“Meeting with our clients for the Gasoline Station Ad”

            As Johanna texted me that our meeting with the clients for the Gasoline Station Commercial will be at 7:00 p.m. at lobby of the Dusit Hotel in Makati, I was at the Dusit Hotel lobby at 7:00 p.m.sharp last Tuesday, 22 April. I immediately texted Johanna that I was already at the meeting place.  After a few minutes, Mel, the wardrobe assistant arrived and we decided to occupy the soft chairs near the hotel restaurant. 

           After a couple of minutes, Simon Ibarra, the talent who would be modeling as a jeepney driver for the same project arrived. We had a small talk with Simon who happens to be a theater actor too.  

            It was already 7:30 p.m. when I saw Johanna with a group of Chinese looking foreigners entered the Dusit Hotel and went straight to the check-in counter. It took another 15 minutes before Johanna joined us at the soft chairs explaining to us the clients had just arrived from Singapore!  Yes, our clients (the advertising agency that hired Johanna’s local production outfit to do the production tasks here) are based in Singapore.

             You see, the regional office of the gasoline company is based in Singapore. So, decisions for the projects for advertisements and commercials  for the products of the company even if it is for the Philippine market are done in Singapore!  All the while I thought that our clients are Filipino executives of the gasoline company.

             After another 15 minutes, our clients one by one joined us at the lobby soft chairs. The group includes the male Artistic Director, male Ad House Owner, cameraman, female producer and her associate. Our meeting was centered on the final costume that we will wear during the pictorial. I came to realize that the good morning white towel which is commonly used by our Filipino drivers is very popular even in Singapore. Simon- the talent who would model as the driver will have a good morning white towel around his neck during the pictorial. I will be using my eyeglasses for the pictorial.

            Tomorrow, Wednesday, Simon will have his pictorial. The Singaporeans want to be picked up at the hotel at 8:30 in the morning. They want to start the pictorial at 10:00 a.m.! I  told Simon and Hanna that it would be very hot already specially that the location is along Macapagal Avenue! I commented that I am sure after the shoot tomorrow the Singaporeans will adjust the time for my pictorial to an earlier time considering that they have not yet experienced how hot is 10:00 a.m. in Manila!