Fast-forward to 2018, we had countless jobs lined up so I knew I had a business on my hands. I started putting together a very small team of 2-3 people and we opened our new studio in Makati. The two years following were one of our best content streaks, but we all know what happened in 2020. During that time, I went back to shooting all my videos alone. It wasn’t long before I started to feel burnout.

The burnout wasn’t solely because of the pandemic—I realised I never wanted to be the only person in front of the camera. I was getting frustrated that our videos were centred mainly on myself. I found joy in producing and wanted to go back to making videos with a diverse set of people, hosts and contributors. That was the primary reason why I re-branded all our social media accounts to FEATR in 2021.

As Covid-19 restrictions eased, we experienced a newfound freedom to create. It took us over a year before people started to understand what FEATR Media was about. That was the tipping point and companies started paying attention to our production company, The Fat Kid Inside Studios.

In March 2022, I took the plunge and opened up a 500 sqm shooting studio in Mandaluyong. Now The Fat Kid Inside Studios is a full-service production house with a creative team of 23 people. We create high-quality TV calibre digital content videos for various clients. Our journey traverses beyond just business. We’re on a mission with FEATR to create content that not just captivates but also contributes.

Anyone can be a content creator, but what does it take to be a successful content creator? How can one differentiate oneself from the multitudes of other content creators?

EH: Social media is a very difficult industry, especially with the number of videos that are posted online daily. For FEATR Media alone, we produce on average 14 long-form videos and 30 short videos a month. This number doesn’t include the straight-to-client work we do. Consistency is probably one of the most important things in building a following and a community. More importantly, people need to know what you stand for and that has to be seen clearly in every video produced.

At the end of the day, the successful ones are the ones that are unapologetically themselves. I always tell anyone trying to get into social media that you should first do it as a hobby. If you enter the sphere with aspirations of popularity or money, you might be greatly disappointed. 

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What’s your advice for people who want to turn their hobby or interest into their career?

EH: Aside from believing that you can make it, you need to build a business case as to why and how you can build a sustainable career online. If you want to earn directly from the platforms in the Philippines, you’ll need millions of online views. Speaking from personal experience, this is no easy feat—especially if you’re not into doing casual content.

You will need to understand the potential revenue streams and then take an objective deep dive into what you are doing, to see which of them you’ll be able to maximise. Content creators typically have other skills than simply being on camera and posting. There’s more than meets the eye. Many of them can shoot, edit and write scripts. To succeed, you need to understand how the skills you’ve built pursuing your hobby, could become services for potential clients.

Food is a very creative industry yet it is also a very competitive business. How did you manage to find a balance between the two? 

EH: I’ve learnt to question and stress test all of my ideas first so that every venture we get into is a sound investment. My training in the corporate world was essential in guiding me on how to set up a media business that is built soundly on passion and creativity. It’s been a long journey, with lots of challenges and lows, but those have allowed me to be where I am today. We constantly put pressure on ourselves to be better and do bigger projects, but we also make sure to enjoy every step. 

Working with food must be a lot of fun, but what is the most difficult thing about running FEATR Media?

EH: The volume of content out there is constantly increasing while social media is always evolving. We have to make sure that as a company, we grow steadily instead of expanding too quickly and incurring unsustainable overheads. At the end of the day, we are trying to produce the best value for our clients and our audiences.

We put into practice what we’ve learnt as content creators; we remain a nimble production company that can create great content quickly at a fair price. So keeping those two facets of our business thriving requires us to always think, create and produce ahead to make sure that we are building a long-term business. 

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What are you excited about in the local food scene? 

EH: The current food scene is incredibly dynamic. I love that we are seeing an increase in chef-driven restaurants that are delving deep into the heart of Filipino food and then challenging it from every angle. I think that’s an important step for any cuisine to grow. You need to understand its traditions and roots before you have the know-how to change and innovate on top of it.

There is also an increased interest from the larger public for forgotten dishes and endemic local ingredients and practices. The more interest there is, the better chance farmers, artisans and producers will be able to increase their production of items that were slowly being replaced by cash crop farming, importation and modernisation. This helps to preserve our long-standing culture.

When preparing content about lesser-known food, how do you start your research? 

EH: We have tons of cookbooks in the studio and we collect rare Filipino cookbooks as well. We also make sure to cross-reference other videos online and where possible, contact people. Before mounting a shoot, our story producers go on the ground in these regions and spend time talking to locals to unearth recipes or lesser-known food. It is key to do this when there isn’t much written about the recipe in text or online. Filipino food, especially in the provinces, is poorly documented. This is why we wanted to make videos about the provinces. 

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How do you choose which topics to feature or pursue?

EH: The rule for any creative person is to first create for yourself. If you are not interested in what you are doing, it’s reflected in the final product. Our recent Pride and Basilan videos didn’t garner as many views as our other content, yet those videos are the ones we are most proud of. Creating them meant we stood for something and brought to light stories from a province no one normally pays attention to.

It’s becoming increasingly difficult to find the videos that you want to watch online. You are competing with an algorithm that prefers virality over content, so sometimes it’s hard for your videos to be seen. However, as long as we are happy with the content that we are putting out and the people who watch it walk away with something, we’ve done our job. 

You are also a restaurateur. Can you tell us about how Chingolo Deli and Bolzico Beef started? How did you choose the menu for it? 

EH: Chingolo is our most recent food venture. Nico [Bolzico] and I started bringing in premium Argentinian pure Angus grass-fed beef a few years ago and at the time, several restaurants started to carry our steaks. We decided we wanted to make it available to everyone, so we opened up a deli in 2018 to supply our meats to retail customers and eventually put up a small 20-seater restaurant at the back. We wanted everyone to have a casual steak house experience that serves simple food done right yet doesn’t break the bank.

In your own words, why is Filipino food the next big thing?

EH: The power of the Philippines is with our people. We are everywhere and are so passionate. To showcase our incredible diversity, we need to learn how to appreciate all the dishes coming from every region of the Philippines. We also need to get more interested in our endemic crops, vegetables and proteins. A lot of that is, unfortunately, getting lost. But for me, it’s the essence of our flavours. Due to the centuries of trade and colonisation, we are the original fusion cuisines. Once we can present a cohesive front, our flavours will tempt the world. 

Meet more passionate leaders in the Media category on the Gen.T List 2023.

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