An Open Letter To Tanya Zamora, The Senior Copywriter
Dear Tanya Zamora,
Hindi na kita i-Inglesin ng formal, kasi gaya nga ng pagkapakilala sa ‘yo, Senior Copywriter ka. Associate Creative Director ang label ko, pero alam kong ‘di hamak na mas magaling ka sa akin pagdating sa mga salita, or sa advertising-speak, sa “copy”.
Sinusulatan kita kasi gusto kong ipaalala sa ‘yo ang meaning ng position mo. Walang halong yabang, just stating a fact, alam ko ang pakiramdam ng isang senior. Hindi pa ako extremely senior, Creative Directors at Executive Creative Directors ang mga iyon. Sa bigger picture, medyo-senior lang tayo. Isang ranggo lang inangat mula sa junior. Anyway, mabalik tayo sa punto ko — Ano nga ba ang ibig sabihin ng "senior”? Marami kasi.
Isipin mo, bakit ka nga ba andyan? Dahil ba sa hardwork and awards? Consistency? Simpleng tenure? Or dahil ma-chika ka? Para sa akin, para maging “Senior” ka, may experience ka. Na connected sa susunod kong punto.
Una - Senior ka kasi may experience ka. Ibig sabihin may pinagdaanan ka. Nagsulat ka na ng maraming tagline na hindi pinili. Mga lyrics ng jingle na nirevise nang paulit-ulit ng kliyente hanggang ‘di mo na marinig ang mga orihinal mong linya. Mga TVC scripts na on-the-spot mong iniba habang shoot dahil ayaw sabihin ng talent mong celebrity. Malamang nagsulat ka rin ng banner ads na ‘di mo naman sure kung mayroong pumapansin o aksidente lang nilang na-kli-click. Ibig sabihin, naghirap ka rin. Nag-OT ka rin. May mga oras kang ipinagpalit ang mahal mo sa buhay (siguro 'di lang sing-gwapo ni Clark) para sa trabaho.
Kaya napapaisip ako, bakit ganoon na lang kung tratuhin mo si Leah Olivar, na isang junior copywriter? Pinagdaanan mo ang kaba kung wala kang naibabatong idea sa brainstorming, ang kawalan ng inspirasyon o ng tamang salita. Pinagdaanan mo ang rejection. Kaya siguro naman alam mo na dapat sa ngayon kung paano mag-reject.
Ikalawa - Senior ka kasi inaasahan kang magbibigay ng direksyon. Bilang “mature” ka na, dapat alam mo kung paano magbigay ng feedbacks at comments. Na imbes na criticism, gagawin mo itong points of improvement, gagawin mo itong “builds”. Papagandahin mo ang trabaho dapat ni Leah. Pero hindi mo ‘yon ginawa. Instead, binigyan mo siya ng subjective at baseless na comment. At kung iisipin mo, on-strat ang tagline ni Leah. Kung ako ang nasa pusisyon mo, sasabihin ko kung ano ang maganda sa ginawa ni Leah pero sasabihin ko rin yung mga hindi nag-wo-work. Sasabihin ko ring magiging maigi kung may mga options pa siya. Magbaon siya ng maraming taglines na insightful. Humugot siya mula sa life experiences, sa life truths at hindi lamang mag-puns.
Ika-tatlo, senior ka at responsibility mong mag-motivate at mag-inspire ng mga mas bata kaysa sa 'yo. Responsibility mong i-guide sila, i-empower sila. Hindi reason yung sinabi mong, “WHAT, I’M BUSY!” para hindi mo ayusin ang pakikipag-usap mo kay Leah. Nasa professional kayong lugar, hindi ba dapat alam mo na paano makipag-usap professionally?
At since nasa usapang responsibility na tayo, hindi ba’t responsibility mo ring ibigay kay Leah ang credit na tagline niya ang napili. Ika nga ni Leigh Reyes (ECD siya ng Lowe, just so you know), “When you make others shine, that light shines on all of us.” Ka-team mo naman si Leah, ‘di ba? So her victory is your victory. Huwag kang madamot.
