A dream fulfilled for Butch J.

Butch Jimenez, PLDT Vice President for Media and Communications was the keynote speaker in the 2003 commencement exercises of the University of the Philippines, Diliman. An alumnus of the state university where he took up Bachelor of Science in Business Management, Butch had often dreamed of speaking before any graduating class of the UP but he thought it would never really happen.

Last April, during the university’s baccalaureate rites, Butch had fulfilled that dream. And he became the youngest commencement speaker in the university’s 92 years as the country’s premiere learning institution.

Even as a student, Butch had always been a dreamer. He did not only dream; he dreamed big. He had heard about dreaming big a million times before he graduated from UP. But dreaming big is not enough according to Butch. In his short and inspiring discourse, he said that there is more to dreaming big – it is imagineering, a word that is not yet found in the dictionary. But after the great imagineer himself had introduced it, Walt Disney, Webster could have found a new word to add to his book of words.

Imagineers as Butch quotes from Walt Disney’s CEO Michael Eisner, "turn the impossible dream into real magic." Turning impossible dreams to real magic could have applied to Butch himself. As a young, fledgling producer in the ’90s Butch had dreamed of sharing his bit of contribution to the movies. He and partner Jimmy Duavit, embarked on one of the most ambitious projects of all time in local cinema – the production of the movie Rizal. It was a gargantuan task for the young producers. The best actors in town were cast, the best production people and the best director were hired. But there was an avalanche of overwhelming odds to overcome. There was a deadline to beat, there was pressure to be able to create an excellent mix of artistry and commercialism. There was a frightening amount of expectation of excellence from the industry. The movie took months to make; was shot on different locations, some costumes were brought in from abroad and the actors had to take actual lessons in Spanish. But Butch, Jimmy and their team had the resolve to finish the movie. Most important of all, they were working for a cause–a movie they could share as a gift to the Filipino people. And the result? – Rizal made it to the deadline, became the top-grossing movie of all time in local cinema, and garnered all the awards that mattered.

If Butch had dwelled on the seemingly insurmountable problems or had he focused on the negative, or had he not imagineered, had he not worked with a cause, Rizal would not have been the colossal movie that we have seen. Today, Rizal stands as one of the best movie Philippine cinema ever had. And Butch stands tall as the one who produced it.

In his crispy, witty, funny and brilliant speech, Butch talked about success in a language that the graduates understood. He made notes on thinking positive, working hard and working smart, of dreaming and turning dreams into magic and having a vision and a cause. "No one is willing to die for a vision, while people will die for a cause," he said in his speech.

Butch is a TOYM Awardee, among others. He is the oldest son of Menardo Jimenez, his namesake. Before his appointment as PLDT’s VP for Media and Communications, Butch managed one of his family’s businesses. He helped set-up Monster Radio RX 93.1 in the ’80s, and became a producer for GMA Films. He’s one of the Board of directors of Trumpets, the company behind the hit theater musicals like The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, Little Mermaid and Joseph, the Dreamer and now HONK! Butch is a prolific writer and has written a number of books. He is married to the former Tricia Amper with whom he has three sons.

And speaking of the Philippine’s premiere theater company – Trumpets, Butch is proud to announce that it completed already its world class cast and crew for the Manila run of HONK!

HONK! is a modern re-telling of Hans Christian Andersen’s timeless tale, The Ugly Duckling, which won over The Lion King as Best Musical in The 2000’s British Lawrence Olivier Awards.

Theater veterans Carlo Orosa (Ugly Duckling) and Carla Martinez (Ida the mother duck) will be sharing the lead roles with TV stars Franco Laurel and Agot Isidro, who is making her stage debut.

Young diva Lana Jalosjos, who just finished Dreamgirls, will be Ugly’s love interest. Nanette Inventor and Sheila Francisco, both established names in the local entertainment scene, promise to spice up an already delightful script. Theater aficionados will be equally thrilled with the presence of Tonipet Gaba, Noel Rayos, Sweet Plantado, Mayen Bustamante, Bongoy Manahan and last year’s exciting discovery–Paolo Valenciano.

To top it all, all performances will have live music accompaniment! Brad Saak who was "HONK!" Singapore’s Musical Director and who is now doing Chicago in New York will be flying in to work with the powerful cast Trumpets has put together.

Designing the set and costumes is New York trained Gino Gonzales while lighting design will be done by tech guru Gerry Fernandez. Another theater veteran Chari Arrespacochaga, who has done Honk! In Singapore is directing the show.

The stage is set for HONK! I’m sure it will be a show to crow, or should I say "honk," about.