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STARDOM IS HARD WORK!

These familiar faces show up on our TV screens, movie houses, and thousands of magazine covers. In the pantheon of modern-day gods, they’ve been idolized, immortalized, and become sources of inspiration to thousands of devoted fans.

But celebrity status did not come overnight. A life that sparkles with the glitz and glam was frequently earned by blood, sweat, and tears. Like the non-showbiz career people, the stars have paid their dues and keep on sharpening their skills. That’s how they can burn even brighter.

Once in a while, JobsDB.com will chat up-close and personal with these celebrities. Though not all of us have been bitten by the acting and concert bug, the values and lessons in their success story are pretty universal.

FOR THESE PARTICULAR ISSUE, JOBSDB FOCUSES NOT JUST ON A CELEBRITY COLUMNIST, BUT ONE WHO INTERACTS CLOSELY WITH THEM. IT IS OUR WAY OF PAYING TRIBUTE TO THE SO-CALLED MEN AND WOMEN BEHIND THE SCENES---WITHOUT WHOM, THE LUSTER OF THE STAGE, THE SCREEN, AND THE CINEMA WOULD NOT SHINE AS BRIGHTER FOR THE STARS WE LOOK UP TO.


J.R. ISAAC
Events Organizer and Public Relations Consultant
Publisher, Circuit and DeLoop Magazine
Weekly Columnist, Circuit Training, Circuit and The Loop Magazines

Education: B.S. Management, San Beda College

How did you get started in all the businesses that you’re involved in right now?

I was the one who helped start street parties in 1997 and 1999. I was in charge of planning the opening of Café Havana in Malate. At that time, people had gotten tired of the usual indoor parties. I wanted a Latin yet Filipino-inspired party that would marry the different influences from my travel. Not necessarily copying them but synergizing them with the Filipino way of thinking and partying.

In another party I organized, we had people sprinkling each other with water guns. We installed sprinklers in the streets, we had live bands and ati-atihan at the same time, it was very festive. [The visitors were a] good mix of foreigners and Filipinos. Again, marrying both cultures.

How did the magazines come about?

I had been doing events, PR planning and guest-listing for some time. At one point, I had ten flyers in my hands promoting ten different events. I had been hired to invite people or guest management for all these events. I thought to myself that, if there are that many events in less than a month, why not come up with an event guide that will inform people as well? Plus you need to tell people.

Manila is not a boring city. But when you just read a broadsheet, you just get to know of an event that is a mere three days away and you don’t clip the write-up. People need a reference that is handy and that comes out every month.

My work goes hand in hand with my lifestyle. I always go out every night. I try new places.

What are the challenges in your line of work right now?

How to approach things from a fresh perspective. Everything is static in Manila. People get bored easily na. The attention span of the newer generation – the MTV generation – is fast. My target market is anybody who is interested in going out and who want to see the city, people who are usually 18 to 45 years old. Both guides are free, non-traditional publishing, I call them fly zines. They are designed as a cross-over between a flyer and a magazine.

What were the influences that shaped your career choice?

My PR consultancy started in 1997. A Chinese lady who grew up in America attended one of my parties and asked me to do the same in Shanghai. I was in Shanghai in July 1997 for a year and a half. I also worked for an English city guide magazine for non-Chinese speaking people, creating noise through events which will bring in ads.

That’s how I got into the publishing. I told myself to apply what I learned in Shanghai about running a magazine in the Philippines. They had wanted to extend my contract for 2 years but I wanted to return home.

As for my column, the Manila Times needed someone to do a society page but with no byline. I started contributing to them. Then the creative director of Y Style of the Philippine Star offered me a column. Soon I was religiously contributing weekly. I don’t want [my column] to be the usual society page. I tweaked it to have a Q and A and at the second part have an event listing. People would know what was happening in Manila during the weekend and the column became a guide.

Where do you go from here? What else do you want to do?

Come up with my own publishing house with material that is customized and has its own niche. Not just events but lifestyle driven. I’d want to go into multi-media and have my own TV show.

What advice would you want to give young achievers who want to reach your same level of success?

Discipline: I have a self-imposed curfew. I’m at the office from 9:30 to 10 doing work-related activities. Be at an appointment 15 minutes in advance. Value punctuality and meeting deadlines. Be OC with time if you must.

Focus: putting your right mindset into your work.

Follow your heart. Strike a harmonious balance between your mind and logic and your heart which is your soul. There are some businesses that are not all about numbers. Business is where you establish relations. You don’t need to quantify it, but do it for self-satisfaction, to satisfy your heart and wellness. It satisfies your passion.

Be generous with your talent and your time. If there’s a neophyte asking for your ideas, share them with your whole heart.

Count your blessings.

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