Anyway, mahaba-haba na ‘tong open letter ko sa ‘yo, considering fictional character ka. Alam ko namang ang main purpose mo ay i-push forward yung plot. Hindi kita sinulatan kasi pa-sensitive ako sa trabaho ko sa Advertising. Gusto ko lang i-point out na nagkamali ka sa pagtrato kay Leah, bilang junior copywriter at bilang tao. Bakit ka ba ganyan? Yung boss mo ba dati naging mean rin sa ‘yo? Kung sakali mang inapi ka rin nung junior ka, parang mas okay yata kung iniba mo na yung culture. Sana imbes na nag-power trip ka kay Leah, naging inspiration ka na lang. Sana ipina-appreciate mo sa kanya yung process. Sana ipinaunawa mo sa kanya na minsan, kailangan mong i-push yung craft at creativity niya para sa ikakaganda ng trabaho ninyo at nang career niya. Sana binigyan mo siya ng kaunting hope at patience na kahit mahirap ang ginagawa natin, may mga naso-solve naman kayong business, social or design problems. At more than anything, sana ipinaalam mo sa kanya that brilliant ideas win over politics.
Kung sakaling na-offend ka sa sulat ko, pasensya ka na. Pwede naman tayong mag-coffee or cocktails, baka kasi stressed ka lang sa work. Teka, ‘te, may award ka na ba?
Sincerely,
P.S. Si Tanya Zamora ay isang fictional character sa hit TV series na On The Wings Of Love. Fan lang ako ng TV series. Pero gusto ko lang sanang mag-share ng strong feelings ko, reaction ba, sa episode last November 2, 2015.
Image Credit: Screengrab from I Want TV
Introvert: Patience Dear Juggernaut's Sophomore Album
It feels a little strange finally listening to "Introvert" as a whole album. For almost a year, there has been a sort of divide inside me -- Cj as Wincy's wife and Cj as a fan of Wincy, or as he wants his solo music project to to be called Patience Dear Juggernaut.
As I wife, I have seen and heard Wincy put together all the elements of this album. Lyrical and instrumental fragments all over our home's atmosphere. As a fan, I feel so lucky being exposed to the album in such an early stage -- from its conception to the mastering. But I'm just one person, so the wife and the fan often collide. The fan hears the most intimate confessions, rewritten in a more poetic form. The wife worries about what Wincy is going through.
This is probably a premature "review" or a spoiler: Most of us might regard teh first album, “Girl, The Impaler” as Wincy's 20-something broken heart, exposed. But this time, “Introvert”, as paradoxical to its title, Wincy confesses way deeper things -- the fears and frustrations of adulthood.
Makes me hold to my seat a little as I turn 30 soon.
NudeAudio Move S-Wire Speaker: Portable Fun
Many people say that Christmas will always be fun for the kids. I think it's also fun for the lolas and the Titas of Manila as they get their annual free pass at pointing out your weight or pressuring you for a love life. But for most of us, not-so-children-anymore and not-quite-titas-yet, we are stuck in the long drives to family reunions and last minute shopping.
So maybe as we're stuck in the December traffic, might as well we bring along a little fun - a little music! Me and my good friend, Tats Paman, a sound engineer and audio equipment enthusiast, prepared a video review of NudeAudio Move S-Wired.
Another feature of the NudeAudio Move S-Wired is the Team Play. With its 3.5mm AUX out port, you can plug in another speaker for bigger sound.
Technical Details
- Power Source Type: Battery
- Item Height: 5 inches
- Item Length: 9.5 inches
- Item Weight: 0.22 pounds
- Item Width: 8 inches
SRP - P1,290.00
Available in all Digital Walker, Digital Hub and Beyond The Box branches. Distributed by Digits Trading.
Note: This is a sponsored post.
