Katrina Holigores: Independent woman
March 18, 2007 | 12:00am
She’s the epitome of what a modern independent woman is  the one who would never wait for fairy godmother’s magic wand to bring her to the Royal Ball and a handsome prince to rescue a damsel in distress. She’s not the type after all  and never will she be. The multi-faceted Katrina Holigores would be at the party  wearing the most elegant of slippers, of course  with or without the fairy tale characters. Katrina would also be in many other parties after that. After all, this creative genius is at the helm of Fashion TV Philippines for almost a year now. Katrina is the country manager of one of TV’s most successful international shows.
When Bigfoot Entertainment acquired the master rights to Fashion TV in Singapore and the Philippines in 2006, Katrina was the perfect choice for the position. She has the brightest of ideas and works till the wee hours of the morning cooking up for that one perfect concept. Having worked in production before she moved to Europe in 1996, Katrina surely knows her stuff. "A turning point in my life was when I went to a shoot one time when I was still in advertising. After that shoot, I decided I want to be behind the camera rather than in the office," says Katrina, who considers living overseas a huge influence in her life.
As she sips brewed coffee, her energizer for that early morning shoot, Katrina shares her almost three-year stay in Europe. "It opened my world to a different culture and lifestyle. I felt that even if I was away from home, I was completely at home." She goes on to narrate her postcard-perfect memories of vibrant Madrid. "Living there is a good influence because you’re forced to think outside of your comfort zone, you’re forced to adjust. I think the biggest influence is that I was alone and that I had to go on my day to day things and survive." Being alone was never a fear factor for her. In fact, Katrina prefers an environment where she’s free to discover new things and new people. "I think that’s the best way of being creative, when you’re forced to be resourceful," she beams. Katrina continues to paint the room with her colorful account of life on the other side of the globe.
Coming home, however, is a bigger milestone. Finding herself back in production after years of not doing behind-the-scenes work is another. "Getting into Fashion TV, I realized that I can manage more than I can actually be on the field. It allowed me to learn to look at the bigger picture when it comes to building a business that has to do with media, how to get something in terms of just a short clip from beginning to end." Katrina realizes that pressure and stress are part of her job package because "it’s seen worldwide because all the stuff we cover here in the Philippines was seen in about 130 countries."
Fortunately, she now knows when to shut off from work. "There are times when you’re working 24/7 not because you’re physically on your feet but (because) you’re constantly thinking of what to do next or how to complete something," says Katrina, who, as much as possible, shifts her phone to silent mode at 10 p.m.
Just the same, she temporarily escapes the demands of work by playing lots of badminton and walking. Traveling is a stress buster for her  from the pristine waters in the country’s last frontier to the untouched beauty of Batanes; from the underground tunnels of Turkey to the specialty food stall in Sicily. But no matter how far she may go, Manila is where her heart is. "Regardless of the pollution, the traffic, all of the complaints, it’s my city and I will always feel a connection to it no matter how far away I’m from it," quips this amiable woman, who also tried her hand in photography, cinematography and journalism.
Being on the fringe of fashion, Katrina has this to say about the industry she’s now in: "I realized that in terms of creativity and handy work, we are certainly at par with some of the best designers. I just feel that local fashion, most of our local talents, is not given the proper exposure that they need. Because if it did, if it’s properly marketed and properly exposed to the rest of the world, I think we would definitely have more of a following in the international level."
With a spirit as optimistic as hers, Philippine fashion is positively moving forward. Katrina says she wants to be remembered as someone who tried to put the Philippines in whatever way possible on the international map.
Maybe it’s in her upbringing  she was brought up to be a country ambassador wherever her jetsetting life takes her. Or maybe it’s in her second nature  that of being an independent woman, minus the pumpkin coach and the glass slippers.
When Bigfoot Entertainment acquired the master rights to Fashion TV in Singapore and the Philippines in 2006, Katrina was the perfect choice for the position. She has the brightest of ideas and works till the wee hours of the morning cooking up for that one perfect concept. Having worked in production before she moved to Europe in 1996, Katrina surely knows her stuff. "A turning point in my life was when I went to a shoot one time when I was still in advertising. After that shoot, I decided I want to be behind the camera rather than in the office," says Katrina, who considers living overseas a huge influence in her life.
As she sips brewed coffee, her energizer for that early morning shoot, Katrina shares her almost three-year stay in Europe. "It opened my world to a different culture and lifestyle. I felt that even if I was away from home, I was completely at home." She goes on to narrate her postcard-perfect memories of vibrant Madrid. "Living there is a good influence because you’re forced to think outside of your comfort zone, you’re forced to adjust. I think the biggest influence is that I was alone and that I had to go on my day to day things and survive." Being alone was never a fear factor for her. In fact, Katrina prefers an environment where she’s free to discover new things and new people. "I think that’s the best way of being creative, when you’re forced to be resourceful," she beams. Katrina continues to paint the room with her colorful account of life on the other side of the globe.
Coming home, however, is a bigger milestone. Finding herself back in production after years of not doing behind-the-scenes work is another. "Getting into Fashion TV, I realized that I can manage more than I can actually be on the field. It allowed me to learn to look at the bigger picture when it comes to building a business that has to do with media, how to get something in terms of just a short clip from beginning to end." Katrina realizes that pressure and stress are part of her job package because "it’s seen worldwide because all the stuff we cover here in the Philippines was seen in about 130 countries."
Fortunately, she now knows when to shut off from work. "There are times when you’re working 24/7 not because you’re physically on your feet but (because) you’re constantly thinking of what to do next or how to complete something," says Katrina, who, as much as possible, shifts her phone to silent mode at 10 p.m.
Just the same, she temporarily escapes the demands of work by playing lots of badminton and walking. Traveling is a stress buster for her  from the pristine waters in the country’s last frontier to the untouched beauty of Batanes; from the underground tunnels of Turkey to the specialty food stall in Sicily. But no matter how far she may go, Manila is where her heart is. "Regardless of the pollution, the traffic, all of the complaints, it’s my city and I will always feel a connection to it no matter how far away I’m from it," quips this amiable woman, who also tried her hand in photography, cinematography and journalism.
Being on the fringe of fashion, Katrina has this to say about the industry she’s now in: "I realized that in terms of creativity and handy work, we are certainly at par with some of the best designers. I just feel that local fashion, most of our local talents, is not given the proper exposure that they need. Because if it did, if it’s properly marketed and properly exposed to the rest of the world, I think we would definitely have more of a following in the international level."
With a spirit as optimistic as hers, Philippine fashion is positively moving forward. Katrina says she wants to be remembered as someone who tried to put the Philippines in whatever way possible on the international map.
Maybe it’s in her upbringing  she was brought up to be a country ambassador wherever her jetsetting life takes her. Or maybe it’s in her second nature  that of being an independent woman, minus the pumpkin coach and the glass slippers.
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