To quote a cliché, the son also rises. In fact, he has been rising but he’s so self-effacing that hardly anybody notices, except his mom, Regal Matriarch “Mother” Lily Monteverde. The son: Dondon Monteverde, executive producer and managing partner of Revolver Studios and Reality Entertainment, who brings into the job decades of experience in both TV and movie production, plus of course “trade secrets” he inherited from his mother.
These past three years, Revolver Studios has been producing and creating quality commercials hand-in-hand with top advertising agencies in the country. The company targets not only local but also foreign audiences by joining international film festivals.
The elite list of Revolver’s commercial directors includes AF Benaza, Joel Limchoc, Topel Lee and Erik Matti.
“As you can see,” Dondon told Funfare, “those who energize our companies are young blood.” And that’s good for the industry.
Reality Entertainment is a feature-film production house that co-produces and line produces projects with other companies. Among its projects are the blockbuster horror flick Pasiyam and the Bong Revilla Metro Filmfest starrer Exodus (which Reality co-produced). In the can are Carnivore, Rock en Roll and Patayin sa Sindak si Shokot.
“Reality has more projects lined up,” revealed Dondon. “One is OJT, an action thriller which we co-produce with Piolo Pascual; The Aswang Chronicles, a horror thriller, with Dingdong (Dantes) as co-producer intended for this year’s Metro Filmfest; and a Vhong Navarro movie with Star Cinema as co-producer, that will be shot entirely in China. We have more co-production ventures, some with Viva Entertainment and some with Regal Entertainment.”
Besides directing, Erik Matti and AF Benaza also act as Dondon’s co-managers.
Erik was the director of Pasiyam, Scorpio Nights 2, Mano Po 2: My Home, Gagamboy and Exodus.
AF graduated with honors from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. He has built an impeccable reputation as the director of choice by some of Philippine’s biggest brands. He started directing at the age of 21.
The Revolver and Reality in-house directors are:
• Jun de Leon is the country’s foremost celebrity photographer. With the click of his camera, he has transformed the entire industries, setting new standards in fashion, advertising, beauty and entertainment.
• Topel Lee started in advertising and is now one of the country’s most successful young feature film directors. He is noted especially for some blockbuster horror films like the Shake, Rattle & Roll series, Ouija, Sundo and White House. He continues his groundbreaking work in telenovelas for major networks. He is also a gold winner in the Philippine Advertising Congress Araw Awards.
• Joel Limchoc used to work for an advertising agency. Recognized as one of Asia’s “top creative” by Media Magazine and ranked No. 2 in the country by Campaign Brief Asia, Joel has won awards from international shows. In 2009, he also became the youngest ever inductee into the Creative Guild’s Hall of Fame.
• From being a seasoned art director, Richard Somes shifted careers to become a production designer and later a film director. With his unparalleled passion and creativity, Richard has won various awards in both filmmaking and production design from Cinema One Originals, Star Awards, Gawad Awards, Metro Filmfest, FAP Awards and Maria Clara Awards.
• Borgy Torre is a film editor and short film director who has worked with Matti, Lee and Somes. He has won awards both internationally and locally, one of them for Best Asian Film for Bonsai at the Short Shorts Film Festival in Tokyo. He has brought home trophies from Crystal Piyaya Awards, Cinema One Originals and Cinemalaya Film Festival.
• Peter Collias has been involved in the international film industry for over 30 years. He has worked as head scenic artist in numerous Hollywood films, among them 10,000 B.C., The Matrix, Moulin Rouge, Peter Pan, Ghost Rider and The Thin Red Line. He has been based in the Philippines for over two years now and has been doing production design for major advertising agencies and a leading TV network.
• Jerrold Tarog, the newest member of the group, won the Best ASEAN Film/Digital Movie of the Year for his movie Confessional in 2008. He has also won awards for his short films (Faculty in 2010, among them) and documentaries (Manoro, 2006, etc.). His latest work is the indie Senior Year.
• Larry Ang is a fight director who honed his skills doing films in China and Hong Kong. He has done numerous action feature films in the Philippines as well.
(For inquiries about Revolver and Reality, contact sandra@revolver.ph or sandrartadi@gmail.com)
(E-mail reactions at rickylo@philstar.net.ph or at entphilstar@yahoo.com)