Trends in Asia THE FIRM 160 Zapateria BRAND MARKETING 164 Kwentong Jollibee Valentines Series MEDIASCAPE 166 GetCraft

BUSINESS / SPECIA L F E AT UR E

Marketing Gamechangers Three advertising trends to look out for Asia WORDS

Kaye Rey

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T

he digital transformation in the Philippines is in full swing. Everyone from upstart micro-enterprises to established corporates are finding ways to transfer or integrate more of their business operations - be it human resources, marketing, sales, business development, or other functions - to the digital world.

For the country as a whole, digital transformation is beneficial. More companies will reap the benefits of digitizing their departments and connecting with customers online. The challenge of digital transformation is with individual companies. Put simply, now that most businesses are online, the fact that you are no longer a competitive advantage.

This notion is evident most in social media. When Facebook rolled out their pages feature, if you were one of the early companies to build a brand presence there, you likely would have increased traffic to your website, made more sales, and maybe even seized market share from a competitor. But the same is no longer true. Brand-building through Facebook is saturated.

Since nearly every business has a page - and sometimes even multiple pages for different products or services - it’s nearly impossible to get noticed organically. You need to pay-to-play - just like all your competitors. The battle boils down to who has the biggest war chest.

In this kind of saturated digital environment, business leaders need to keep their ear to the ground for new channels and platforms.

Here are three trends emerging in Asia that business leaders in the Philippines need to watch out for.

LIVESTREAMING GOES LIVE

Livestreaming is more mature in markets like the United States and China (where it is notably set to exceed box office receipts), but it is also coming to Southeast Asia. One of the most promising platforms in this space is content and livestreaming app Kumu.

Based out of Manila, Kumu is oriented toward Filipino creatives across the archipelago and the diaspora. Livestreamers sing Filipino ballads, take fans through a digital tour of Manila’s hidden secrets, and give financial advice tailored to life in the Philippines.

For fans, Kumu is an unfiltered way to engage with their favorite talents. For content creators, Kumu is a way to sustainably earn from their talents (the platform has a digital tipping feature going live this month). The value proposition is also substantial for brands. They can do everything from sponsor relevant livestreamers (e.g. a marketplace could back a fashion influencer to promote its products on their stream) to partner with Kumu to create a dedicated show (e.g. a fitness brand could co-produce a sports game show). The opportunities are really limitless, given how nascent livestreaming still is in the Philippines and in the region: Brands will be going live to an audience of viewers eager to engage with them.

DEMOCRATIZING THE BILLBOARD

INFLUENCER MARKETING BECOMES SCALABLE

The billboard and other out-of-home advertising placements are a staple in most urban cities in Southeast Asia. But ride-hailing platforms are now set to challenge them. Earlier this week, GoJek acquired Promogo, an ad-tech company.

Promogo enabled brands to advertise on both the inside and the outside of vehicles, and operators to earn a cut from the advertising costs. This kind of advertising is promising because both audiences represent a captive audience. Those in the vehicle remain there until they reach their destination, while those around the vehicle with advertising may also have no other choice but to watch: Southeast Asia has some of the worst traffic congestion in the world. That one of the largest unicorns in Southeast Asia is placing a bet on ad-tech just goes to show the promise of this form of advertising for brands: They’ll have an intimate audience with affluent passengers and drivers during their journey across the city.

Previously, brands that wanted to do an influencer marketing campaign had to do it manually, contacting prospective influencers one-by-one and negotiating individual contracts from there. But now even influencer marketing is getting transformed through marketplaces and platforms, such as through Indonesia’s GetCraft.

While GetCraft provides all types of content ondemand, such as video, photos, design, and writing, its most innovative category is arguably influencer marketing. Through this vertical, brands can easily plan sponsored content. Perhaps most crucially, brands can also track the performance of these influencer marketing campaigns entirely through GetCraft. These point to a future where influencer marketing is not a one-off initiative or campaign but a regular part of a brand’s marketing activities.

Brands would be smart to develop their influencer marketing strategy with an eye toward scale.

Of course, these three trends are just a few of those percolating across Asia. What’s important is that brand leaders look beyond the digital channels where everyone already is and project themselves toward where they should be in the future: That’s where your customers will be.

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BUSINESS / THE FIR M

Nurturing the Makers An up-and-coming creative hub is raising the next generation of shoe designer-makers.

WORDS Denise Gonsalves PHOTOS

Jether Dane Guadalupe

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A

t first glance, one would not think that the small bungalow behind the black, iron gate is anything else but a house. Apart from the giant “Z� that sits atop the gate, made from molds of human feet (or what a shoemaker would call a shoe last), Zapateria easily blends in this quiet neighborhood of Marikina, where only a few cars roll by and young children can be spotted playing outside. Inside the gate however, past the empty garage, the image of a shoemaking hub comes alive.

