Samples of illustrations for books, ads and storyboards.
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December 25, 2007
December 25, 2007
Concepts, compres and some published ads as an art director in McCann-Erickson.
December 20, 2007
This is AJ’s corporate ad for the 15th anniversary supplement, published in September 2006.
December 4, 2007
Breath-taking scenery in Redondo Beach, July 2007.
November 29, 2007
By Nickee V. de Leon/Asianjournal.com
Photo courtesy of Jason Drilon
HERE’s an interesting (and goosebumping) tale for you.
Jason Drilon, a copywriter in Ogilvy and Mather Manila, proposed marriage to his girlfriend Maui Reyes, a copywriter from BBDO Guerrero-Ortega, by conspiring with none other than the master weaver of fantasy stories, Neil Gaiman.
Neil Gaiman was in the Philippines recently as one of the keynote speakers in the 20th Philippine Advertising Congress which was held at El Centro in Subic.
The legendary British author is best known for his cult-following DC Comics series Sandman, with Sandman #19, A Midsummer Night’s Dream bagging the 1991 World Fantasy Award for best short story, the first comic book to ever win a literary award. He was also the man behind Stardust, a fantasy novel-turned-film and co-wrote the script for Beowulf with Roger Avary.
In Jason’s Multiply blog (diveabout.multiply.com ) he related how he was able to involve the fantasy writer in plotting and planning the best, most creative marriage proposal ever. The blog entry is as follows:
The Proposal, c/o Neil Gaiman
Posted by Jason on November 26,’07 12:53 PM
Oh dear. Where do I begin? The timeline here will be slightly disjointed, so please do bear with me if I hop back and forth in my storytelling. It’s been a thoroughly exhausting week and I haven’t fully recovered from all this pleasant madness.
2007 Philippine Ad Congress, Day 02 – Neil’s opening remarks
I can vaguely recall Neil saying something about creativity, storytelling, and always asking, “What If?” because it’s from this “What If?” that we generate ideas and come up with stories. This was directly related to much of his writing, including his most current masterpiece-in-the-making, The Graveyard Book. In it, he answered the question, “What if a real baby could be raised in a graveyard…by dead people?”
*He read the first chapter of the book at the signing event — it’s rather good.
So I think it’s apt that I label what I did as my “What If?” moment. Because, to propose to my lovely girlfriend Maui, I asked the following:
“What if I could get Neil Gaiman, our most fave author and fantasy writer, to help propose to her?”
*I was under a lot of pressure from friends to find a “creative” way of proposing. So guys – was this creative enough for you?
Three Weeks Ago
I already knew some time before that Neil was going to be at the Ad Congress to give a couple of talks and a signing. So one late night, I went to the “Ask Neil” portion of his blog and wrote a rather long e-mail about how I planned to propose, and if he could find some time in his busy sched and play a small part (understatement of the year) in it. I did this well knowing that the e-mail would probably discarded along with the thousands of messages he gets every day.But two days later, a reply from his assistant:
Hi Jason,I am sure we can help with this, give me a bit to make sure of his schedule…
And a day later, while having lunch with Maui, I got a call from Jaime Daez, owner of local book superstore Fully Booked, telling me that Neil had in fact, agreed, and would be very happy to help me out.
I rushed over to Fully Booked to talk to Jaime (he wanted to meet and see my face so that he could signal Neil during the event) and ended up buying a copy of Absolute Sandman Vol. 02 (which was going to be the book).
What followed was about 2 weeks’ worth of planning and headaches to make sure everything was perfect.
2007 Philippine Ad Congress, Day 02 – In a Hallway for “AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY”:
After Neil’s talk, Maui rushed off to the loo. So I attempted to ambush Neil and introduce myself as “that insane guy you’re helping to propose to his girlfriend.”
But Maui quickly exited the bathrooms and rushed towards me, frozen in disbelief that Neil was actually there.
So I instead pushed her towards Neil and took a snap:
Happy Neil Moment #1. If only she knew…
STILL not content with my planning (which was reaching new heights of being Obsessive-Compulsive), I approached Lucre Villaluna of the Ad Congress Neil Gaiman event to put in yet ANOTHER failsafe measure. I told her my story, and wrote a short note to Neil reminding him of what was going to go down on Saturday. I know, I know – a bit much, but I WAS in an O-C mood.
And during dinner the next night, I received an SMS from her. What follows is our SMS exchange:
Lucre: Where r u?
Me: What’s up? Good news, I hope.
Lucre: Yes, bt pls kip it confidential. Can u call me ASAP?
