We knew BJ Pascual through his photos first. He’s either that little typeset credit creeping next to the writer’s byline on most magazines, or that user perpetually tagged by local celebrities, thanking him for their pretty portraits.
But BJ was just too good to be a faceless nobody.
Today, he is his own celebrity—big enough to write about himself and, well, other celebrities. Packed with collages by artist Jel Suarez and aided by Patrick Jamora’s art direction, his new book Push: Muses, Mischief, & How to Make it in Manila details how this fast-rising creative worked his ass off to earn the covers he did, and what it took to build A-list friendships on a first-name basis.
Now we have to thank long-time editor Raymond Ang for this. Founder of Made of Bricks—an editorial imprint under Summit Books— he breaks down how the project began, what young ones can pick up from his life story, and why BJ is worthy of his own lit.
Congratulations on your first book project under Made of Bricks! What are the most valuable lessons you’ve learned as an editor for various titles, and are applying to your venture now?
Humility is really important, I think. The humility to know where your limitations lie, to know that you can’t do it alone, to know that everything is fleeting, to know where your work lies in the grand scheme of things, and to accept the fact that you can and will make mistakes.
Putting a book together is no joke and most of the time, getting through a lot of the problems sometimes was really just a matter of me throwing my hands up and saying, “You know what? I don’t know! I need help.” I think the work becomes better from there.
For example, at one point, I couldn’t decide on what we wanted for the fonts. I got a second opinion from my friends at Serious Studio (who also made my imprint’s logo! Yay!) and they ended up offering their typography services! Sometimes, good things can come from saying “Ewan ko! (I don’t know!)”
Most media companies are going digital these days. Why print?
Everything’s so disposable these days and I think millennials recognise that there’s still more value in the tangible. There’s a way for print to engage with a more digitally-inclined audience.
For example, we launched Push with an aggressive five-day social media campaign that we hatched before we shot any of the covers. We started with a fun video by Fold Canela featuring the four cover girls last Thursday—making sure to launch the hashtag but to keep the fans guessing on what exactly #PushByBJPascual means—and then continued with a solo video by Sam Lee featuring BJ and the list of celebrities part of the book on Sunday.
The campaign climaxed with the four cover girls unveiling their respective covers on their personal Instagram pages. The Instagram generation can still be interested in the printed word—you just have to meet them halfway.
Why begin with a book on BJ?
I met BJ on my first day of work. It’s been fun watching his trajectory through the years—from promising young photographer to “life peg” for a lot of young creatives—and it just felt like a good first project to do for the imprint.
With the way his career’s going, someone was bound to do a book with him sooner or later. I’m just happy I’m the one doing it.
What was the process like while you two were working on this book? Did you clash horns or was it smooth sailing?
The good thing is we trust each other enough to be honest. If I don’t think it’s a good photo, I’ll tell him. And if he doesn’t think it’s a good idea, he’ll tell me. I think that dynamic is so important because the most dangerous thing you can have on any project is too many “yes” people.
What’s your favorite part in BJ’s book?
I really love the chapter on his heroes. He took portraits of his industry idols—Mark Nicdao, Pauline Juan, Ben Chan, Joey Samson, Jappy Gonzalez, to name a few—and we did short interviews with them on their work and life philosophies.
I know you guys are friends, but let’s be real here: What do you think is the most interesting/unique thing about BJ, both as friend and colleague?
I know very few people who are as career-focused as BJ. Some people make a big deal about how young he is and how lucky he is to get where he is at such a young age. Luck has something to do with it, definitely, but you cannot discount the hard work, focus, and strategy that took him where he wanted to go.
He’s a guy who’s very conscious about what it takes to make a lasting career. I can tell you with all confidence that he’s not one of those people who will explode and then fade away.
Push: Muses, Mischiefs, & How to Make it in Manila will be available in bookstores and newsstands this week.