DIRECTORS
_
A/F BENAZA
Executive Director
One of the most prolific Commercial Directors in the industry, AF has a vast body of work and experience that appeals most especially to brands that demand attention. Cinematic visuals, dramatic soundtracks, relatable characters, and an ever evolving visual style are his tradecraft.
MK SYFU
Director
Young, hip, fresh perspectives on long-established products. In the recent year, Krizzie has been a frontrunner for brands that want to relaunch new brand identities to relate more to the growing millennial market share. Her fresh eyes for new creative styles are bold and brave, but not losing out on effective brand communication. One of the youngest directors in advertising, she trained in both movies and tv commercials for five years as an apprentice before being launched as a director. Her style is grounded on narrative work and brings this strength to lifestyle ads as well by her attention to detail and character development. Her unique, playful, and colorful style continues to evolve and improve. Her list of clients range from Nestlé, Unilab, Tanduay Distilleries, Unilever, McDonalds, Philam Life, P&G, Ginebra San Miguel, EQ, Nivea
Paul halili
Director / Photographer
Paul Halili is a Director and Photographer with experience in developing genre driven films, music videos and digital ads. With a focus on beauty and fashion his eye allows for him to view intricate details; Naturally making him work meticulously on set and allows for him to apply those skills to a variety of jobs. He is active in both production and postproduction, having the skillset in working behind the camera or on a computer screen. His film work has a quality to it that is distinct in his style of grabbing the viewers attention, whether it be a commercial advertisement or high end editorial work. In addition to that he factors carefully the visual aesthetic of his work and characters very carefully to create a stimulating experience for his audience.
_
GIO PUYAT
Director
Gio is one of the co-founders of Manila Man, a production house that started in 2012. After 10 years in the industry, Gio continually adapts to advertising's creative problem solving through TVCs, digital series, and audio content.
He's directed commercials for brands like Netflix, Globe Telecom, Unilever, JFC & Coca-Cola; shot documentaries for Netflix and VICE Media; and created music videos for local artists.
Other than video production, he's also created a podcast called Kwentong Creatives, where he writes and hosts the show. It's a podcast where he gathers the stories and strategies of Filipino creatives across different fields. He's done public speaking engagements for young creatives in different schools.
He's also active in his passions of photography, music and cycling.
PAOLO ABRIHAN
Director
Growing up, Paolo gravitated towards two things: creativity and competition
The kid picked up a few skills - photography, poetry, sketching, graphic design and some musical instruments. On his way to becoming a JackOfAllTrades, MasterOfNone, these skills eventually proved useful and formed his core sensibilities as he found love for the language of film and advertising.
After graduating from Ateneo in 2012, he put up a small production company, ManilaMan. 6 years of grinding below the line, building experience and credibility eventually opened a new door to compete on a bigger stage. In 2018, veteran director, AF Benaza acquired ManilaMan and the talent behind it.
Since then, Paolo has found his creative flow through taking on all types of challenges, refusing to be limited by convention. He is heavily motivated and is on a constant pursuit of excellence with every project. His style is balanced - always pushing for a fresh visual edge while maintaining the quality and clarity of communication.
When asked about his preferred genre of work - “Genres are limiting, I’m here to do good work. Period.”
GABRIEL QUIMEL
Director
I was 16 when the notion of a career as a Director first entered my mind. I’ve always been interested in creating visual art, and I decided that photography would be the medium for me. This initial interest carried over into motion pictures when I volunteered to shoot, edit, and direct a spec commercial we were tased to create in our high school Media Class. My curiosity in production snowballed, along side my ever increasing appetite for anything film. I eventually decided to take up production and filmmaking in college, produced a bevy of content for school orgs, faculty, and the university itself, then was recruited by ManilaMan Productions right after graduation.
13 years on, and I’m still living my dream. I’ve been directing professionally for 8 years now — focusing mainly on advertising with the hopes of carving out a path to creating full length films.