I rushed out of the dining hall to call her:
Lucre: Hi! Someone wants to speak with you.
SFX: Shuffling, muffled voices, and then…
Neil: Hello, Jason. So we’re going to have you married on Saturday, then?
Me (drooling): …
We talked about how it would go down, and agreed on certain visual cues to make things go a smoothly as possible.
Neil: Let’s make some magic happen on Saturday.
Me (on the verge of fainting): …
*I hadn’t counted on this happening. It made my night. Thanks again, Neil.
Saturday, 6:30am, El Centro, Subic:
Groggy from a night of partying, we joined the line at an ungodly hour. Some guy had lined up at 12:30am, which was kind of freaky in a stalker-ish way, but we were all geeks anyway so it was all good. Ha!
Ground Zero.
For a last bit of planning, Lucre pulled me out of the line and shuttled me inside the venue to go over the entire routine. Everyone in the organizing committee was now in on it: ushers, doormen, bouncers and photographers. The operation would be simple: during the signing, they would stop everybody behind us from going up on stage and let the entire thing play out.
So at about 9:00am, a haggard and jet-lagged Neil took to the stage to read the first chapter of The Graveyard Book and answer some questions. Then he would sign books for the first 100 people in line (Maui and I were #19 and #20).
The rest of the story will be told mostly in pictures and captions. At this point, my mind was blank and I really, really can’t recall what happened.
Yes, Maui. Neil rocks. And he will rock further…
…because he wrote this.
…and Maui actually failed to notice Neil’s dedication because she was so starstruck. It took him about three times to actually get her to read the darn thing.
Maui (squealing, closing the book): Thanks!!!
Neil: Aren’t you going to read what I wrote? You have to read it..
Maui (opening the book, shrugging, then closing it again): Thanks!!!
Me: You have to read the dedication…
And she bent over to give Neil a kiss, STILL not noticing what was going on.
Neil: You really have to read this…
When she did (FINALLY!)…
Maui: OH MY GOD!!! (20x)
I took the ring out of my left pocket. Because of portability issues, I left the case back in the hotel, instead substituting a velvet pouch I’d hastily constructed before leaving for Subic.
And then I knelt.
I really hadn’t planned on kneeling. I thought it was an act that was too typical of a proposal and should be left out. But strangely, I found myself down on one knee, staring up at my now-tearful girlfriend and repeating, “Willyouwillyouwillyouwillyou?” over and over.
…and she said, “Yes.”
My guess is that the photographer was getting emotional as well.
This silly little act drew gasps, awwwsss and claps from the crowd. Friends cheered, strangers cried and my knees…were shaking worse than a 5.7 earthquake.
Maui hugged me, her back towards Neil. I reached out to shake his hand, whispering, “Thank you!” over and over. The Author. Neil. Gaiman. just. helped. me. propose. to. my. girlfriend.
And in the midst of all this, we managed to give Neil a copy of Maui’s great grandad’s book on folk tales (he was the writer of Lola Basyang, a popular children’s folktale series).
In his online journal, Gaiman described the booksigning/marriage proposal event as his most “favourite bit of the trip to the Philippines.”
The newly-engaged couple has not set a wedding date yet, but they’re hoping to convince Gaiman to become one of their principal sponsors.
As Gaiman aptly wrote in his book Stardust, “Are we human because we gaze at the stars, or do we gaze at them because we are human? Pointless, really… Do the stars gaze back?”
Apparently, they do. (AJ)
November 29, 2007
By Nickee V. de Leon/Asianjournal.com
MUSIC + CREATIVITY + ART = SPEAKER FRUITS. This is the existing philosophy of Speaker Fruits.
Born out of a common love for unconventional artistic expression and music, Speaker Fruits was established in November 2004 by a group of San Francisco-based Filipino-American artists.
Speaker Fruits is an art/design collective that began as live painting performances while listening to predominantly hiphop music. This form of improv art inspired its members to put their talents to good use by raising money for fundraisers and events.
However, the artists felt the need to slow down, because live painting performances were burning them out and compromising their art. They have adopted a more thorough and individualistic approach to their art and have been painting independently (still with the music vibe) at their own pace.
Speaker Fruits is: Dino Ignacio (Marikina), James Garcia (gaNyan), Gem Mateo (GEM) and Stuter.
Dino Ignacio (Marikina) is the fab flash animator behind “Maritess Vs. The Superfriends,” (a collaboration with Fil -Am stand-up comic Rex Navarrete) and the adroit creator of the now-defunct Webby Awardee site “Bert is Evil.” He earned a degree in Computer Arts/3D modelling from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and is currently the creative director of MYX, a music channel of ABS-CBN based in Northern California.
