Creative Entrepreneurs Meet-Up

What are the details of the event?

What: Creative Entrepreneurs Meet-Up
When: September 30, 2017 (Saturday), 9AM to 2PM
Where: 26th St. Bistro by The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Net Lima Building, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig

What is the event about?

This is the best time to be a creative entrepreneur. The creative industry is growing.

“A recent study showed that Philippine copyright-based industries contributed P661 billion to the local economy, equivalent to about 7.34 percent of GDP.

The UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) is a project of UNESCO launched in 2004 to promote cooperation among cities which recognized creativity as a major factor in their urban development.

On the global front, UNESCO launched the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) to promote cooperation among cities that recognized and supported creativity as a major driver of urban development.

Baguio City is hoping to become the country's 1st "creative city" after submitting their bid to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network earlier this year.”

Creative entrepreneurs need to be in position to take advantage of this opportunity to plan their business and growth.

But because of the nature of the creative industry, some entrepreneurs may feel stumped about how to handle the business part like writing a business plan, managing money and growing the business.

There is a notion that creative people are not adept at numbers or business planning. We at Writer’s Block think that creative people need to be learn the basics of business in a way that is tailored to the creative mindset and environment.

To be a successful creative entrepreneur, one needs to learn the balance between passion and profit from other creatives.

For the 3rd Writer’s Block Philippines’ Creative Entrepreneurs Meet-Up, we have gathered selected creative geniuses for a group huddle. We’ve asked them to share their experience of setting up, managing and sustaining a creative enterprise. They want to show you that if they can do, then you can, too.

Who can attend the event?

If you’re an aspiring entrepreneur or a creative professional, then you should not miss this event! It’s the perfect learning opportunity for those who have started their own creative business venture or have been dreaming of doing so, but just don’t know where to start.

 How much is the registration fee?

There is a P700 fee per head which covers the entrance, food and coffee—everything you’ll need to get your creative juices flow.

How do I reserve a slot?

Simply sign up in our online registration form (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf0tAc6kBlTIoAW-C8ElVuxINzgBn0tqCc8eTiitBCls1ei6w/viewform)  to reserve a seat.

Who are the speakers at the event?

Ana P. Santos

Co-Founder of Writer’s Block Philippines

Public Health Journalist

2014 Persephone Miel Fellow and Grantee, Pulitzer Center

Ana has had over 12 years experience in advertising and marketing communications. In 2010, she left her position as Assistant Vice President of a financial institution to pursue a career as a writer.

Ana has covered sexual health rights and labor migration in Europe and the Middle East apart from the Philippines.

She was awarded the 2014 Persephone Miel Fellow by Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. For her multi-media project, “Who Takes Care of Nanny’s Children?”, Ana wrote a series of stories about migrant mothers in Dubai, UAE and Paris, France.

In her latest project with the Pulitzer Center, Ana examines zina laws Qatar that criminalizes sex outside of marriage resulting in women going to jail together with their babies.

Nikka Sarthou-Lainez

Co-Founder of Writer’s Block Philippines

Lifestyle journalist

With the belief that writing can take you places and traveling can inspire you to write, Nikka pursued a career as a lifestyle journalist. Her work has taken her to her dream destinations, which she has written about, and which have been immortalized in various print and online publications.

Graduating with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication Arts from the University of the Philippines Los Baños, she got her feet wet in the local publishing industry before becoming a full-time freelance writer. With her work, she was able to interact with movie celebrities, former ambassadors, inspiring entrepreneurs, and other interesting personalities. Aside from meeting and interviewing different characters, she particularly enjoys writing about travel, food, and other lifestyle-related features.

In 2012, she was chosen as one of the five Asian representatives for Moleskine’s Modern Nomads and was included in its exhibition of travel writers’ kits where some of her travel paraphernalia were shown on display. She was the only featured travel writer from the Philippines, the others were from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia.