My History with Wacom
2008, I was about to graduate from college when I bought my first Wacom Pen Tablet, as a Christmas gift for myself. It was the Bamboo Fun model. I remember to have wondered what was the mouse for. But still, the pen tablet was magnificent.
Not until that one time that I dropped my pen and the nib broke. I tried replacing the nib, thanks to the nib donations from my friends. But it didn't work. I didn't want to buy an entirely new Wacom Pen Tablet set since the tablet wasn't broken. And that's when I found Ynzal Marketing, a tech and gadget store that had almost all Wacom products and, thank goodness, spare parts. At that time, they had a Bamboo Fun pen sold separately. And conveniently, Ynzal delivers it to you the next day!
2010, I dropped my pen again and it instantly broke, I figured it was about time to finally get myself a new Wacom set. After all, without the Wacom tablet, I wouldn't be able to do my work and my other projects. So again, I ordered a Wacom set from Ynzal and had it delivered. This time, it was the very sleek and sexy Wacom Bamboo Pen Touch.
I can say that I've done a lot projects with the Bamboo Touch. I love it so much I even put a dymo of my name all over it. Our relationship was almost flawless until its USB cord, which wasn't detachable and designed similar to that of Apple chargers, got crazy on me. There were times that with the slightest touch or movement, the connection will be cut. There were times it won't connect at all. This time, there wasn't any spare part replacement. :-(
So I did what I always did - order from Ynzal. I didn't bother going to the mall and checking stores one by one. Ynzal has all the Wacom thingies I need, at the lowest price. Got myself a Wacom Intuos. It's the cheapest I could get! But how I wish Wacom retained their entry-level Bamboo line. I never really got convinced by the "high tech" extra advanced features of the more expensive Wacom models. Like what I always believed in -- "It's always the Indian, never the pana (bow)."
I ordered last Friday and I got it Saturday morning! Ynzal's super reliable! :-) The new Wacom Intuos reminds me of my first Wacom in terms of design. The USB connectivity is detachable, using a generic USB mini. Which means if ever the USB cord wonks out, I could replace it with a generic one! But I hope the pen is not as easily broken as the Bamboo model.
I was so excited about my new Wacom that I spent most of my Saturday trying it out, getting myself used to the new model. I decided to practice my comic art skills and tried out sketching, inking and coloring, all digitally! Also, lately, I have been obsessed about Cameron Stewart's art style. His digital inking skills are amazing! And I kinda like the new look he gave to the Bat-Girl reboot!
So let me share with you my practice artwork. It's based on one of Ellen Page's still from her movie Whip It, but I tweaked her hair a bit to resemble Emma Stone's new short bob (because I love it). And I changed the wardrobe a bit to look more like the Hurl Scouts' uniform (Ellen Page's roller derby team in Whip It).
I actually tried 3 different applications so I could find the best way to digitally ink my sketch: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop and Manga Studio 5. For inking, based on my research, Cameron Stewart uses Manga Studio 5. So I downloaded a trial version and explored. I must say, the brushes available in the app were great. The feel was almost seamless, just like I was inking using a real pen. However, I think I am more comfortable with how Adobe Illustrator's brushes are snappy and a little corrective. Here's a GIF of the evolution from sketch, ink and color.
And here's the final artwork!
I'm starting to like doing comic art. Hopefully, I develop my own art style and maybe who knows, Wincy and I could come up with a comic series or a graphic novel. :-)
NOTE: This is not a sponsored post for Ynzal Marketing nor Wacom. I've bought all my Wacom tablets from Ynzal (except the Bamboo Fun). I just wanted to write about how efficient and reliable they have been with me through the years. :-)
Doodle 4 Google TOP 40 Public Voting Starts Now!
Young learners across the archipelago doodled their ideas on how to contribute to nation-building. These doodles will make you smile, make you wonder and make you feel inspired.
Visit google.com.ph/
Voting Guidelines: Anyone can vote, even someone outside the Philippines. You do not need an email account to vote. The site is also optimized for mobile, so you may vote using your smartphones. Please ask your colleagues, friends and family to vote!