mindblowing perception

Back in Highschool I had founded along with a group of insanely great people a club called VFC (View Finders Club). It consisted of members who were skilled at what they do. Photography, Video Editing, Sound Design and more whose responsibility was to design insanely great videos, cover events, DJ during programs and handle graphics as well.

Sound familiar?

Well yeah it probably does because in college I along with a group of talented and insanely great people founded, the SCT (Samahan Creative Team) whose responsibility was very similar to that of the VFC (just to keep it short).

For 20 Years I am proud to say that I have experienced insane pressured production work that perhaps not a lot can imagine.

But what was most truly important that I have learned in the first 4 years in regards to these two teams was the structure of keeping it together and realizing leadership style that would later help me on how to handle and work up a better team.

When I graduated high school I had not planned a smooth transition from my leadership onto the next at the same time organized a structure that would help the organization stand on its own. In this case the remaining members struggled to keep it intact but in the continuing years dissolved as they graduated. 

I realized that in the world of media its basically a bunch of insanely great people coming together for a project and leaving once it’s done. I realized that it must not be this way next time. I hoped that next time I would organize a team into a structure similar to that of a company yet is dictated not by a head but by its creativity, instinct and spirit.

Yet the only problem I have is the people who work on the teams. Don’t get me wrong I am an extreme workaholic but that doesn’t mean I expect others around me to share a similar trait (but sometimes I do yeah I’m guilty of that).

But I guess in a nutshell what I want from others is to have that passion to achieve perfection. I want to rid people of the stupid traits that our culture has plagued us and one of that is the kindness that bullshits each of us from telling the truth that a design sucks and to never be afraid to take risks. 

If anyone asks me for a advice regarding editing or design or something else, you will notice that I am always free to share it. Because I realized a long time ago that the problem here is not a reluctance of information but the person asking about the advice actually performing the advice. It’s probably because a lot of us are grounded by the bullshit of our cultures laziness that we will not do it unless they find an easy way to do it and I hate that. 

I once had a person ask me how I did words popping up in a video, I told him I keyframe each one, and after realizing that info, that person decided against it because it sounded hard. It’s bullshit of someone thinking something is hard without trying it.

Moving towards the future I see a bright future for the team, because they are composed of insanely great people whose sum is greater than that of it’s parts. I have seen each of their work and they are in no way compared to the shitty other designers out there. They have done great work when pushed, inspired and motivated. I just hope that the initiative and the passion inside them keeps burning because being idle a lot is dangerous especially when you have A people always ready to do work and are not getting any.

I just hope a lot will understand that the team is built not for personal gain of one creative but for the entire entity as a whole. It’s like the concept of each one doing his/her part for the family or the cells in your body and that every single one of them has the master plan for the whole body. 

And I think the team will be the best possible team if every single person working here understands the whole master plan and can use that as a yardstick to make decisions. 

Right now I still feel like telling them to do a couple of stuff but then again I would stepping out of bounds. Maybe I can still call for a creative meeting here and now I still wanna share a lot with them.  I guess I’m probably at that stage where i can’t let go after all it’s been 20 years.

It’s been 20 years, 10 years to craft the vision, 10 years to learn, doing hard work of insane trial and error. 20 years of knowledge acquired. Now starts the first year to uncertainty, so I say cheers with the Scotch on my hand to uncertainty, work, creativity, passion, friends, family, life and karma.

*drinks scotch

The Samahan Creative Team was founded as a collective initiative from the people who advocate real art and media.  It began in 2008 and grew dramatically to be better than its former self and today, still continues this trend on being better. 

It started with heart and in full spirit of brotherhood and became a well respected Creative Team in the the University of Ateneo de Davao. Noting its founding members who were the best in the business Lir dela Cruz, Rhyge Gradas, Eecee Gamalong, Shayla Abella, Donna Pingol, Paolo Villanueva, Ron Santos, JM Santillan, Kevin Gomez, Byron Pantoja, and more.

It grew and pioneered a new age of art and media and has introduced itself as the intersection of humanities and technology. 

In it’s rich history since it’s birth it has produced media, advertising, posters, services, automation not only within the university but outside of it as well. 

This team has proven that Ateneans with different backgrounds and different courses of different attitudes and personalities can come together and create something insanely great. Showing to the community that as a

TEAM - Together Everyone Achieves More.

We have come a long way from our roots in 2008 towards 2012 and continue to grow to be better and efficient. 

Today as the current head of the Samahan Creative Team, it with great honor that I introduce to you. The official new structure of the Samahan Creative Team organized by our senior members and approved by our very own newly elected Samahan President, Maureene Ann Villamor.

In the Creative Team we believe in the complete integrated package of products from its inception to deployment, because we want to give students the best experience possible by making things, hassle free and simple.

So today along with the introduction of the new structure I am happy to present to you a new division within the Creative Team, the “Kaizen Division” to be headed by Mr. Brent Jimenez.

“Kaizen” is Japanese is “improvement”  and we believe we can offer this improvement to the best of our ability. Kaizen will be in charge of handling the transition of old systems to complete automated systems within the Samahan and the school. It will be made by the students for the students.

This division was born after the innovation the team has made in regards to the First Automated School Elections in Mindanao and various other automation systems in the Samahan. Keeping with the motto of it’s project head Nitish Khemani to not  be the game player, but be the game changer. We think this division will change the game on how we do things, so we can focus more on the task at hand rather than preparing for that task.

I will continue to be an advisor to the creative team in the transition period  along with the recently graduated senior members this summer. As well as keeping my duties to update you on our projects and new endeavors. We hope you are as excited as we are for the new stuff coming soon.

As Henry Ford puts it

“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”

Thank you and God Bless.

