STARPRENEUR Bazaar at the Fifth at Rockwell

I saw a lot of smiles coming out of vendors from this event. I couldn't blame them because aside from the fact that this is a full bazaar, it's certainly a way to prove that there's a lot of potential for MSME's in the country. This is the STARPRENEUR Bazaar held at the FIFTH at Rockwell in Makati. This is organized by Bela Padilla and Filipino entrepreneurs Ms. Lanie Tañedo and Mr. Dennis Valbuena. If you are familiar with the brand Bela by Bela Padilla, they are the same folks who started her cosmetic, product and perfume line with her a couple months ago. This time, they're working with young Hollywood star and PH showbiz royalty Iñigo Pascual.

Iñigo says "It's something that I wanted to do for a long time. I've dreamt about it since college but I never got to finish my course in entrepreneurship. I've been involved in acting and music, and I wanted something different from that. Before I met them (Ms. Lanie Tañedo and Mr. Dennis Valbuena) I really wanted to start something but I didn't really know what to do and where to start. They showed me the ropes on how to start a business. They also showed me technology because it's different now. You really have to learn what's on trend, and for me, they really are the ones who guided me."

He adds "A lot of the products we have in herzy. is mentholated, and if you just got out of the shower, some complain from the heat, and they're already perspiring. I wanted folks to still feel fresh and clean after trying our products. The difference between men and women is, we want everything to be simple, less fuss, when you try it, it's really nice and smells good. It's easy to use and carry around. The ingredients are also natural, I even styled my own hair with it, and admit that sometimes men are even more vain about hair. We hope you love these products! I hope you love the Brow Serum which they initially designed to grow and nourish hair, last minute, we thought of using it for the brows because people often ask me about it. This was named after my Grandfather, we just turned the Herzig into Herzy to make it easy to pronounce."

Mr. Dennis Valbuena replied "We really appreciate that. Now that you've learned from us, it's your turn to guide others about the business. He was very hands on. We saw his potential right from the start."

At the event, they also took time to talk to entrepreneurs about their businesses and how they started. It was a very nice way for other entrepreneurs to learn from each other and perhaps network so they could also improve their businesses. The Runway Atelier also got their cute models on stage sing and walk for the event. Seeing kids there was super cute!

Here's a short chat we had with him at the venue:

 

 

Meanwhile, I have also managed to use the herzy. products this week and so far, I'm loving the herzy. Hairstyling Stick the most. Like him, I've got pretty wavy hair which gets uncontrollable after a few hours. It made my dilemma of looking well put together easy because you can get rid of those frizzy fly away hair in just a few seconds with it. The herzy. Body Wash not only smells good, but a bit minty. It feels fresh even in the hot afternoons in Manila. They've really made a very promising line of products designed for men (that can also be used by women). Best of all, men don't have to smell like flowers LOL.

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by John Bueno (@kumagcow)

There was a bit when Inigo Pascual sat down and talked to other MSME's. The chat included Mr. Dennis Valbuena of DL Wear Private, Mr. Nio Siggaoat and Ms. Valerie Lim of beauty brand Ready.Set.Glow (RSG), Twin CEO's Mark and Spencer Elimanco of LINKIT (who introduced high tech calling cards), Ms. Audrey Ong of Sweet Kamote, Ms. Jana Berenguer of J&A The Label (of TikTok fame, you should check out their story), Ms. Rich Garceron and Mr. Jed Homar Sison of Anytime Fitness Hemady Branch (whom you might want to check out to have no excuse to go to the gym) and Ms. Elvira and Eleanor of Thermomix.

The event also featured Dani by Bela (fragrance of Dani Baretto under Bela Padilla's brand), Bela by Bela, The Runway Atelier, AY Clothing Shop, Get Spotted, Sweet Kamote, Kittly Manila, Show Idea Mayumico, iWhite Korea, Hiraya Pilipina, Pan de Carpio, Prints FX and Signs, Miruku, Duchess The Label, alas hot sauce, FizzStop, Nutral, Developers HideOut, Luka's meat products, and a lot more.

The STARPRENEUR BAZAAR was so much fun, and I hope folks not just the consumers learned a lot from the business owners who shared their stories on stage. Congratulations to Bela, Ms. Lanie Tañedo and Mr. Dennis Valbuena. Can't wait to see what you have up your sleeves this year and beyond!