The steady thump of mallets against wood easily greets curious visitors, followed by the combined smells of glue, leather, and sweat wafting in the air. Within the house itself, assortments of shoes and shoe lasts can be found everywhere, whether hanging on an avantgarde chandelier, standing on steel racks, or even just lying on the communal table, where designers and makers labor meticulously over their work. On this late Friday afternoon, the room is mostly quiet and empty, save for the gentle hum of the air-condition and the hushed voices of a few remaining workers in red aprons, huddled over their respective stations.

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BUSINESS / THE FIR M

“IF WE WANT THE SHOE INDUSTRY TO FLOURISH, WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE ENOUGH TALENTS”

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Rico Sta. Ana, founder of Zapateria.

But it’s not always so quiet in Zapateria. Outside, at what they call the lasting and bottoming area, jokes and laughs are passed around like drinks after a long day. Designers and cobblers often gather here to chat openly with one another, or to spend their lunch breaks watching noontime shows on a small television above the shelf. “That’s where they watched Miss Universe,” Unyx Sta Ana points out, as she takes adobo magazine around a quick tour of Zapateria. She also candidly introduced their team of in-house makers and artisans, all of whom have had their fair share of experience in the shoe industry.

Zapateria was founded by Rico Sta. Ana and his daughter, Unyx, after the former got into a lifethreatening accident in 2016. The accident made both father and daughter realize the significance of passing down the knowledge of shoemaking to younger generations to keep the heritage alive. Though the Sta. Ana’s have been in the shoe business for five generations now, launching Zapateria became more than just a family project—it was a way to give back and help the industry move forward. There was a need to create a platform that would attract, educate, and cultivate the new generation of shoemakers and designers.

The vision was to make Zapateria that platform.

“If we want the shoe industry to flourish, we have to make sure we have enough talents,” Unyx emphasizes. As a co-creation hub, Zapateria provides workshops, activities, and design sprints that help boost a neophyte’s skills-set or turn a creative entrepreneur’s dreams into reality. It is a place where both aspiring and established shoemakers and designers can come together to share knowledge, help execute ideas, and connect with relevant industry players. “We invested a lot of time to get to know the members of the [shoemaking] community, and the different people we will be working with here in Zapateria. It wasn’t rushed, it wasn’t pressured. So a lot of it is built on trust.”

In less than a year since Zapateria was first launched to the public, Unyx has come to see the team and her collaborators as family, which is what motivates her to make the hub successful, using her background in computer science to help innovate on Zapateria’s operations. In the last quarter of 2018, she finally made the decision to come on-board as a full-time employee of Zapateria, focusing on the hub’s sustainability. Now that she’s running the hub with her father, Unyx has also found the time to learn more about shoemaking, proudly showing off a design she has been manually stitching in the past few days.

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“I’m a daughter of a shoemaker, but I’m still learning!” she confesses, laughing. “I’m a late bloomer when it comes to shoes. The first time I really fell in love with it was in 2010 or 2011. But I still didn’t think I would put up a hub until the accident of my dad. When I [finally] went into shoes, [I realized] wow. I have to learn a lot. It’s like starting from scratch, but I felt very welcome. Maybe because it goes back to heart, to heritage, to building a community, and so forth.”

An open and collaborative community is what Unyx hopes to foster in Zapateria. In the same way she found herself being welcomed into the shoemaking world, a world that she now shares with her father, she hopes the hub would be the same to anyone who has the heart and the passion for shoes.

Perhaps it’s no accident then, that Zapateria exists within this old house that the Sta. Ana’s discovered back in 2017. After all, what better way to nurture a growing community, than to make them feel at home? “It’s not our house, but we make it look homey,” Unyx says softly, eyes wistfully traveling around the place as we continue to walk around. “Even when we welcome visitors, that’s how we hope they feel. I hope you felt the same way.”

Top: Unyx Sta. Ana, co-founder of Zapateria.

Bottom: Rene Santos guiding one of the hub's co-creators. He is also Zapateria's Project Development Head.

BUSINESS / BRA ND MAR K E T IN G

Bida ang Kilig adobo sits down with the makers of Jollibee’s latest marketing maven: Kwentong Jollibee WORDS

Niña Venus |

PHOTOS

Jojo Llamanzares

“I THINK THE REAL LIFE ENRICHES THE KWENTONG JOLLIBEE STORIES AND THE KWENTONG JOLLIBEE STORIES ALSO ENRICH REAL LIVES.”

