While we often hear about feminism and the struggle against the oppression of women, we sometimes forget that men, too, have had limited opportunities.
In the time of Jane Austen, there were only four lines of work open for men that were considered respectable—medicine, law, naval service and the clergy. In the same way that women worried about becoming a suitable wife, men worried about their career.
And just like women, men have come a long way as well. For example, both trade and the arts have become not only acceptable but commendable career choices for both sexes. Here are three men who dared to go beyond the Darcy mold.
The Man Who Goes Beyond Expectations
How many people can say they’ve gotten Meryll Soriano and Ping Medina to act in their thesis films? Well, Gio Puyat can.
The 21-year old AB Communication senior traces his filmmaking roots to his high school days when he became the go-to guy for video projects. He continued to develop his craft in college, where he made a comedy called Imba Boys with his friends in his freshman year, which they entered in the Loyola Film Circle’s BlueScreen competition. “It felt so good to see people laughing at the jokes we made. We thought to ourselves ‘uy, kaya pala natin ‘to!’” he says.
However, studying film isn’t without its stresses. Film majors like Gio often have to rent equipment, feed their crew and cast, and spend long nights editing their projects, thus giving rise to the starving artist stereotype that cause many parents to be apprehensive of a life in film. However, Gio says what helped him were his connections to the higher batches of Ateneo production majors and a genuine passion for the craft. “You have to enjoy it,” he says.
Gio has never looked back. Many projects later, he found himself working on his thesis film Immanuel, a story of a family in an oxygen-starved dystopian society. In what Gio calls his “first real production,” he managed a crew and went all out with his budget and sets, not to mention his casting.
He shares, “We went to a screening of Donor at Cinemalaya [for which Soriano won best actress], and my assistant director Gracie kept telling me we had to get her for our film. And I was like ‘Si Meryll Soriano yan!’ But the two talked to her and showed her their script.” She liked it, and for the first time in six years, Soriano agreed to appear in a student film. Medina followed suit, and thus the big-time cast of Immanuel was born.
The thesis panel overseeing the film gave it good reviews, and Gio continues to dream big. “I want to enter Immanuel in film festivals. That’s the dream,” he says. And while time can only tell what else life has in store for him, Gio will continue to make films. Even with the long nights and empty wallet, Gio says, “I don’t think I’d have this much fun doing anything else.”
The trailer of Immanuel can be found on YouTube under Gio’s channel (akosipuyat).
The Man Who Goes Beyond Borders
We all make plans and proposals in class, but how many people actually push through with them after class hours? Most students sweep finished business proposal projects under the rug once they’ve finished the course, those slaved-over plans simply become an extra bullet to attach to resumes. But not Hans Ngo.
A Communications Technology Management senior, Hans co-owns Boombox Wallets with his business partner, Chem Ocampo. The two met in Ateneo’s Swimming Team and share a leaning towards shakin’ their money maker—literally. Three years ago, a group of friends began making wallets as a small and then-temporary business for AMA’s Kapit Kamay. And while their gimmicky approach to selling handmade wallets went through some rough times and restructuring last year, it isn’t in the grave just yet.
With help from a few friends and a re-energized drive to succeed, the two men once again took on the challenge. Boombox Wallets sky-rocketed back into the game, with their products showcased in the recent SOMallville Bazaar, an event that featured the best and brightest businesses to come out of the School of Management.
While they have gained fame within the Loyola Schools, Hans and Boombox Wallets have always had roots that reach into the world beyond Ateneo. Since the beginning, Boombox Wallets has worked with Gawad Kalinga Talanay in the Commonwealth area. The community manufactures the goods, and the company shares part of the sales to the women who handmade the wallets. Hans is proud of his business, especially how it gives back. “[It’s a profitable business], and at the same time we get to help people.”
Hans has no plans of slowing down. Aside from expanding their range of personalized services, Boombox Wallets plans on diversifying into laptop sleeves in 2011. The dream extends beyond college as well. “In 5 years, hopefully [we’ll be able to sell in] SM and Ayala Malls, and take in more employees from GK. We want to help more families.”
There are those who think of men in terms of rippling muscles and action movies. Hans has his own definition: “It’s more than guts. A real man is someone who will go out of his way to accomplish something.” Hans did just that—not just for his own business, but for others as well.
Boombox Wallets can be found on Facebook and Sulit.com.ph at http://sulit.com.ph/3000208
The Man Who Goes Beyond Conformity
Screwing up on the first day or not being able to gig out on a party he has cleared his schedule for, are most probably in the least of Kyle Tan’s concerns. Heck, this Management sophomore’s not even supposed to be in this business anyway.
Growing up in a traditional Chinese family, Kyle didn’t always get the approval of his parents to try new things out. It was almost always a go-by-the-rulebook kind of thing – boys play ball, girls stick to the arts. Things were either black or white, and anything in the gray area would be automatically pushed out of the picture.
“I wanted to get into dancing before, but they said no—you stick to basketball,” Kyle recalls. And so it began the constant barrier between predator and prey, with Kyle’s targets seemingly close, but definitely out of reach. Kyle inhabited the role of the ideal son—a Xaverian varsity athlete who loved going to the movies and playing golf in his spare time. But it was only a matter of time until his love for music once more rose to the surface.
Kyle began mixing songs on his computer. His interest and skill continued to grow, leading Kyle to work up the courage to offer his parents a deal: “I will trade in my Bora ticket for DJ lessons,” he said. Learning the basics from Looper Beat Academy, Kyle evolved into spinning tunes, leaning towards the hip-hop genre. “[My first spin] was both exciting and scary at the same time,” he remembers. The excitement of course came from the repressed years of longing, coupled with the nerves that came from the pressure of coming up with the perfect mix.
Since then, Kyle has scored gigs in Manor, Reserve, and the recent Shindig 2010. Once merely a boy fulfilling expectations, Kyle is now exceeding those of his own. Now armed with the consummate professionalism usually expected of more experienced DJs, Kyle lays out his spin philosophy: “Make them dance, and then that’s where you get your energy.”
Kyle is finally living his dream—a man who draws energy from the people that surround him, a man who moves us all.
Looper Beat Academy can be found on Facebook at http://facebook.com/LBA.DJ