Dating Terms Learned on Puregold Channel's "Ang Lalaki sa Likod ng Profile"

Have you tried online dating? How did it go? Well for some people, it's a hit and miss. What was your objective when you started? Were you able to get relationships out of it? There's a ton of questions need to be asked and answered right?

If you watched the recent episodes of Puregold Channel's "Ang Lalaki sa Likod ng Profile", you'll get a sense of what it would feel like in that situation. The hit series stars Yukii Takahashi and Wilbert Ross who plays the role of Angge and Bryce. Two hopeless romantics who resorted to look for love on social media, describing their ideal person not knowing they'd all hit the marks. Then after meeting each other in real life, it still feels quite awkward, so they end up thinking the other party would do ghosting (that sudden disappearance), catfishing (when one party pretends to be someone else!) and demand to do DTR (define the relationship) which you'll see being used quite liberally in the series. 

What do you think will happen to the two? Would there be a second date? Neflix and chill? Or perhaps have a round of rebounds with thirst traps on the app? There's a lot to learn about the language obviously and you can see more of it in the next episodes of "Ang Lalaki sa Likod ng Profile". So if you're interested about what would happen next, go watch the series on Puregold Channel's YouTube channel and see if it's worth the effort to do online dating at this day and age.

If you prefer on Facebook, simply search @puregold.shopping or @puregold_ph on IG or Twitter. If you spend a lot of time on TikTok, go follow @puregoldph instead. There's a lot of ways you can follow the story, go fall in love with them too!

Artistry, Fun and Music at Fête de la Musique 2022 Celebrations Across the Country!

Everyone loves music, and we've enjoyed in the Philippines immensely through Fête de la Musique. They're back in a big way as pandemic restrictions ease and live performances are going back, they're doing it in different parts of the country. Whilst we've been locked down the past few years and enjoyed it online, they promise to bring French artists in like DJ Blutch, Marc Fichel among others. They will be collaborating with our home grown talents, so there's really something to look forward to this year!

As with the previous years, this will be 100 percent FREE and you will see artists like Autotelic, Leanne and Naara, Chets, Lola Amour, Syd Hartha, Dilaw, Eloisa, and Brass Pas Pas Pas Pas perform on stage for everyone's enjoyment. This is presented to you by Alliance Francaise de Manille together with the Embassy of France to the Philippines and Micronesia, B-Side Productions in cooperation with the Department of Tourism -  Philippines. Make sure you catch the schedules by following their social channels particularly their Facebook page located at https://www.facebook.com/FetePH. Locations include Manila, Cebu, Siargao among others. Make sure you're there as there are other local musicians and artists joining in the fun!

Here's some excerpts from the press conference a few days ago which was hosted at Sofitel Manila. 

Leanne and Naara for "Daybreak Live!"

COVID-19 restrictions have halted a lot of businesses including the entertainment sector. Live events, are a no go which means music lovers, artists, are going to be heavily affected. Thank the ones above for putting smart people in technology, we have new ways to connect digitally and still see each other virtually.

Indie pop duo Leanne and Naara are artists from Warner Music Philippines. As Naara puts it "I miss hearing people sing to our songs and how we got interact with them, wish we could go back performing live gigs." While Leanne quips "The pandemic had us do virtual gigs which was quite difficult for us. We were in different places and resorted to doing sets of our own in a single event. We've been doing this over a year now and slightly getting the hang of it. We also have pre recorded ones, which we can do in a single day."

Leanne and Naara did a concert in an actual concert hall. It's called Daybreak Live (their debut album was entitled Daybreak). It's full of their latest hit singles, they also have new arrangements and arguably their great vocals that have been always adored by their followers. They're doing this as a way to bring their Daybreak album even closer to their audiences since they haven't formally had a launch for it. They also know people miss live music and this is certainly good to quench the thirst for it. This concert has been a lifelong dream for them.

About the songs, Music Director and Producer Brian Lotho made sure each single will be heard differently. You'll feel they've amped up favorites like "Too Soon!" and "Till the Morning Comes". Concert Director par excellance Paolo Valenciano also is also making sure everything runs smoothly as he's done the biggest ones in the country. This was recorded in Maybank Theater, with protocols followed each step of the way. Leanne says "We are so excited to bring our brand of music and electrifying performances onstage and our Daybreak Live concert brought a different side of us, and we hope we'd be allow to perform once again when restrictions relax in the country!"

Now it would be good to take your love for Leanne and Naara's music further, both the Daydream album and the live concert (as recorded) is available on Spotify.

