MANILA, PHILIPPINES — In the past seven years, a new writer/director has consistently made waves after breaking into the Philippine advertising scene, as well as in Asia. To date, he has become one of the most-awarded Filipino directors in the advertising industry ever. This is Marius Talampas, a Fine Arts graduate at the country’s national university, the University of the Philippines Diliman.
Early in his life, Marius has always planned on joining advertising, but he has never imagined his impact to be what it is today. He has continuously set new standards of storytelling and humor for brands he has worked with as a commercial director, and with his storied career, it begs the question: What was his journey like, from his entry into advertising to directing the work that has made him one of the most esteemed directors of his time?
The Catalyst
Before he started his career as a director in 2018, Marius had been working production jobs in the advertising industry and for TV shows. He has worked in multiple roles: camera operator, Steadicam operator, and Director of Photography.
But on the side, he continued to write and direct comedy films of his own. Among the many he has created, what went viral on social media was his film Yung Dilaw o Yung Puti with renowned actor and friend Pepe Herrera. What he didn’t know was that this was more than a viral film, but a key to the doors he would open in the advertising and film industry in the Philippines.
The Break
Back then, Marius never thought that his personal film on social media would kick start his career. To his luck, the viral film opened the doors for him to create his first feature film Ang Pangarap Kong Holdap as he was invited by a producer to bring it to life with their backing in 2017.
The film tells the story of a group of unskilled robbers led by Eman (Pepe Herrera), who attempts to live up to the legacy of his father, the most notorious robber in their town.
“Holdap,” as Marius fondly calls his debut film, had a cult following, which was unusual for most Filipino movies. Despite being run in major theaters for just a short time, it found its loyal crowd in microcinemas like Cinema 76 and Black Maria, where it was filled up with moviegoers for a good number of months. According to the producers, this word-of-mouth promotion and microcinema patronage of the film outperformed their revenues versus big cinemas.
This cult following also showed its strength two years after its original release, as it became the #1 comedy film of 2020 on Netflix Philippines when the platform acquired the film. It even ranked #1 most viewed film on the platform within 24 hours of its release.
Entry into Advertising
Aside from the opportunity that opened for Marius in the film and entertainment industry, another door opened in the advertising industry.
An up-and-coming advertising agency then, GIGIL, was looking for a director who could add a new style of comedy to the landscape. They had Mara Ravelo, a friend of the agency’s owner, look for the director of the viral film Yung Dilaw o Yung Puti as it had a unique brand of comedy to it.
That’s when they found Marius Talampas, who back then was a director who had no formal experience with agencies and production houses in directing advertising films. Despite that, the agency trusted that it is exactly Marius’ fresh eyes that will make his projects successful.
The result was Dok Internet, a comedic take on Filipino habits of self-diagnosing via the internet, as a way to promote Globe’s teleconsulting product, KonsultaMD. The resulting film became an instant hit, getting the same kind of traction that the agency predicted to have given Marius’ background in creating viral social films. Along the way, it collected two golds at the local Kidlat awards, a bronze at Spikes Asia, and a silver at CLIO Health awards in New York.
The film also started a long-term and groundbreaking partnership between Marius and GIGIL, which brought opportunities to produce even more iconic work in Philippine advertising.
Moving to the Next Level
Following the success of Marius’ film Dok Internet in the advertising industry, as well as the slew of viral works he has done with GIGIL and the release of Ang Pangarap Kong Holdap, he was invited by four directors and partners to put up Arcade, a full-service advertising production and entertainment company producing ads, digital content, TV series, and full-length feature films.
In putting up the company, he was reunited with his brother Mike Talampas, also a commercial director and now a partner with Marius alongside three other directors Jeorge Agcaoili, Nick Santiago, and Richard Ang.
Together, they joined forces and put experience and resources to provide a new alternative to the usuals in the Philippine advertising industry. And through the help of this backing, Marius continued to build on the success of his work and created viral hits upon hits months after.
