Vietnam-based TV producer wants to hire Cebuano crew

CEBU, Philippines - Helping Cebu to harness its creative potential, a successful Cebuano television producer and director based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam is offering his expertise to creative Cebuano individuals who may want to be trained and take advantage of this lucrative skill in the global landscape.

Pop Productions Co, Ltd., chief executive officer (CEO) and executive producer Poppet Celdran said that there is a good potential for Cebu to develop this kind of creative skills, thus he is going to open a TV production training in Cebu.

Celdran is one of the few successful Cebuanos in the field of international TV productions, specifically in commercials, special shows, such as Miss Universe 2008, held in Nha Trang, Vietnam, Amazing Race Asia, and Israel, and also served as the production and director and cinematographer for BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) in public service announcement production in Cambodia.

“Being born and raised in Cebu I have been molded into a person who is very inclined into creative arts, especially in the fields of music, theater and photography,” said Celdran in an interview with The Freeman.

He said he wants to connect with the creative sector in Cebu, and will offer his help to Cebuanos who are willing to be trained and become part of his wings in Vietnam. “I would like to get Cebuano interns as my crew,” he adding that he is willing to spend time and money to formalize his plan of opening special training courses twice a year, in TV production and directing.

A graduate of Mass Communication at the University of the Philippines-Cebu, Celdran went to Manila in the year 2000 to study cinematography under the top cinematographers in the Philippines.

Before he went international, Celdran has created and produced several TV commercials for well-known brands in the Philippines, such as Citibank, Coke, Equitable VISA, and also tried to produce some Independent Films, in collaboration with passionate artists like Joel Torre, among others.

“I believe that Cebu has rich pool of creative people. They just have to be honed and be guided. There is a big and lucrative market for creative industry, significantly in my field,” he said.

Although competition from other creative nationalities is inevitable, he said Filipinos always excel in creative aspects.

According to Celdran, Cebu should maximize its name and position being declared as the “Creative City” by the British Council, and all fields in the broad creative sector should be explored and developed.

“Potential [for Cebuano and Filipino artists] is huge since there are now more avenues where we can produce content for, like the internet, mobile handsets and gaming consoles—before it was just TV and cinema,” he stressed.

With globalization, Celdran said artists can even be able to produce local content which can be produced for the foreign market as well.

“So many Philippine produced ‘telenovela’ are being dubbed and aired in Vietnam, and other countries,” he said.

Celdran mentioned that initially training modules will be introduced probably next year in Cebu, like production and lighting design, cinematography,  acting,  visual arts,  dance  and  music.

“The world of art is such a vast field that we can double our fingers in and somehow, find our niche in what we really love to do,” Celdran concluded. — (FREEMAN)