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K

ilig is a word that has no exact translation in wellknown languages. It is a feeling that has been coveted by many-a-young people and yearned to tread back to by adults. It embodies the depth of emotions Filipinos are capable of springing and evoking. For this year’s Valentines, a likewise uniquely Filipino brand is having its take on the timeless, giddy sensation.

At year three, Jollibee has taken pride in triggering kilig through the Kwentong Jollibee Valentines series but more than that, in producing stories with insights from real life. Hugot not for the sake of it but for the sake of emotional truth. As any thespian would agree with, emotional truth is the essence of acting.

Jollibee’s Global Brand CMO, Francis Flores, shared how they have come to call their brainstorming truth-hunting sessions, “It always starts with having the fundamental requirement of understanding how our consumers feel about love and for this series, there’s a lot of ache and heartbreaking news going around especially on social media that some people have started to lose hope in love.”

Jollibee’s first attempt at tear-jerker short films set a trend for all brands eyeing the digital spotlight.

However, the brand’s chemistry with the agency, McCann Worldgroup Philippines, is what sets Kwentong Jollibee distinct. The two of them worked in a collaborative environment instead of the usual client-agency relationship but above that, the series revolved around McCann Worldgroup’s philosophy: Truth well told.

It was also an advantage that the audience has their own kwentong Jollibee in the literal sense that

the brand has touched every Filipino at some point, whether in their childhood or in a happenstance.

“I think of all the brands, Jollibee has the hold on the Pinoy flavor talaga of stories,” said Joel Ruiz, who directed Proposal.

The Kwentong Jollibee Valentines underwent a rigorous process before it made its fans stir in their seats and drop their jaws in awe. Out of hundreds of pitched storylines, the team narrowed the selection to Proposal, Anniversary and Choice.

For McCann’s Executive Creative Director, Sydney Samodio, it was a mix of dread and excitement to put together the latest edition of the series. In an interview with adobo magazine, Samodio said that it was a challenge because of the past years’ phenomenal success.

“We did not invent the format or the formula, there have been a love of very beautiful stories that have come out over the past year using short films but again, we’ve been very blessed to work with a brand which really resonates with the people,” he continued.

The agency, the brand and the directors of the films, Joel Ruiz and Pepe Diokno, were all in the same boat that storytelling has been a way to capture hearts since the beginning of time and with a digital platform, it has grown as a way to capture attention as well.

“Jollibee has this particular way of doing stories that are always truthful and they’re always based on truth and that’s always executed well.” commented Ruiz.

“The only difference in digital and TV, the audience have the right to just you know, not watch it and skip it.

If you don’t have a great storytelling, you can not capture

Top: Pepe Diokno,the director of Anniversary Bottom: Joel Ruiz, the director of Proposal

them from the start until the end” seconded Flores.

The impact of the video only proved their starting concept that love is universal. A simple search on YouTube would fill the page with thousands of reaction videos that are not only from local users but foreigners as well.

Another thing that was also tapped in the series was the revival of 80’s love songs. Nostalgic tunes of Neocolors, Basil Valdez and Sharon Cuneta.

Samodio revealed that a huge part of setting the story was spent listening to Original Filipino Music playlist. Using songs like You and Say You’ll Never Go, Samodio said, made the Kwentong Jollibee Valentines resonate well with the adults and would give the younger generation the chance to rediscover them.

More than gauging impact and boosting marketing, the Kwentong Jollibee Valentines series adds to the Pinoy culture by telling stories Filipinos can relate to. Among the number of short films out there, Pepe Diokno singles out Jollibee’s for the values it etch in the minds of its audiences.

“I think the real life enriches the Kwentong Jollibee stories and the Kwentong Jollibee stories also enrich real lives. People watch these films because they wanna learn a few values, because they want their faith in love to be restored,” mused the director of Anniversary.

In addition, he believes that the series speaks to the identity of the Filipino. “The more we tell Filipino stories, actually mas nadadagdagan yung kultura natin e. Mas nalalabas natin kung sino tayo bilang Filipino at I think the more our lives are enriched,” concluded Diokno.

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#KwentongJollibee

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Ready, Set, Craft!

GetCraft makes creating content more efficient in industries where every minute counts.

WORDS

Nevicshky Calma |

ART

Sam Macaisa

C

reativity takes on different faces as it drives the economy. While many creatives transform ideas to masterpieces in office cubicles, brainstorming inside conference rooms, co-working in hubs, some craft their pieces of work in a different realm, but in an equal pace.

