99U LOCAL: MANILA- Creatives Making Ideas Happen

MANILA, Philippines – For the first time ever, New York-based 99U will be launching 99U Local: Manila on September 16, 2015, 6-10PM at the Ayala Museum. The Manila leg is part of a 99U Local event series happening in 28 hand-picked creative cities around the world.  

As the legendary inventor Thomas Edison famously said, “Genius is 1% inspiration, and 99% perspiration,” and thus, 99U wants to provide that missing curriculum to help make ideas happen. And more than that, we’d like to connect Manila’s bright, passionate creatives to a community that also cares about the impact of their work on others – be it with their team, society, or the planet on a larger scale.

The program will feature three short talks to inspire, move and make ideas happen, from 3 Manileños in various creative fields, including: 

• Pepe Diokno, internationally acclaimed filmmaker behind Engkwentro, which won the Lion of the Future – “Luigi de Laurentiis” Award and the Orizzonti Prize at the 2009 Venice Film Festival, among other accolades, and Above the Clouds, a Filipino-French co-production that premiered at the 2014 Tokyo Film Festival and was nominated Best Film at the 2014 Singapore Film Festival. He is also chairman of Epicmedia and editor-in-chief at Philippine Star SUPREME. 

• Tal de Guzman, founder and designer of Risque Designs, a homegrown footwear brand and manufacturing company that highlights Filipino craftsmanship in shoemaking, woodcarving and weaving, which regularly exhibits at Manila FAME, one of the Philippines’ biggest design events, and has joined NY NOW in New York. She was also the sole Philippine delegate to the Global Student Entrepreneurship Awards in 2013, held in Washington D.C. 

• Julia Nebrija, urban planner, arts, culture and mobility advocate, who first moved to the Philippines in 2008 as a Fulbright Scholar and returned in 2012 after finishing her Masters Degree in Urban Design from the City College of New York. She is the executive director of VivaManila, and chair of the Inclusive Mobility Network.

The night will also include live performances by Reese Lansangan and crwn. 

99U Local: Manila may be a one night event only, but we’re happy to have the chance to use this as a jump off point for creatives to do impactful work with their skills and talents, and collaborate with other creatives in Manila. —Rappler.com 

The event is FREE but open to only 200 action-driven creatives. Register for an invite through the 99U Local: Manila Meetup group: www.manila.99ulocal.com and complete the RSVP process. Accepted attendees will be announced in batches on August 28 and September 4. A confirmation email will be required for entrance to the event.

This event is co-presented by 99U, Muni, and the Ayala Museum, and also made possible by Philippine Airlines, Rappler, Wheninmanila.com, Bayani Brew, V Kitchen, Shutter Panda, and Amplify.ph. For partner inquiries, e-mail us at 99umanila@gmail.com.