Playlist of Marius’ viral hits before RC Cola:
Breaking the Internet with a Bottle-Headed Mother
When the pandemic hit the Philippines in 2020, most ad production among many brands and production houses stopped. Everyone waited for each other’s moves and scrambled to find ways to connect with their audiences with limitations in place.
Lucky for RC Cola, it had already shot a film with Marius Talampas and GIGIL just a few weeks before the pandemic hit the country. The film, dubbed Project Gold, almost didn’t make it to light. But with the combination of luck, cooperation, and the desire to propel RC Cola to massive nationwide awareness, the two-part film series was released in December 2020 and instantly broke the internet.
RC Cola “Whatever” series:
The film, dubbed by media outlets as the “weirdest ad of 2020,” ultimately gathered 24.2 million views, 240,000 shares, and was covered by over 60 media outlets. It was also the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter Philippines for two days straight.
To date, this film campaign proved to be a milestone work for both Marius Talampas, Arcade, and GIGIL, as it collected for them a number of advertising awards including:
- Bronze, Cannes Lions 2020/21 Film Category
- Grand Prix, YouTube Works Awards 2021
- The David, YouTube Works Awards 2021
- Grand Prix for Film Craft Kidlat Awards 2021
- Gold, AWARD Awards Australia
- Bronze, London International Awards
- 2x Silver, 1x Bronze at the APAC Effies 2021 & 2022
The viral streak continues
Marius is not one to rest on his laurels, and rest he did not. Since his landmark work for RC Cola in 2020, he has continued to prove that his brand of comedy and advertising continues to provide cut-through power for ads on the internet.
Between 2021 and 2022, he continued to create work that has garnered widespread attention. Marius’ films would average tens of thousands of Facebook shares for each film, totaling 500,000+ Facebook shares combined across the many works he released during that period.
Marius’ viral streak continues with viral commercials after RC Cola:
A lighthouse for the industry
The brand of filmmaking, writing, and humor that Marius provides for clients in the industry continues to be sought-after. A growing list of large companies that have brought in the talents of Marius to help their brand, which now includes regional work from Singapore, with Marius being tapped to direct work for IKEA’s launch in the Philippines, brand work for Spotify, and even Skittles work with clients from MARS China.
Marius’ growing list of international and multinational clients:
2023: Proof of consistency
2023 proved to be another milestone year for Marius as he has helped the Philippines win back-to-back Cannes Lions for Film (2020/21 and 2022) together with GIGIL through their work together for Sanitary Care Products Asia, Cheers Party. The same work helped Arcade become the first-ever Philippine production company to win a production metal at the prestigious London International Awards with a Silver for Direction and a Bronze for Production Design.
Cheers to a 2nd Film Lion at Cannes!
Six strong years
2024 marks the sixth year of Marius with Arcade (seven years as a career director), and he aims to continue building the brand of filmmaking he has established in the industry and ensuring its craft is constantly improved year-on-year. To date, his seven years of film work are estimated to total over 1.2 million shares on Facebook alone. He continues to add more work every month, all with the same award-winning and newsworthy caliber that he has been delivering since Day One.
Marius’ Newsworthy Films for 2023:
His latest entertainment project
Together with his regular advertising job, Marius is set to direct and release his second full-length feature film. The movie, Sampung Utos ni Josh, will be Arcade’s first entry into co-producing a full-length feature film in partnership with ANIMA Studios of Globe and VIVA Films. It is the last movie written by the late Sherwin Buenvenida, a renowned comedy writer in the country.
Arcade has been around since 2019. It is a young, hungry, and awesome production company created by directors Jeorge Agcaoili, Richard Ang, Nick Santiago, Mike Talampas, and Marius Talampas, who are not as young but still hungry and awesome. As of 2024, their roster of directors have grown to nine, bringing in Andrei Julitan a.k.a. Super Bayani, Jaig De Guzman, Jason Max, Elena Virata, and Gab Gucci. To date, they are recognized as the #1 Production Company in Asia by Campaign Brief Asia, and the reigning Philippine Production House of the Year at Kidlat Awards for two years running.