Inspired by digital work transformation, GetCraft rises as Asia’s premium creative service marketplace where these freelancers thrive. This content platform was the brainchild of Anthony Reza Prasetya and Patrick Searle, both digital masters. Prasetya brought to the table his work at McCann Erickson, McCann Digital, Sampoerna Foundation, and Social@Ogilvy. While Searle lives and breathes digital, having experience at Social@Ogilvy Indonesia, Wieden + Kennedy, and TechYiZu Business Development Lead at CIC. Their combined goal is to further change the landscape of creation in both media and advertising.

Thus, GetCraft was born in 2014. However, it was only launched in the marketplace in March 2018.

Only a year after its jumpstart, it has grown to cover four countries, including its hometown Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Singapore.

Over 4,500 creative vendors now offer their ondemand services including influencers, publishers,

writers and editors, designers, photographers, videographers. GetCraft has curated the marketplace, ensuring all of their creators meet the standards.

With a project in mind, every brand and agency can make content easy with all the tools GetCraft offers. A content seeker can browse portfolios and rate cards of top content creators, refining the search to what topics they are good at, what country they are based, and the cost of the project.

Client briefs will also be a thing of the past with GetCraft’s new tools, with the mantra pushing for less effort in searching, more time in creating. In 2018, it introduced a brief creation tool, a revamp of the older version. They have found out that a significant problem most clients face is reaching out to creative vendors quickly. “Initially, discovering the right creative vendors to work with consumed massive chunks of time - a problem our marketplace has tackled with aplomb.

However, clients still need to select the creative vendors manually before sending out the briefs” said Patrick Searle, co-founder now Group CEO Patrick Searle said.

With this new mechanism, one need not visit the marketplace first but instead, go straight to clicking “Request a Quote” which leads to a brief creation page.

Here, you can select the creative vendor category and

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“OUR PROJECT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IS SPECIALLY DESIGNED TO ELIMINATE THE HASSLE

BY CENTRALIZING ALL THE WORK IN ONE PLATFORM.”

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type of content you would like, and fill in the details of your campaign. Once done, click on Send quote invitation and wait for the creative pitches to come in.

With all the projects involved in the production process, monitoring them can be challenging, if not overwhelming. For this purpose, GetCraft also launched the world’s first chat-based content management system.

“We know from experience that managing creative projects can take up to six weeks, and marketers are troubled in keeping up with what is going on. Our project management system is specially designed to eliminate the hassle by centralizing all the work in one platform - streamlining the workflow and payments, and also allows clients to seamlessly interact with creative vendors during projects”, Patrick shared.

GetCraft has worked with over 350 brands, from varied industries including Facebook, Samsung,Microsoft, Unilever, Schneider Electric, Pond’s, Uniqlo, Nestlé, and also with agencies like WPP, Havas, Omnicon Media Group, Dentsu Aegis Network and the Publicis Group.

Optimizing the process for brands and agencies is all but a part of the ever-changing digital structure.

All online platforms create ways to make navigation swift and content vendors easier to vet, to catch up with the demands of the industry, increasing at every turn of the clock. With digital maneuvers like this requiring less time but producing the same quality, every seeker and vendor will be in a race pace to create.

I S S U E 76 / C R E AT I V E E C O N O M Y

LIFE

Lifestyle features that interest the creative industry

WATERING HOLE 170 Lotus Shores

MOVIE REVIEW 182 Bohemian Rhapsody

SPACES 174 Muji 178 Maestranza Creative Hub

EYE ON 188 Bandung, Indonesia

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LIFE / WATERING H OL E

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Lotus Shores lets you find nirvana in Siargao Just a little beyond the crowds in the surfing capital lies a peaceful retreat for mindful creatives, or those needing a breather from work and city life.

WORDS AND PHOTOS

Sam Beltran

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ly to Siargao today, and it would be hard to miss that the Tourism Road along General Luna has turned into a bustling strip teeming with tourists and surfing enthusiasts from around the world. The teardrop-shaped tropical idyll has crept out of obscurity the past few years, its latest feat being named as Condé Nast’s best island in Asia for 2018. With restaurants, bars, and lodging dotting General Luna’s beachfronts, the area is no longer the sleepy town it once was. That said, one would be mistaken to believe that there is no pocket of solace left in this part of the island.

Just tucked away on one of the beach town’s inner streets is Lotus Shores Siargao, a yoga, surf and farm retreat for visitors seeking peace and reflection, just far enough from the busy crowds without being too secluded. While this tranquil haven may be off the radar for Siargao’s many thrill-seekers, other travelers such as yogis, surfers, and city-dwellers seeking a respite from urban life have been coming to Lotus

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Shores since it opened its doors in 2016. With trees and plants from the retreat’s own organic garden sprawled across the property, there’s something about being this close to nature that sparks reflection and creativity— an ideal getaway for creatives on the verge of burnout or for those seeking inspiration.

