DANIEL PADILLA for Cebu Based Coffee Brand DON MACCHIATOS

It's been a while since I've last seen Daniel Padilla, one of the most sought after actors in the country. Life certainly happened, but we got news that he's going to renew ties with Cebu based coffee brand Don Macchiatos Philippines. Honestly, it's the first time for me to hear about them, but learned how they've managed to thrive as an SME, slowly grown even when the country was battling through the pandemic. They're nothing short of a miracle, and now has more than a thousand branches across the country. 

Would you imagine, they all started from a small street side kiosk that had one goal, to provide quality but affordable coffee and beverages for the common folk. I entered the event area seeing one of their kiosks on the side of the venue where they were serving some of their top drinks. One thing caught my attention, the price posted said 39 PESOS on it. The event was graced by Don Macchiatos Don Macchiatos CEO Nickie San Juan, their COO Marc Anthony Abangan and their General Manager Ariel Alegado. We asked them about the business and reasons why Daniel Padilla gets top choice for their brand ambassador.  

Ms. Nickie says "We are really excited to renew our partnership with him because he's been with us since day 1. When we planned to cover Luzon to expand, Deej is someone who really had it in him. He really helped us big time in brand awareness while we were expanding here in Luzon. 

GM Ariel Alegado adds "DJ is very talented, very humble, just like Don Macchiatos, we came from very humble beginnings, but now we are available nationwide. Aside from that, Daniel's team was such a breeze to work with. He's also very approachable so we didn't have problems working with him. No other endorser would be able to do that but him."

Mr. Abangan says "You will expect an even bigger campaign with Daniel, more collaborations, and even more product innovations. We are also announcing our efforts to go GLOBAL. Our first project is to reach UAE/Dubai, the city of gold. Please wait as we reveal more of our plans in the coming months."

Daniel was very excited about this partnership and says "I wasn't much of a coffee drinker in the past but only learned while doing INCOGNITO because we start shooting at 4am in the morning. We live a soldier's life out there and I'm not used to sleeping early and waking up at that time. Tito Ian and the rest of the cast really influenced me to appreciate coffee then. I also drink a lot of water and get so much energy from it. I'm more of a mocha person or prefer the classic Americano."

He adds "Sir Marc and Ms. Nickie was such a breeze to work with. That's what I look for these days, it's the relationships that becomes important for me. The time we've spent together, we've become really good friends rather than me just being an endorser for their products. That's what's important for me these days. They trust me and I'm very thankful for that. I'm happy to be part of this family."

Here's the press conference on video:

Asked how they were able to make the prices low, COO Marc Anthony Abangan explained they only purchase much of their products locally and even do it by bulk which gives them a lot of room to sell their drinks at a really affordable price. Their model is certainly unusual, but so far, they've managed to do it and replicate their practices wherever they put branches. They're still looking for more franchisees, so if you're interested just message their social channels so they could hook you up with DON MACCHIATOS. Daniel is even quite excited because he believes in the business so much that he also has opened branches of his own (lest not divulge where!). He's also excited how he would be able to continue helping them grow, and is optimistic to help local businesses like theirs be even bigger in the coming years. 

 

I'd like to say congratulations and here's to more branches to DON MACCHIATOS, I hope to see more of you in Manila because those that I've tried at the event that afternoon were really nice.

MAKI Hints Full Album Release at BUGHAW Single and MV Launch

One of the nicest songs of this generation I heard was from this artist named Maki. He's gotten a huge following, not surprised because of the quality of the song, but it did have a notion of it being a one hit wonder, til I head the rest of the songs he came out with.

Speaking of which, he just recently released a song called BUGHAW. He also directed the music video, sort of his directorial debut too. This is under Tarsier Records which is under Star Music. They had a launch a few days ago at Matrix in Quezon City. It was quite intimate, with not just his fans in tow because his fellow artists and his whole family went there to support the very talented boy. Angela Ken, his brother Haro and ethereal sounding Dani Zam also performed before him, it was quite a revelation of songs that I haven't heard yet. I felt music in the Philippines had a very bright future after seeing that, no joke.

Here's the part where he got to talk to his fans that evening:

The Zushis, his fan group, all went in throngs to support him. All I heard from them and his family is how he remained humble, down to earth despite the remarkable success he's had for quite a while. He also hinted a full blown album which he plans to release soon, so stay tuned for that. He also wants to create his own short film, preferably Anime themed because he's quite fond of doing the art form. Here's why people adore him, check out the performances that evening on this video:

 

 

Make sure you stream his new single, and wait for the full album he plans to release this year.

2024's Most Beautiful Face ANDREA BRILLANTES

Seeing her up close would have made the case of being number 1 in the Most Beautiful Face of the Year a no contest. It's the annual voting list run by TC Candler, a creator based in LA. There have been 7 Filipinas in that list this year but the Top 1 post went to ANDREA BRILLANTES, one of Star Magic's brightest stars.

She's also been given the SPOTLIGHT by the artist agency last week and we got to talk to her a bit about getting the recognition and asked a few more things about what she plans to do this 2025. She's had a pretty lucky 2024, and for sure, ABS-CBN has huge plans for her especially after getting in this really popular list.

We talked to Andrea at the SPOTLIGHT set by Star Magic. They really prepared a lot for this event and interview (mainly to recognize their accomplishments of course!).

Andrea says "I was quite surprised about the video, I didn't know you were going to do that. I tied my hair today because of that list. Last year I was also there but I didn't get the top spot, but this year when I learned about it, I said hala, I'm top 1? I asked my Mom immediately and told her she's got a daughter that made the top spot. But really, I'm so thankful. It's the bragging rights that I could tell my friends now, really happy about it but I couldn't have that in my head, I couldn't wrap my head around it."

She adds "Right now I'm enjoying my free time because I don't have a show, but I've got a ton of things to do especially with business. I set my priorities, but try to also enjoy my youth. I also help with my community, my church, and try to learn a new sport like frisbee. I try to be intentional with my time, try to find some for everything. It's quite precious for me because I have to have energy for it everyday. I try to travel, my schedule is crazy, but want to have a work life balance. I want to manage my time because you can't disappear when you're in this business. I think it's important to have sleep, above anything, no matter how beautiful you are. Now I'm adding veggies to my diet, try to take care of that and what I eat. I also invest in skincare, do makeup, I've been doing it since I was 16 and I think I've got a pretty good grasp of it. If I'm tired, I just do my routine. I try to fit it in one hour or 30 minutes just to take care of myself." 

"You don't just have to be pretty outside, I try my best to be good, my attitude. I think making your heart pretty is better."

With all the things she's been through, she knows herself even more. She plans to do more shows, programs, movies, even other things outside showbiz. It's her experience that makes her an even better person, and we saw that during the SPOTLIGHT event with her.