The Longest Journey began after our meeting me and Nitish decided to eat some Magnum Ice cream by buying it in NCX near Ateneo. Mark decided to tag along. We were both curious on why there was such a trend going on about this so we went to find it and try it for ourselves.

Much to our dismay well….

So we decided to walk to the nearest convenience store across NCX.

Only to find out that it was empty. This frustrated me and Nitish.

We got so curious about this Ice Cream. So we asked the sales girl to call all the Convenience stores in the vicinity to check if there are Magnum Ice Creams

Unfortunately they were all out. This challenged me and Nitish to find this ice cream. See the frustration and annoyance on his face lol.

So we decided to walk to Gaisano Mall.

Only to realize that…

We even went inside the supermarket to find out it was also sold out @_@

So we said Let’s go to Victoria Plaza Mall! Because we are both determined to succeed hahaha.

We arrived again….only to realize well….

It’s not there. We asked the salesperson on where can we find Magnum Ice Cream he said to try the Convenience in the National Highway or Abreeza. Mark suggested we split up so he goes to Abreeza we go to the convenience.

See the annoyance of our faces.

So we took a cab

to go here.

ONLY TO REALIZE THAT IT WAS SOLD OUT AND THEN WE GOT A CALL FROM MARK TELLING US IT WAS SOLD OUT IN ABREEZA AS WELL…..

SO TONIGHT I WAS DETERMINED. MY FIRST STOP WAS SM

I ARRIVED AT THE SUPERMARKET SEEING THIS.

I ASKED THE SALESLADY WHERES MAGNUM ICE CREAM like some obsessed crazy man. She pointed me to that ice cream container in the corner.

I APPROACHED IT WITH ANTICIPATION ONLY TO REALIZE.

I WAS LIKE STUPID M$&#$#^$%#^&%$^&#%$&^#%^$%#&%$&#%

THEN I WAS LIKE. IM GOING TO NCCC!!!

AS I RODE THE TIME ON MY PHONE WAS

JUST ENOUGH MINUTES BEFORE THE SUPERMARKET CLOSES. I TOLD THE TAXI DRIVE TO RUSH.

AND I ARRIVED.

I RUSHED IN

I SAW THIS

AND

Disappointed, I went back home, and typed this. :((

So that was it I checked all the malls, the convenience stores.

If someone has the heart to at least buy me one Magnum Ice Cream I would be so grateful. After all this trouble, I feel sad that I wasn’t able to fulfill my quest.

=================================
UPDATE
=================================

I realized that after I posted this. Nitish went out with his brother to every convenience in Davao with his brother.  I then heard a knock on my door and there was Nitish

.

WITH MAGNUM ICE CREAM. One for Him, His Brother and His Mom.

and of course me.

So the question is…was it worth it for me?

the answer is…..

No.

But I’ve got to credit Selecta, they have some good marketing ideas. But I think they should focus more on making their products taste better.

Still today was a good experience, another one for the bottle of good memories to share. :)

Fifty-seven years ago today, Steve Jobs was born in San Francisco, California.

If he hadn’t been, none of us would be here. There’d be no Cult of Mac. It wasn’t just Steve Jobs who was born that day, but the iPod. The iPhone. The iPad. The Mac. Apple itself.

Without Steve Jobs, over 45,000 Apple employees would not have a job right now. Hundreds of thousands of jobs in Apple-related IT and product development wouldn’t exist, nor would the app economy that has created over half a million jobs since 2007.

Of course, we’d still have computers, but they’d probably still look like this.

And yes, we’d have smartphones, but they would look like this.

And we’d even probably still have tablets, but they’d be like this.

Without Steve Jobs making digital music profitable through iTunes, the music industry might well have collapsed in the face of piracy by now. Without Steve and Final Cut Pro, many of the films we enjoy would look very different.

Without Steve, the world would be a very different and substantially poorer place. Steve may be dead, but he gave us one last gift before he died: the gift of his legacy. It’s a gift that will make our world richer and more full of beauty for many decades left to come.

Happy birthday, Steve,

P.S. His Birthday is on Feb 24, But I’m posting this today because it’s on American Time :D

While I was contemplating on writing a book yesterday in the coffee shop. I thought about writing a chapter about distribution online. I had no attack on how I approach it but let me offer the key points that came through my head in no order.

Some of these might be rude, after writing this I have realized that although some of my tactics in the past have been mean and rude. It all carved and molded creative A players who did their best at stressful times. (Still a draft, still thinking about it)

• Be strict, organized, and meticulous (THIS IS IMPORTANT, YOUR FIRED IF YOU UNORGANIZE THINGS)

• OCD is a good thing (Label everything properly.)

• Copyright matters.

• Release of promotion must be in a timely manner when your target audience is at full attention or in the need for a distraction from their focus. (Most people are stupid to understand this concept, they need guidance.)

• Make every release of promotional material memorable.

• Only use one or two distribution if you have less control. If more: you must have TOTAL control.

• Less is more. (Most people are stupid to understand this)

• If ever a design is released which is not final, delete it, if people complain say that it; “We will not comment on that as the company/group does not issue statements on pre-release material also the person who has made that mistake will be dealt with accordingly.”

• NEVER EVER release the draft designs, only final designs.

• Make everyone want for more. (But don’t give it to them.)

• If it sucks, don’t release it.

• Make the focus on YOU. Because it has always been about YOU.

• Ignore the atheists, grab the agnostics. (Don’t get the people who argue the system, get those who are still in the process of thinking)

• During the planning process only allow the A- players to worry and comment about the design feel, aesthetic and look, let the B and C players worry if its information is understandable. They will slowly understand what design is great and rise to the level of A.

• Monitor the first wave of the distribution process, reshare 3 times during the day, often at peak hours.

• Any repost must be credited with the original link of the source and if not, must be filed a case or messaged to add credits to the original owner.