“Resort” doesn’t exactly capture Lotus Shores as a concept. From the main highway and onto a short stretch of rough road, there’s a certain intention that comes into stumbling across the place, a willingness to surrender yourself to quiet. While you are certainly allowed to do your own exploring around the island, smoking, drinking or partying is not allowed within the premises.

There is a close-knit feel to Lotus Shores, which can accommodate up to 25 guests at full capacity, offering a range of lodging options from villas and private rooms to dormitories, all nestled within lush tropical greenery.

“While we welcome all sorts of visitors, most people who book with us know what they want and what they’re getting themselves into”, owner Annie Albano shares. Lotus Shores is family-owned, with Annie’s daughter Lili serving as program director, in charge of the retreat’s creative vision and the immersion programs: holistic packages that include accommodation, yoga classes, group meditation, vegan meals, an introduction to organic farming, and surf lessons. The experience falls naturally in line with Siargao’s way of life, from its identity as a surfing capital to the island’s slower pace and nature-filled surroundings. One can immerse in classes such as Vinyasa Flow, Jivamukti, and even Post-Surf Yoga, but for beginners and stressed-out guests, one way to really fall in love with yoga is through the Meditation & Sound Bath, a calming ritual that allows for deep relaxation and meditation through healing sound vibrations.

That said, life at Lotus Shores is not too regimented, and first-time visitors can get a taste of the commune’s ethos through their walk-in classes, or by simply enjoying a creative vegan menu at Kali Ma Café featuring produce grown in-house. Although primarily targeted towards nourishment, there’s something to be said about their dishes that even non-vegans can appreciate: the quintessential Tropical Dream smoothie bowl, the flavorful Oatscaldo as well as the dark chocolate Quinoa Porridge make for great breakfast choices; for dinner, make room for the Bodhisattva Burger as well as the Chana Masala, all surprisingly hearty selections.

Siargao is filled with wonder and excitement as activities are abound, opening itself up for you to explore on your own terms — surfing, island hopping, mingling with the locals over drinks. But for those seeking a different, possibly deeper experience on the island in the name of rediscovery and self-love, going off the beaten path may be necessary to find nirvana.

Book your stay through lotusshores.com.

Top: Guests can lounge at Lotus Shores’ poolside, all while reading a book or getting a massage.

Bottom Right: The Yoga Dojo emerges slightly behind lush, tropical greenery Bottom Left: A hearty vegan breakfast at Kali Ma Café set to brighten anyone’s morning.

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Filling the Spaces of MUJI The world of MUJI according to design authority Kenya Hara, and why there is purpose in “emptiness” WORDS JM Martinada & Niña Venus PHOTO Ryohin Keikaki Co., Ltd.

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imple yet functional at the same time–this is what has endeared MUJI to its fans worldwide.

Its meaning, “All value, No frills” aims to present the idea of a simple, pleasant life.

Kenya Hara is the authority of design for MUJI. He has been the art director of MUJI since 2001 and has since counted a number of impressive accomplishments in design under his belt, such as the Opening and Ending ceremony programs of the Nagano Winter Olympic Games in 1998. Hara’s work is deeply rooted in Japanese culture, as seen in MUJI’s design philosophy of “emptiness.” Hara first elaborated on the concept of “emptiness” in his book 2015 book, Designing Design, where he wrote on this concept as central to both the visual and philosophical traditions of Japan.

According to Hara, there are four corners that build up the spaces of MUJI -- emptiness being the first one. Hara explains that emptiness is when an object is given a new identity or meaning, a new take on the interpretation of the functionality of that object. The visuals of MUJI are designed to wake people and open their eyes to the emptiness the users feel at the moment.

To illustrate, Hara used this ad campaign, depicting

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an aesthetic where certain lifestyles would work.

The fourth theme is water. There is a Chinese saying that water takes up the space of any corner or shape. As MUJI expands its stores worldwide, it aims to be like water in the aspect of culture. Embracing the culture of MUJI and incorporating it on how we use to live these days.

One of its corporate ads illustrates MUJI around the world. The concept of being able to embrace every culture is not far-fetched for a brand that is unpretentious. In 2017, MUJI opened a diner in its Shanghai flagship store, the biggest in the world at that time. The menu was inspired by homecooking all over the world. MUJI Diner is the latest addition to their spot at 755 Huaihai Road.

The flagship store houses every MUJI possible: books, luggage and even bikes. The textures incorporated into the mall provides for a different shopping experience altogether. To add to this, MUJI recently launched housing models in three forms: the Window House, the Wood House and Vertical House.

