Humble and proud: The paradox of Michael Carandang

MANILA, Philippines - As I entered the photo shoot, Michael Carandang put his arm forward, revealing a tattoo written in Alibata. Someone asked what it said, and he replied with a smile, “Pinoy.”

An Emmy Award-winning producer who’s worked on The Jerry Springer Show, The Tyra Banks Show, and America’s Next Top Model, he has earned more than his fair share of bragging rights. Yet he is visibly grounded and honest, with a level of idealism that is refreshing for anyone, but especially for someone who hails from Hollywood.

What he instead chooses to brag about is his heritage, despite having lived in the United States since 1993. There is a fire in his eyes when he talks about the Philippines, and his desire for Filipinos to take bigger strides towards having a more pronounced presence in the international entertainment industry. It is apparent to anyone who sits down with him that the level of his pride in our country is matched only by the humility he reserves for himself.

SUPREME: What was it about television that made you want to work in the entertainment industry?

MICHAEL CARANDANG: I got into television because I didn’t see anyone else that looked like me. It also caused me to try to fit in. I didn’t want to stand out. On the shows that I worked on, I tried to put in Filipinos, or Asians in general, so that we’re represented. Because I feel like, somebody who’s going through what I went through — I wasn’t born there, I moved there, I migrated — they shouldn’t feel like “I’m not a part of society.”

You mentioned earlier that you’re working on three projects during your stay here. What are they?

The first one is Bench, I’m doing a project with them.

The second is the Balikbayan Basco project. When you think about Filipino-Americans being represented in the entertainment industry in the US, you immediately think of the Basco family. They’re proud to be Filipino and you can see that in the causes they support.

But out of the five siblings, only one has been to the Philippines. None of them know how to speak the language, so the question becomes, “How Filipino are you?” We’re all aware of poverty and the situation of the Philippines, but if you’ve never experienced it firsthand or if you’ve never met someone who’s in a situation you’re fighting against, then how do you know what you’re fighting for? So we tied up with the Department of Tourism, and the entire Basco family is coming here for the first time.

And the third thing is, I produced a television show in the US for the Filipino market called RSVP and we’re doing Season 2 here.

So the question on everyone’s mind is: will you still be working on America’s Next Top Model?

I had to say goodbye for Cycle 19. With any job that I do, I have to keep growing and I have to have a purpose. And I felt that for four seasons that I was with Top Model, I had a purpose.

My first cycle, I learned about reality TV. My background is talk shows, but I wanted to learn. Second cycle, we didn’t have Filipino designers, and I wanted to get one on the show. We got Michael Cinco. Third cycle, we had Bench. Cycle 18, we had Oliver Tolentino and there are some surprises coming up.

I can’t keep doing the same thing because that will limit me. I’d never done a documentary, now I’m doing one with the Basco family. Telling a story is the same thing, whether you’re writing it, whether it’s television, whether it’s a half-hour feature. And throughout my career, what I’ve learned is how to tell a story.

How many fellow Pinoys have you worked with that made an impression on you professionally within your 10 years in the business?

I’ve worked with two. The first was Selina Santos on the Jerry Springer Show. She was smart, she was tough. She taught me what I needed to know quickly, because she made sure I knew when I was doing something wrong. She did it in a way that I will never forget. Sometimes it’s just the look, it’s the tone, and then you know.

But she’s balanced, because she’s the first person to congratulate you when you do something right. That’s what I tried to pick up. You don’t know what you’re doing wrong until someone tells you, and you’re not going to learn if you don’t make mistakes.

And the other?

Mark Nicholas. He’s one of my best friends in America. He’s actually producer for The Talk. We started out Filipino friends, but what I’m so thankful for is when he says that he became more proud of being Filipino because of our friendship.

I love to put Filipinos on the air. I will fight for Filipinos to get on the show and he does the same thing. He asks me, “We’re doing this segment on the show, I want this Filipino. Can you help me get him?” We’ll do that together, but I love the fact that he’s a part of the community.

Would you say that there is a significant Filipino community within the industry abroad? How visible are they?

The only way to make Filipinos more visible and more mainstream in Hollywood is to start acting like a community. Not just actors and directors, but producers and sometimes bosses that we have to pitch to. We have to be the ones who put our own people in front of the camera.

What do you think the best thing is about being in your situation, as a Filipino in America?

I knew going in there how Filipinos would give their left kidney para lang makakuha ng visa. Not even pursuing a dream, na “Gusto ko maging architect sa New York or fashion designer sa L.A.” It’s just a dream to have a better life for their families by earning dollars. Whether waiter lang sila, nagtatrabaho sa kusina, or security guard sila, it doesn’t matter.

For me, what I got from the whole experience is that ang suwerte ko and I don’t want to let anybody down. I know how lucky I am to have the opportunity. I know na andaming Pilipino na mabigyan lang ng opportunity, they’d take my place in a second.

So ask me, masaya ba dun? Hindi. Is it more fun in the Philippines? Yes. Living here, everyone looks like me, everybody understands what I’m saying, everybody knows my pain, everyone understands my joy. You can’t do that in America, because our struggle is not their struggle.

But you learn to love where you are, and you learn to accept it. You learn to adapt. What’s great for me is to know that this is who I am and these are my people, and this is my homeland.

What sort of advice would you give to someone who’s in a similar situation, a Filipino trying to make it in Hollywood?

The advice I would give, not just to Filipinos in America, but to anyone really, is that the secret to success is to find something you love and figure out a way to do what you love as a way to make money. Most people are blinded by the prestige of being a doctor or being a lawyer.

I was a pre-med student, don’t get me wrong. When I told my parents I wanted to be in television, they were worried. They asked me, “Paano ka mabubuhay? Paano ka makakakuha ng trabaho?” It didn’t matter to me.

Did I think about it? Maybe for a second. But what I really thought was, I just need to do what I love. Whether receptionist ako, assistant ako ng bosing, or producer, I embrace the need to be in that business.

Follow your dreams, live your dreams, and do what you love, and do it from where you are. And sometimes you’ll realize that the dream you wanted when you were younger is not the dream that you want anymore, because you’re already living it.