MANILA – December 20, 2013 – After resigning as Publicis Manila’s president and chief creative officer, multi-talented Marlon Rivera is busy as ever.
The winner of Best Director for Ang Babae sa Septic Tank (The Woman in the Septic Tank), Rivera has just finished "My Little Bossings" for Metro Manila Film Festival, and is currently building a house.
On his resignation from Publicis, Rivera said the timing was just the end point of a long process. He shared that he takes a long, long time to incubate major decisions in his life, and that he had already contemplated the move five years ago.
"This year: I’ve been ten years in this post, i’m approaching 50, "Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank" opened opportunities for me to do films, the digital age has arrived, and the way the business of doing advertising has changed," Rivera said.
Although he did not reveal his next move in the advertising world, he offered, "I can say this much though, I still believe in advertising as a discipline but the way the business is built around it is something I want to change to suit my way of life."
Aside from being a filmmaker, Rivera has a clothing line, MNR, and has taught at the University of the Philippines.
Asked how he manages to maintain a successful career and still make time for his other passions, Rivera said, "People always ask me this question, and I’ve always given the same answer – "Kung gusto may paraan, kung ayaw may dahilan." (If there’s a will, there’s a way, if not, there’s a reason).