In an interview, Hara shared their approach to design by considering hypothetical futures that if MUJI was a hotel, what kind of hotel would it be, if they were an airline, what kind of service would they provide.

MUJI is anything but a philosophy, a trend, an answer or a design. MUJI provides everything for the compact life, without the frills and flamboyance.

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a plain horizon that portrays simplicity yet stands for emptiness. This ad campaign seamlessly shows MUJI at the horizon–the emptiness and the meaning it implies. Depending on the perception, one would interpret the products and ads of MUJI as dimensions of emptiness that create a whole a new meaning.

The second corner is Natural, or the emphasis on raw form. One ad was created in 2008 that anchored on hands. The text in the ad, “Yasashiku Shiyou,” has many meanings - from being kind to being simple. This is proof alone to the brand’s dedication to being natural and raw.

Another ad was the Mold Sofa, made from urethane cushioning inside made by designer Jasper Morrison. Showing how conventional a sofa may become even with extreme simplicity. Conceptualized

by Naoto Fukasawa, the ad is reminiscent of a train station. When you focus on the simplicity of design, functionality will become a second nature.

MUJI stays away from the latest trends, keeping things very natural and simple– appreciating the natural form of a product. Whereas trends keep coming back in cycles, fashion, technology, and innovation, MUJI aims to embrace the natural form.

The third one is Home. MUJI delivers the message of “a simple, pleasant life” to its customers. Their idea of home is not somewhere to place and dispose things or to fill up with their merchandise, but a place where people can rebuild things in their own way. When brought together, their products act as an “operating system,”

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Maestranza Creative Hub adobo magazine resident columnist and Creative Economy Council of the Philippines talks about how creativity will rejuvenate Intramuros.

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Paolo Mercado

T

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he Intramuros Administration Board, chaired

by Department of Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat, approved, in principle, the proposal to transform the Maestranza into a creative hub dedicated to uplifting Philippine Design.

This proposal is the outcome of an initiative led by the Creative Economy Council of the Philippines (CECP), in partnership with the Intramuros Administration and the Design Center of the Philippines. This partnership began in January 2018 when we signed an MOU to propose an adaptive re-use concept for the restored Maestranza section of Intramuros.

The Maestranza (which means armory or naval dockyard) is a little known section of the Intramuros wall between Fort Santiago and Plaza Mexico. During the Spanish era, the Maestranza and its arcade of 45 chambers served as the bodegas of the Galleon Trade as it was strategically located right beside the Pasig river right across Binondo. Spanish & Chinese merchants would meet and trade at the dockyard, and the Maestranza chambers stored the silks, porcelain and other goods destined for Europe. The structure was completely destroyed during World War II during the siege of Manila but was rebuilt in 2013 with funding from the Japanese government. As there were no plans in place for how the restored wall would be used, the Maestranza has been idle for the last 5 years.

When we first met with Administrator Atty. Guiller Asido and the Intramuros Administration team, we shared with them our vision for the development of highly visible creative hubs around the country which will become epicenters for creative incubation, innovation and outsourced creative services. Rhea Matute, Executive Director of the Design Center of the Philippines, likewise expressed her dream of having such a creative hub within Intramuros dedicated to uplifting Filipino design skills to world class standards. It was at this meeting that the Intramuros Administration asked the CECP to propose an adaptive reuse concept for the Maestranza as a creative hub.

Members of the CECP then worked together to deliver the concept within the committed timeframe of 5 months. Angel Guerrero provided the critical networking connection with Architect Paulo Alcazaren, renowned landscape architect and urban renewal visionary. Paulo Alcazaren proposed that we host a “Design Charrette� (or creative hackathon)

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The proposed division of Maestranza's chambers to accommodate a multi-disciplinary facility

where we gathered some of the best minds in the country to contribute to the Maestranza concept.

We held the Maestranza Design Charrette at the Casa Manila in Intramuros towards the end of April. Many creative minds contributed their time to the project including Paulo Alcazaren, Angel Guerrero, Arts Serrano of 1/0 Design Collective, Jowee Alviar from Team Manila, Intramuros tour master Carlos Celdran, filmmaker & stylist Marlon Rivera, Museum Foundation’s Albert Avellana, urban planner Julia Nebrija, British Council’s Lai Del Rosario, artists & designers Miguel Inumerable and Raymond Ang, creative director Jayel Ladioray, Hong Kong based creative hub expert Robin Auld, and representatives from the Spanish Embassy and the Animation Council. Atty. Guiller Asido and the Intramuros Administration team were also involved in the hackathon, giving us constructive feedback as we developed the vision, mission and business model of the Maestranza Creative Hub. Our vision is to transform the Maestranza into the most iconic Creative Hub in the ASEAN region. Its historic role as a trading hub for the goods of the Galleon Trade will be reborn as a place where creative ideas & innovative designs are launched from the Philippines to the World.