James Garcia (gaNyan) is an illustrator-painter who received his BA in Art from the San Francisco State University, majoring in painting and printmaking. He has showcased his works in gallery exhibits and events in Los Angeles, Palm Springs, San Francisco, New York and Las Vegas. His influences include children’s books, cartoons, comic books, fantasy art, Filipino folktales and his peers. He is also the curator of the “Make Believe” exhibit.
Gem Mateo (GEM) is a painter-graphic designer. He has traveled far and wide to showcase his collection of rare images of The Legendary Botchok and Friends.
Stuter is an LA-based painter-illustrator-graphic designer. His works are influenced by skateboarding, grafitti, cartoons,comic books and artists such as Twist One and Dalek.
In an interview with the Asian Journal, James tells us how “Make Believe” came into fruition.
“I’ve just been wanting to show our crew at work and make it a more enjoyable experience by bringing along some of my friends who also have friends who are artists and some whom I met through Myspace.com. I got them all together to do the show,” he relates.
Asked if the “Make Believe” theme came before the process of doing the artworks, or if the artworks were already made before coming up with the theme, James states that it’s a combination of both, that the exhibit is a collection of earlier works and works made especially for the show.
The concept of “Make Believe” was actually a last minute decision. James believes that it is the gathering of artists representing themselves that matters most.
“Make Believe is just representative of its meaning, you know the traditional, usual definition kind of being imaginary and we conjure all these images and what not through art and try to create this world of images,” he quips.
James thinks that it can also be about breaking up the meaning of these two words: making things and believing in your art.
Despite the fact that the four of them grew up in different cultures, with Dino and Stuter being born and raised in the Philippines, their core influences are rooted on one common ground — they are all Filipinos.
James thinks that as a group of Filipino artists “we are very whimsical with our art and try not to take it too seriously, but at the same time, we also take it seriously. I think we all had the same kind of upbringing, we can understand each other a lot better, where we’re coming from when it comes to communication like getting a joke or reminiscing on things. I think that’s why we’ve been able to maintain our collective. We look at this as just the beginning, there’s going to be a lot more.”
In terms of his personal style as an artist, James cites cartoons and children’s books as his foremost influences. James wants to explore the elements of Filipino folktales and depict them in a new light. In “Kapre,” he combines the traditional attributes of this inherently Filipino mythical figure with his own contemporary interpretation.
James reiterates that “Make Believe” is a collaboration of 24 artists, not just the members of Speaker Fruits.
Guest artists include Rheavelle, Solace, Peekaboo, Downtimer, Angrywoebots, Boohi, Deesto, Ceecee(TYS), Santos, Roots, Munkone, Beatrock, Phoneticontrol,Chris Granillo, Yukako Ezoe, Naoki Onodera, Dramaone, Simbulan, Artivista and Scott Smitherman.
The exhibit had its formal opening last Saturday, March 3, 2007, with a live musical performance by Native Guns.
“Make Believe,” is currently on display at Lost Souls Café in 124 W. 4th Street in Los Angeles. The exhibit will run until the end of March. For more info, visit www.speakerfruits.com. (AJ)
November 29, 2007
An Afternoon with Filipino and Filipino-American Filmmakers
By Nickee V. de Leon/Asianjournal.com
LOS ANGELES – For film buffs, critics and aspiring filmmakers, spending a few hours with a team of Pinoy indie filmmakers from the United States and the Philippines may be an all-too-rare event.
A panel discussion on “The Pinoy Film State of Independents: A Conversation With Filipino and Filipino American Filmmakers” was held last Saturday, May 6 at the Directors Guild of America Atrium. It was here where Filipino and Filipino-American independent filmmakers gathered for an informal discussion on digital cinema and other matters relevant to indie filmmaking.
Winston Emano, Chair Emeritus of the Board of the Association for the Advancement of Filipino American Arts and Culture (FilAm Arts) and a co-founder of the Asian Pacific Filmmakers Reception at the Sundance Film Festival moderated the panel discussion.
The panel is one of the many activities of VC Filmfest 2006: The 22nd Annual Los Angeles Pacific Film Festival currently ongoing at various locations in Los Angeles: Directors Guild of America, Laemmle’s Sunset Five Theatre, National Center for the Preservation of Democracy and the Aratani/Japanese American Theatre. The festival will run from May 4-11, 2006.