She was formerly a Contributing Editor in Smile, the in-flight magazine of Cebu Pacific Air.

She never takes off her writer’s hat even when on vacation since she believes that anything can be turned into a story. View Nikka’s portfolio at www.nikkasarthou.com. 

Harris Guevarra

President of Drink Sustainability Communications Agency

Owner, Uno Morato Bookstore & Poet

Harris Guevarra is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Drink, an award-winning sustainability communications agency based in Manila. He has been leading the entire Drink team in the production and development of sustainability reports of some of the top corporations and organizations in the Philippines, including Energy Development Corporation, Universal Robina Corporation, Land Bank of the Philippines, Unionbank of the Philippines, and Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation.

Prior to Drink, he worked as a copywriter for GMA Network and as a Creative Director for Alchemy Advertising. His television commercials have won various awards in advertising here and abroad, including Singapore's Apollo Awards, which is also a first for the Philippines. He wrote and directed Iju-Sha, a documentary about the struggles of Filipino oversees workers in Japan, which premiered in Tokyo and Manila in September 2016. A published poet, his first book of poems Osana was published by High Chair Poetry Press last year.

He also owns and manages Uno Morato, an all-Filipino bookstore in the country that promotes independent and sustainable publishing. Harris graduated with a degree in Literature from De La Salle University-Manila in 2004 and is currently finishing a certification course on Business Sustainability Management from the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership.

Sid Maderazo

TV Commercial Director & Triathlete

Sid is a TV commercial director and a triathlete who actively competes in local and international competitions. Sid has worked with international clients like Publicis Hong Kong for Nestle and Dreyer’s and Y&R Hong Kong for Colgate-Palmolive.

With hundreds of TV commercials under his belt and with advertising exposure spanning more than 20 years, Sid has truly gone the distance. Still, he strives to perfect his discipline and the art of 30 seconds. 

Karen Ferry-Fernandez is a storyteller by passion, a writer by profession, and an artist by frustration.

Within 20 years, she has worked her way up from an ambitious copywriter to an Executive Creative Director in multinational advertising agencies. Once at the top, however, she started dabbling in freelancing.

8 years ago, she took the leap into becoming a fulltime independent professional. It was a young industry then, but she’s always been driven. She made a mark as a consultant for advertising boutiques and design studios, a formidable partner to production houses, and a go-to creativity churner for a roster of local and international clients. Her experiences laid the groundwork for a mission to help fellow freelancers survive this insane industry of self-sufficiency.

Despite her seemingly workaholic mien, Karen is, in fact, a firm believer in work-life balance, She is married for 15 years. She is the mother of 2 amazing boys who look up to her as a superhero. So she tries her best to be one for them everyday.

How can I pay for the workshop? 

You may settle the workshop fee by making a deposit to our bank account or via Paypal. Details as follows:

Bank: BPI

Account name: Writer’s Block Creative Enterprises Co.

Account number: Current account 1751 0828 82

If you have the BPI app on your phone, you can also pay via bank transfer without having to enroll our account in your Bills Payment Roster. Simply click on the option, “Transfer to Anyone”.

Once you’ve made the deposit/funds transfer, please notify us of your transaction by emailing us a copy of the deposit slip/screen cap so we can confirm your slot.

You may also pay via Paypal. Just let us know so we can email you an invoice.

Is the payment refundable?

Writer’s Block Creative Enterprises Co. does not allow refunds on event payments. Failure to claim the seat during the said event will be deemed as a forfeiture of workshop reservation. In the event of such cancellation, the said participant agrees that any and all money paid to Writer’s Block Creative Enterprises Co. will be unrefundable.

Is there a deadline for signing up?

There is no deadline but please note that we will close the registration once all the slots have been filled up. Walk-in participants who will pay on the day itself will only be accommodated if there are still available slots.

Who do I contact for more information about the workshop?

You can call us through this number (0917) 397.9927 or email [email protected]. You can also check out our website: www.writersblockphilippines.com.