The Maestranza Creative Hub will be dedicated to uplifting, promoting, and inspiring a culture of Design Excellence in the Philippines. Its mission is to incubate, collaborate, curate and accelerate Philippine based talents, brands and businesses to become recognized and valued in a global creative marketplace.

In the coming months, we refined the designs and the business model pitch. With grant funding from the British Council, Angel went on a UK creative hubs exchange program. She visited London, Manchester, Birmingham, and other cities where vibrant creative hubs are booming. Angel’s visits were essential for us to refine the business model of the Maestranza hub. Thanks to Lai Del Rosario from the British Council for helping provide the grant.

For the Maestranza to become a creative workplace, it needs inspirational design. Jowee Alviar provided the graphic design for the hub, giving it a logo that invites one to come and discover the wonders inside the Maestranza chambers. Arts Serrano & his team from 1/0 Design Collective worked on the interior and exterior space concepts for the chambers, the top deck and more. Taking inspiration from their own creative space in Escolta First United Building, Arts developed a vision of creative co-working spaces, retail spaces and master class venues within the Maestranza

chambers. He went further to design the top deck as an urban oasis similar to the High Line in New York.

Last, but clearly not the least, Paulo Alcazaren developed an inspiring vision of an urban rejuvenation master plan for the surrounding areas around the Maestranza. This master plan included green spaces, residential and hotel spaces, and ways to link the Maestranza to other creative destination in Metro Manila through the Pasig River.

The presentation was enthusiastically received by Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo- Puyat who exclaimed that this is exactly aligned with her vision of tourism that links our history & heritage with modern and vibrant creativity. With the Maestranza, we believe the walls of the Intramuros will come alive again and transform from an dead space that preserved the past of the Galleon Trade, to a creative space that brings Filipino Design to a global marketplace.

We thank Atty. Guiller Asido and the Intramuros Administration team for giving the Creative Economy Council the opportunity to work on this exciting creative project. Now that we have received the green light for development, we will work together to turn the dream into reality at the soonest possible time.

Top: The hub will be built under an open-air deck to give life to the walls Bottom: The space will be mobile and non-intrusive

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Bohemian Rhapsody Film producer Ben Scharlin's take on Oscars and Golden Globe Award-winning biopic of Queen

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Ben Scharlin |

reddie Mercury, the enigmatic and eccentric lead singer of the legendary British rock band Queen, was a larger-than-life figure in the 1970’s hard rock universe. His vocal power and range redefined the limits of what a male rock star could sound like while his poly-sexual life and style pushed the boundaries of what a male rock star could look like and his music changed the world.

The different roles that Mercury took on was seen throughout the movie: from baggage handler at Heathrow airport to international rock star, from loving boyfriend to bi-sexual swinger, from the glue that kept the magic together to an emotionally isolated solo act, from the legendary 1985 Live Aid performance to his sudden 1991 AIDS related death. It was a nobrainer that Mercury’s story would be told on the big screen and that there would be an international legion of music-loving fans to gobble it up.

However, the film suffered from internal disputes and conflicting ideas from the get-go. Sacha Baron Cohen famed for Ali G and Borat was originally supposed to play Mercury. This would have been a potentially game-changing performance for Cohen, freeing him from the shackles of comedic royalty and allowing him to ascend into the upper tiers of Hollywoods acting elite, but because of creative differences between him and the original band members, Cohen was ultimately fired. Then the acclaimed director Bryan Singer (who directed X-Men and The Usual Suspects) was fired for not showing up to work and replaced by an uncredited and relatively unknown Dexter Fletcher. Singer, presumably due to his own star power, reputation and marketing appeal was ultimately still credited as captain of the ship. To top off all the drama, there was the challenge of the PG-13 rating. How could they possibly capture the R rated details of Mercury’s life within a family friendly framework?

The savior for all these issues came in the form of an actor rising to legendary heights of his own on the 21st century silver screen. As much as Bohemian Rhapsody is a film focused on

ARTWORK

Jericho Louise Clemente

Freddie Mercury and his band of merry men, it is just as equally about the talentS of Rami Malek who played Mercury and resurrected the late rock star from the grave with an impressive show of thespian wizardry. Malek, who became part of the cultural zeitgeist after his sophisticated and brooding portrayal of vigilante super hacker Elliot Alderson in the critically acclaimed TV series Mr. Robot, has been steadily climbing the ladder to Hollywood superstardom. Malek’s talent honoured Mercury’s life with the big screen ode that he deserved. From Mercury’s effeminate gait and hand gestures to the pronounced overbite and speech pattern, from the eccentric wardrobe to the earth shattering vocals, Malek achieved what all great actors hope to accomplish when inhabiting another famous human being, total synergy.