Panelists included Yam Laranas, writer/cinematographer/director of “Sigaw” (The Echo) which won Best Cinematography and Visual Design for the Young Critics Circle of Manila and Best Musical Score at the Screamfest LA International Horror Film Festival; Aureaus Solito, who received acclaim for his notable film “Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros” (The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros) with 11 international awards including the Golden Zenith Award at the Montreal World Film Festival, three awards at the Berlin International Film Festival and three awards at the Las Palmas de la Gran Canarias Film Festival in Spain; Neill De La Lllana and Ian Gamazon, co-directors of “Cavite” and recipients of the Someone To Watch Award at the 2006 Independent Spirit Awards; Multi-awarded husband and wife tandem Keith Sicat and Sari Lluch Dalena from New York; David Maquiling from New Jersey, also an Independent Spirit Nominee in 2002 and the first Filipino American director elected to the Directors Guild of America and Cindy Sison, Head of International Sales and Distribution for Unitel Pictures and General Manager of Unico Entertainment. Unitel recently acquired worldwide rights (outside North America) of “Cavite” and “The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros.”
The panel discussion centered on the questions, Why Digital EDSA? Why are indie filmmakers plotting a cinematic people’s power?
With the saturation of highly-commercialized and exorbitantly-produced films in mainstream cinema, indie filmmakers had to be, as Yam put it, “innovative and resourceful.” The revolution of digital cinema was their resort in producing films that go against the mainstream grain.
Sari, a staunch supporter of the anti-commercialist alternative cinema believes that the genre needed to adapt itself through a less costly form. “Digital cinema broke the elitist mentality of studio-approved films,” she said.
Asked what inspired them to come up with films that matter, Yam explained that it is the “lack of recognition back home” that fuels the passion of indie filmmakers like himself. He said that “the arrival of technology catapulted the industry of indie filmmaking.”
Coming from a Fil-Am perspective, David thinks that finding an audience to support their films is a meaningful moment in itself. “The support of the Fil-Am community is what drives us to take on the responsibility of telling meaningful and relevant stories,” he stated.
The panelists claimed that they are not “victims of assimilated power.” From a distributor’s point of view, Cindy said that “a good story is all you need.” She articulated how digital revolution has afforded fresh new faces on film. She takes “Cavite” as an example, of breaking from the mold. She stressed that the film’s success came from having an edge and an exotic location with only a two-man crew to get the feat done.
Neil and Ian admitted that choosing the Philippines as their location for “Cavite” gave the film its unique character. “We wanted to show something you don’t see everyday to the American audience,” the co-directors added.
Looking for investors though, can be a major hurdle. So how do our indie filmmakers adapt? Ian and Neil sold their camera after shooting to meet post-production expenses. Cindy illustrated that “Filipino filmmakers can produce a high-quality movie on a price that’s considered low budget in America.”
In producing his first film, David had to rely on funds raised by his community. His current film gained funding from investors both from the Philippines and the United States.
“Film is not as tangible as real estate and is a high-risk investment, but support from the Fil-Am community attracts investors. Exposure from media like the Asian Journal or Filipinas Magazine also helps a lot. We’re not reinventing the wheel, we are just jumping in for the ride,” he said.
Keith and Sari feel that more than the budget itself, the production value, equipment and crew make a film priceless . Recommendations and support from figures of authority in the industry are the only capital they need to make a good film.
On non-Filipino filmmakers doing Filipino stories, David thinks it’s a bit of a stretch. In terms of authenticity, it just wouldn’t be effective.
Keith felt otherwise, saying that ethnicity does not really matter. Ang Lee’s Sense and Sensibility is a perfect support for his claim. He believes that the filmmaker and the work should surpass all the differences.
How about a Filipino doing a Hollywood film? Yam set the record straight with Sigaw (The Echo) which is poised for a remake with Executive Producer Roy Lee (Ring, Grudge, Dark Water), transitioning from an ethnic film into a full-fledged Hollywood movie.
The filmmakers have their own dream projects in mind. Yam envisioned making biographical films on national hero Andres Bonifacio and Mama Rosa, one of the controversial comfort women of World War II. Meanwhile, Aureaus is hoping to create an epic about his Palawanese roots.
Keith, being more into “aesthetically-esoteric” films said that he just might experiment with a comedy this time while Sari wanted to explore narratives and short films.
Ian and Neil are aspiring to come up with a film that would show the more “beautiful side of the Philippines.”
The talk, though short and casual, was very inspiring and educational. Could this become an annual affair for more Pinoy indie filmmakers at the VC Filmfest? Hopefully our Filipino and Fil-Am filmmakers will have more insights and more world-class films for show and tell next year.
