Schoolin’ life

MANILA, Philippines - The brightest and the freshest, the coolest and the most accomplished.

What’s the formula for success in 2013? As the young talents we’ve assembled here prove, nothing! Throw out the rule book, work hard, and dream big. It’s all for the taking

Jasmine Curtis-Smith

Everybody thought they had Jasmine Curtis-Smith pegged. Two years into a career that was more notable for its lucrative endorsements (Bayo, Smart) and stunt casting (a lead role opposite American Idol also-ran David Archuleta), rather than quality of roles, she seemed predictable—the latest in a long line of pretty but vacuous starlets riding on the family name to become our temporary object of fascination. She would grow up, lose the teen star sparkle, and reveal herself to be a bad actress, we figured. A has-been by 25.

But Jasmine Curtis-Smith had other plans. Sure, the baggage was inevitable. The boon and bane of her public life will always be to be recognized as the sister of the country’s biggest star. But she isn’t going to be boxed in that easily.

“When I signed my first TV contract, I knew one of my main goals was to be part of an indie film,” she says. In this year’s Transit, she did just that. In a Cinemalaya hit that’s gone international, she goes toe to toe with acting heavyweights like Irma Adlawan and Ping Medina to essay the alienation of immigrants growing up in Israel.

In the movie, she plays a teenage girl grappling with identity issues. It wasn’t too far from her own experiences. “Having been raised in the Philippines for a part of my life and then moving to Australia and then back here, I often ask myself: What am I? Am I Australian or Filipino?” She deservedly took home Cinemalaya’s Best Supporting Actress trophy for it.

And with the substance of projects like Transit coupled with the cover girl sparkle of a movie star, it seems the sky’s the limit for the 19-year-old. She’s even making time to go to school, taking up communication arts at Ateneo de Manila University.

Jasmine’s secret to time management? “I sleep for really, really long hours when I have the opportunity. Or play silly games like Clumsy Ninja.” —Raymond Ang

Jeric Teng

For Jeric Teng, previous team captain of the UST Growling Tigers, the year was momentous in more ways than one. He saw his last year as a student in the university as the chance to finally do something he had always dreamed of: taking home the UAAP basketball championship. “I’ve seen how we played throughout the season, how we worked hard, so I really wanted to win.” To make things more onerous, the championship game was versus his younger brother, Jeron, who was an equally stellar player for the opposing team, the DLSU Archers. It was the brothers’ rivalry that added tension to that last game, one which also had its effects on the brothers themselves. Jeric shares that the situation was most difficult for his parents, who were unsure of how to handle the situation. And though Jeric didn’t take home victory that night, he doesn’t carry the burden of the loss too much. If there’s one thing he is most proud of this year, it’s playing a ridiculously good game, and “just coming back. I tore some ligaments in my shoulder and I was supposed to sit out the season. Pero after therapy, dahan-dahan, I got my game. I’m just happy that I actually played.” If the thought of that isn’t going to make him smile, at least a viral McDonald’s video tells us Jessy Mendiola will. —Kara Ortiga

Gretchen Ho

When you realize that you have the same number of hours in a day as Gretchen Ho, there is little else you can do but feel utterly incompetent.

Gretchen rose to fame as the star player of the Ateneo de Manila University’s women’s volleyball team, which she managed to do while completing her degree in management engineering. She stayed at Ateneo for another year to finish a course in communications, and is now the proud owner of clothing brand The Inspired Project. It was, for her, the means to keep herself busy in between volleyball matches for the Petron Lady Spikers, hosting gigs, photo shoots, and co-hosting the show Gameday Weekend on Balls Channel.

“The busier I get, the more organized my life is,” she shares. “I like finding myself through my work.”

Her eyes crinkle when asked about what inspires her to stay so busy, and after rattling off the usual suspects (“It’s cheesy pero my family and my faith”) she admits, “Love life na rin siguro. Robi (Domingo) is an achiever. When I see him being that driven in his career, (I realize) dapat ako rin may sarili akong thing.”

Gretchen is clearly one who looks forward, as she doesn’t see herself pursuing a professional career in volleyball, but would like to explore her other interests. One thing’s for sure, though, this is a girl who is set to build a legacy—not just as a great person, but as a good one, too.

“(I want to be remembered as) someone who had a big heart,” she concludes. “And did what she could to help make other people’s lives better.” Knowing Gretchen, there’s no doubt that she will. —Marga Buenaventura

Lorenz Namalata

“I’m really a wallflower,” Lorenz says. He leans against the wall of the studio as he waits to get his picture taken, not attracting attention in his very cool gray sweater—an item he will soon be launching under his menswear brand Fifth Code.

It’s true—Lorenz isn’t one for many words, but get him to talk and you will soon become acquainted with just how his introverted personality afforded him an intensely refreshing perspective on fashion and design. Fifth Code has only been around for a few years but has already developed a cult following that has bought out his well-curated stock of blazers, shirts, and caps.

In fact, teen star Julia Barretto wore one of Lorenz’s caps on a Preview cover shoot a few months back—quite the feat when you remember that this is a designer who’s still in school. Not overwhelmed by the growing demand for his wares, Lorenz is in no hurry to expand his business, choosing to focus first on finishing his last year in fashion design and merchandising at the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde.