NCCA To Hold SUDI Awards This August

The SUDI Awards will be happening soon. This is NCCA's way of recognizing Filipinos who have outstanding contributions in musical works, creators and artistic exellence.

Noel Ferrer says "The SUDI Awards started back in 2018, later adapted by today's chairman and comittee. The SUDI Technical working group was formed to further push its cause which includes Bayang Barrios, Twinky Lagdameo, Mr. C., Dr. Felipe De Leon Jr. and more. This is multi sectoral. Everyone is part of the creative aspect, this is part of the Filipino music that we enjoy today. The NCCA Awards is a product of creative interaction with other stakeholders. The SUDI Technical working group was formed for this, mabuhay ang musikang Filipino."

Dr. Felipe De Leon Jr. says "We had the technical working group and the NCCA to select from a roster of nominees. It's not just Manila but regional personalities, educators, groups, made dossier for them and then given to the jury. The contribution should be huge, something that moved a lot of artists. We based everything on research, we see how they contributed, their being as an institution, from different genre and chose who have influenced. If they have a huge understanding of their music and given inspiration to others. It should be long term impact."

Ryan Cayabyab says "Choosing awardees are easy, they do standout. The idea is to have one per year, but because of the multitude of people who contribute to the music industry, we see how huge their impact is. The jury will choose in the end, it's going to be difficult in the future years."

Mark Carpio of the Philippine Madrigal Singers says "When the pandemic started, we took a break. People are expecting from us and Filipinos need something that uplifts things, then we received this award during this time. NCCA told us then, we are honored and felt happy that we are being recognized. Maraming salamat po!"

Award winning pianist and PPO's Raul Sunico says "Thank you to the Jury. When I was informed about this, I asked about SUDI awards, and learning about it I have come to appreciate the recognition. We don't perform for awards really, to make music, to make people happy and to make an impact for others. Thank you for recognizing us and our efforts."

Professor Carmencita Arambulo says "I have been teaching music for a few decades now. When I got the notice, I was surprised about NCCA's SUDI awards. I haven't been working for awards really, I have been teaching musical greats, teachers, performers, when I hear how they have done well, I already am happy. They are my affirmation. I will continue to do this, thank you NCCA and jurors. I will still teach the youth so they become excellent in their craft, their character become great, so they become better citizens. These days I have done it online, I have found it actually effective. We need to have great teachers so we get really good youngsters. When they get recognized here and abroad, my heart is full because that is my mission as a teacher. Thank you!"

Tiffany Gabuya of DZFE says "I should begin by saying that, we thought it wasn't really for us. When we read it, we couldn't bellieve it. We have luminaries that received this and getting it, we were just so grateful. Our contribution to music, usually are from Broadcasting. If I'm going to run this station, we are not going to change things, we didn't join any awards since I took over the station. I think, I'm happy to be part of the first batch. The people of heritage, for several decades, we're special and we're going to treasure that. We are thankful for the NCCA for the award, even if we don't get one in the next years, you have acknowledged us today."

Noel Cabangon says "Getting this gives me comfort. I am happy to give what we have for the industry and other artists, I am thankful for receiving this."

Chino Toledo says "Getting the email I got a little surprised. I saw the other awardees, and it wasn't a joke. The head of comittee was Ryan Cayabyab and saw the list seeing everyone I knew. This shows focus on years of making music, we're not stopping there. We don't make them for awards but being recognized made us feel someone is looking at it, someone is hearing it."

Gloc 9 says "When I see email, I don't usually read it. When they told me, I was super happy that it came from NCCA. I know how meticulous they are in choosing people, this just proves how we can make our own waves to be able for other people to see our work. This trophy will be really memorable for me."

By the way, Leo Abaya made and designed the awards for SUDI Awards, but he passed a few months ago. I'm so glad artistic excellence is being recongnized especially in a country that has been known for talent like us. Make sure you see the actual awards night in two parts on August 21 and 28 at 7PM on the NCCA Official YouTube channel. It'll be something good for the soul.

Tyronne Escalante Artists Management

I have heard of him several times in the corridors of networks. Tyronne James Escalante has just put up his own agency called TEAM (Tyronne Escalante Artists Management). He’s been doing freelance work for a couple of years now and this is his next step. He’s got a throng of talented artists including current Darna Jane De Leon, GMA artist Kelvin Miranda, Starstruck’s Lexi Gonzales and a whole lot more.