Malek was able to take us on the personal journey that penetrated beyond the surface and into the very personal. Through Malek, we could finally understand the complicated and deep love that Mercury shared with his life long soulmate Mary Austin. We also got to witness his personal journey, often secretive and sometimes painful, to define and discover his sexuality.

Finally we got an intimate glimpse of the complicated relationship between him and his legendary bandmates, sometimes friends, sometimes enemies, but nevertheless his musical soul mates for life.

The film and screenplay were far from perfect though. All throughout, the film would slip into scenarios full of rock and roll bio pic cliches, the high’s and low’s of fame, substance abuse, the fall from grace, and finally redemption before death. The characters arches' seemed overly familiar and predictable and the film did not go the extra mile to transcend the genre.

But as mentioned before, Rami Malek and all the other solid performances in the film came to the rescue leaving this reviewer to highly recommend a watch. If you like band biopics, or movies with great music, or you are a fan of Queen, or of Rami Malek, then watching and enjoying this film is a no-brainer as well.

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A City on the Map How the roads of Bandung, Indonesia’s wound into its emergence as a creative city Niña Venus | PHOTOS Christian Kelvin Tagnipez

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Left: Braga Street, a popular destination for tourists Right: Kopi Toko Djawa, a local favorite coffee shop

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f one flies in a helicopter over West Java in Indonesia, one would distinctly see three letters written in blue paint: .bdg.

This is Bandung, capital of the province and home to 2.5 million inhabitants.

Dubbed as Indonesia’s cultural heart, Bandung might be better known today for the shopping district along the streets of Jalan Setiabudi, Jalan Riau and Jalan Juanda where dozens of factory outlet stores are lined up, the biggest of which is Rumah Mode.

In many ways, Bandung is comparable to the city of Baguio, not just in the elevated altitude but also in the foreign influences in the landscape. Baguio’s occupation by the Americans and the Japanese is parallel to Bandung being a part of the Dutch East Indies, the colony of the Netherlands in Asia.

In 2015, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) declared Bandung a Creative City for Design because of its strong commitment to stimulating the creative economy. Some of these efforts are the implementation of new centers, industry areas, and research and development support.

This recognition stemmed from the transformation of the city’s economy, said Creative Economy Council

of the Philippines founder Paolo Mercado. In his speech during the Baguio Creative Week, Mercado talked about the newly minted creative city.

According to him, despite the grandiose that the city’s architecture gives off, Bandung was used as a place for cheap labor for a long time.

“Bandung, for many years until today, they weren’t really a fashion design capital, they were a clothes manufacturing outsourcing hub so they were sweatshops, to put it very bluntly, for the likes of Nike, H&M. They had large scale factories, sweatshops of people working in the textile industry but they’re living in very poor conditions around the city,” Thus called for a transformation of the city’s business model from a factory model to an education model.

“What they did is that they have to create something where there needs to be a circular economy such that the people who become skilled in developing clothes level up their skills to become designers,” explained Mercado.

The upgrade, said Mercado, led for their opinion to have weight on dealing with big design brands.

This way, with an innovative ecosystem, their city will be more attractive to creative talents.

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Top: Swarha Islamic Building, one of the hotels which housed delegates to the historic Konferensi Asia–Afrika Bottom: Gedung Merdeka, a museum containing memorabilia of the Asian-African Conference in April 1955

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Top: Motorcycles lined up

Currently, one day is not enough to explore all the sights Bandung has to offer. Selasar Sunaryo Art Space is the well-known destinations for artists, 83 Biergarten serves as a watering hole with nightly live music, and Gedung Merdeka holds memorabilia of the Asian-African Conference in April 1955.

Apart from these, Bandung will be establishing 30 Creative Hubs over 5 years to enhance the local creative economy through the Little Bandung Initiative, which will have a dedicated corner for exchange of joint products, workshops and events with other cities in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.

outside a local watering hole Bottom: The cozy interiors of 83 Biergarten

Design Exhibit May 6–12, 2019 Design Masterclass May 9, 2019 Design Conference May 10, 2019 Samsung Hall, SM Aura Premier, Taguig City, Manila, Philippines

Deadline for Entries April 5, 2019 Judging May 7 & 8, 2019 Awards Ceremony May 10, 2019

www.adobodesignawards.asia

The “Think Design Think” theme logo is a collaboration between J. Walter Thompson Philippines and Plus63.

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