Blazers, shirts, and cap— nothing extraordinary, right? So what’s with the hysteria? “I’m not the kind of designer na when I see a mushroom, I make a gown out of it. I don’t do that sh*t,” he shares with a laugh. “There are designers who do that, and that’s great, but I like my designs to be straightforward and wearable.”

It’s hard to believe that a 20-year-old can have such a steady finger on his generation’s sartorial pulse, but Lorenz proves that boy wonders do exist in a country with such a young fashion industry. He may think of himself as one, but with his cutting-edge designs and strong point of view, a wallflower Lorenz Namalata most certainly is not. —Marga Buenaventura

Arnold Van Opstal

Arnold Van Opstal seems to defy the stereotype of a college jock: sitting comfortably on a couch while wearing red Christmas socks, he is a strikingly affable and intelligent guy. So why doesn’t he know why he’s inspired thousands of girls to wonder why Thor is playing center for the De La Salle University’s Green Archers?

“I honestly don’t know why, you know, people find me…” he motions towards his 6’9” frame. “The attention, I don’t understand it.” Upon encountering his mestizo features, his lopsided grin, and a baritone voice that sounds like a panther inside a cello, I guess one could say, yep, not good looking. Not good looking at all.

AVO, as he is known to most, and his team rose to fame when they took home the championship at the UAAP’s recently concluded 76th season. Besides their wicked basketball skills, however, people took notice of the players themselves, who from relative anonymity are now featured on various media and met with legions of ardent fans. “It’s crazy,” AVO shares. “Some girls would say they’d make out with you just for a picture.”

But the thing is, AVO only sees his fame as a lovely bonus to being able to play basketball—something that has gone above and beyond being a mere sport to him. “I haven’t encountered any other sport that I enjoy more than playing a basketball game. It’s like when I get on the court, you forget everything.”

Some people take forever to figure out what they want, but it’s clear that AVO defies the norm, as he is certain that he’s truly found a job to keep for good. “I want to (stay in the Philippines and) pursue a basketball career,” he says. And should that not work out? “Maybe something in hospitality, but basketball. Basketball for sure.” —Marga Buenaventura

Miguel Urbina Tan

Miguel does a very plum job of annotating his first fashion memories through dates. At six (that’s 2001 for you), he would change outfits three times a day while his grandma did the laundry. At 14, he bought his first issue of Australian Vogue — August 2009, with top model Kelsey van Mook on the cover. At 17, specifically, on April 14, 2013—Miguel styled his first serious fashion editorial for photographer BJ Pascual (you might have heard of him).

“That was the month I felt I was ready to produce my own shoot,” Miguel recalls. “With my own concept, everything—I had to present to BJ a Power Point [presentation], he was literally like a client I had to impress.” The ed, a soon-to-be-released homage to king of sexploitation Russ Meyer, came about after months of assisting and training under a fashion editor slash stylist. “You have to work under someone,” he insists. “What you’re learning is not so much the style but how to go about it—the techniques to produce a shoot. When it comes to styling, that’s innate. That’s your own.” Miguel has locked down his aesthetic before he even hit the big 2-0: basic, understated and luxe. It’s these three words that his succeeding works have latched onto — from editorials to ads—with impressive consistency; a kind of precociousness and restraint you don’t immediately expect from an 18-year-old. Which is probably how he got the attention of top photog Mark Nicdao, via a mutual obsession. Miguel claims the collaboration is still in its early stages, so we’re only allowed to say this: best to keep your eyes peeled. —Karen Bolilia

Hannah Espia

We’re waiting to see if Hannah’s Cinemalaya-winning film Transit has a chance at making the Oscars. Since its debut, she has received acclaim from critics, and the film has been shown in Busan, Hong Kong, Tokyo, India, and Jerusalem. She says she never imagined that the film would come this far, but she attributes it all to perfect timing. Having spent seven years as an undergraduate student in UP Diliman, Hannah says the long wait must’ve prepared her for a project this ambitious. She shot the film in Israel, with a very small crew, and in a short span of time. Hannah would even switch roles between director and cameraman. In a way, Transit is more than a film, painting the realities that Filipino immigrant families face. It is also her coming-of-age. “This was the year that I learned to be brave. Because I always try and put myself out there. But that time, I just got out of college and I just wanted to try harder.” Things are moving fast for Hannah, and she still can’t believe it is all happening. “My mom tells me, ‘You have to stop saying it’s surreal because it’s already happening.’ But you know I still can’t believe it.” —Kara Ortiga

Whammy Alcazaren

“It’s been tiring. This year I actually had work.” And with that, Whammy Alcazaren whips us with his first understatement. Apart from working on two reality shows as a production designer this year, he also managed to shoot, edit and submit his Cinema One Originals Film Fest entry, called Islands, within a month. A feat, considering the emotional heft of the follow-up to his first feature Colossal. He describes Islands as a film about being torpe (his second understatement), when reviews praised his prose and depiction of longing.

Much like him, his films dwell in silences anchored by real-life experiences.  “I wanted to do a sci-film film because the first one (Colossal) was supposed to be one,” he says. Whammy wanted to put astronauts and dinosaurs in his story, and he did. He called it Islands because of a Fiona Apple lyric from Werewolf— “you made an island out of me.” But in the end and at its core, what he and his friends wrote is a wrenching love story told through unlikely characters. Whammy is set on doing a spy film next, and given how he grounds his films on the state of his heart, we can only guess that he’s been feeling braver. “I want explosions.” —Karen Bolilia