He has put importance on professional growth, intellectual and personal maturity as his secret to success. He attributes this also to the individual talents he handles, because you can’t build a career without their cooperation. He also has in his coffers up and coming names like Vance Larena, Angel Guardian, Ana De Leon, Keann Johnson, Ayesha Cervantes, Mara Alberto, Megan Dee, Anne Tenorio, Annika Camaya, John Matthew Uy, Kristel Atinen, Coleene Isip Ferrer and Director Monti Parungao.

Tyronne says “I don’t want to play, attitude is important, we are a competitive bunch and we want to penetrate the industry with the roster of talents we have. They have different qualities, strengths, I believe in them and I feel they can grow with me. Jane started by doing extras, there are no secrets but prayers and luck. I don’t have idols, I have my own identity, I want to be the next cornerstone or ALV, be able to do a lot of things for my artists. This stroke of luck isn’t a joke, and they are where they are because of their hard work. One unusual thing is my Director. I believe they have potential. Aki and I have already split (he kids) but we are friends, and I owe a lot of things from a lot of people. Even though Aki isn’t with me, I believe he is very talented and has a long way to go. They are different talents, different artists, they have different durations, Jane is here for me and she chose to stay with me. Until now I have an old car, it’s because I push for them more than myself. In the beginning I was just doing office work, but I felt I had to take charge of my career. It took time to form TEAM but with all the things happening in my year, I felt it was the right time. I want them to feel they are in good company. I discovered Jane via Anika. We met in an audition in Eat Bulaga but we tried her out in a teen oriented show. I also showed her with Mr. M, that time they got her too.”

Jane De Leon says “We are now starting training, doing stunts, I expected it to be hard and hopefully next year we will start shooting. My costume, I still have no clue, we both might see it soon. I ask Liza about a lot of things, she’s a very nice person. She deserves all the blessings she has today. I am so happy Ms Marian also shared her work, I am looking forward to connect with her too. There will be a costume, it will be up to the Ravelos, I haven’t seen the final one yet. It will be a millenial, modern Darna. Direk might add or take out things. When I started, I told him we would get projects, we dreamed about this and all the opportunities. He is like my Dad, brother, and told him he will have this agency. When I need him, he’s always there and it is all about heart rather than money for him, so we are giving our hand to our manager. Everything has changed in my life, Darna is a huge opportunity and emotionally it is so hard. The dedication you need to put here, all the time for my self, my family, but we are doing this and I almost wanted to take a break, but this is my project, there are new artists out there who could get this so I will not stop until we have done this all. I have watched the previous Darnas, in my position it will be my own image for this project. Thank God, I hope the Darna movie would be successful. ”

Kelvin says “I hope we all have good races, good careers and I hope we all be successful in our work.”

Angel adds “Whatever God provides would be good. I hope to go back to school, do more shows and music.”

Kristel says “I was able make it to top 64 in the clash, he called and assured me there will be a lot more opps especially in the music industry.”

Keann says “I started modeling ramp, I felt I liked it so I did print and commercials. I met Tyrone through Jane, did all lots of stuff and now with Santigwar. We are all shooting a movie, we also have a new one which will happen soon. We all hope to reach all the ranks of Jane, we have very big goals including our goal to finish our studies.”

Vance says “I am co managed by Sir Tyronne and Sir Rex, we are friends with Kelvin. We have fun and he’s a very light guy, he appreciates us and takes care of us even if he has no money in his pocket. He has a lot of plans for me next year, I am going to be a singer and it will be fun to do it with a very famous celebrity under the Star Pop label. You can also watch me in a few shows and a movie with Direk Brillante Mendoza.”

John Matthew says “When Jane got the role for Darna, he told us there shouldn’t be crab mentality and when she goes up, we all do.”

Ayesha says “He believes in me, he guides me in a good path and he assures my family as well why I chose to be with their agency. I came from GMAAC, and I wish there would be more projects for me now that I am with them.”

Meghan adds “I prioritized my studies and came back just now, I hope to be able to do work with them and Viva.”

Tyronne adds “Thank you to everyone who came today, you know I love you. I love my work and the people around me, I hope you continue to support us now with my TEAM.”

With a roster of talents that are genuinely good, good looking and a very caring manager, they have no way to go but up. You will see them in different shows, different movies, they want to make a mark and there’s tons of space for that. There’s a hungry team also behind them and hopefully, they’ll get there.

Congratulations Tyronne!