Included in the line-up of film screenings for VC Filmfest 2006 are Aureaus Solito’s ‘Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros’(The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros) , Yam Laranas’s ‘Sigaw’ (The Echo) and Keith Sicat and Sari Lluch Dalena’s Rigodon. For tickets and screening schedules, please visit their website at www.vconline.org. (AJ)
November 29, 2007
Fil-Am wins $500,000 in NBC’s “Identity”
By Nickee V. de Leon/Asianjournal.com
LOS ANGELES – Game shows are a favorite pastime for Pinoys, as evidenced by their fixation with Wowowowee.
On December 19, 2006, Robert Talon, a Filipino-American Loan Officer from Chula Vista, romped away with the $500,000 grand prize on the second episode of NBC’s newest game show “Identity.””Identity” is an intense game of impulse and reasoning, where keen perception and instincts can lead to big money.
Each contestant faces 12 strangers and a list of 12 identities. The game unfolds as the contestant picks an identity, ranging from a profession to a shoe size and tries to match it with one of the 12 strangers. The stakes get higher with each correctly identified stranger.
If all 12 strangers and identities are matched correctly, the player takes home the whopping top prize of $500,000.Emmy Award-winning comedian and magician Penn Jillette of “Penn and Teller” hosts the show.
In an interview with the Asian Journal, Robert narrates that the entire audition process took about two months. He went to L.A. to audition and received a couple of callbacks.”When I was told to play a mock game of “Identity” with executive producers Tim Puntillo and Andrew Golder present, I knew I had a legitimate chance of getting picked to be a contestant. About a week or so after the final callback, I received the call and was in complete shock!” he says.For Robert, “Identity” was definitely not a game of luck.
“It’s based on first instinct and you are basically judging a book by its cover,” he quips.Robert was clearly wise and instinctive in making choices during the game. He started with the easier ones, like the celebrity impersonator and tattoo artist, then worked his way up to the more difficult ones, putting his “Tri-dentity” and “Experts” options to good use.The “Tridentity” option narrows down the contestant’s choices for an identity to three people. The “Experts” are a group of individuals who have the expertise to “read”people just by looking at them. They give expert advice to aid the contestant in making a more sound decision.
Robert was also fortunate enough to have had the support of his siblings, Jerry and Littisha, and good friend,Tina. The three played a vital role in making the $25,000 decision.
Living up to his last name, Robert did jump around a lot in his excitement during the game.When Robert hit the $150,000 mark, Penn casually asked him what he would do with the money. Without much thought and hesitation, he replied, “My parents are from the Philippines. I lived there for a couple of years because my mom was from the Air Force. I would love to go back over there, start a foundation, build like a boarding house for the street kids. We’re going to feed these kids, clothe them and educate them.”
When AJ asked if he had more charitable acts planned for the Philippines now that he has $500,000 at his disposal, he answers, “I am going to focus on the children. When my mom was stationed at Clark AFB in the Philippines, I never forgot the way some children lived. One of my many dreams is to be able to go back to my parents’ homeland and help kids who deserve better education.”
Robert is confident that his program will be very successful.A divorced father of four, Robert was more than elated to have his kids with him that night. “It was one of the most amazing feelings to be able to share that moment with them. I love them with all my heart,” he says.
For Robert, game shows offer more than just entertainment value. Getting into one is practically a calling for him.His “game show career” began as a contestant on “The Price is Right” in 1992, where he won a couple of pocket watches, some gym equipment and a television. He lost during the big spin, but nonetheless, it was a great experience for Robert to have met Bob Hope and his girls.In 1999, Robert and his family auditioned for “Family Feud” and won $10,000.
Louie Anderson hosted the show during that time. From then on, Robert made it his life’s mission to get on a primetime national show.Seven years later, Robert gets handpicked from thousands of aspiring applicants to participate in “Identity.” The rest, as they say, is history.
Robert would like to impart this message to his fellow Filipinos: “In this game wecall life, we go through so many ups and downs. If there is one thing I’ve learned from this experience, it’s that you must have a set goal, attainable or not. I set this goal of mine a couple of years back and I never gave up. I was very persistent. Eventually karma and all your good deeds will be rewarded.”
Robert Talon is indeed, a living proof of the adage that dreams can be realized if you set your mind and heart to it.(AJ)
November 26, 2007
With McCann-Erickson Philippines, 2001. Copywriter, Epoy Prieto.
November 26, 2007
Tower Records, “No Music, No Life” print ad campaign series
Posted by nickeedeleon under Print AdsLeave a Comment
Print ad ideas/comps for Saatchi and Saatchi, 2003. Copywriter, Carol Ong.
