MANILA – For over two decades, Jed Root has been at the forefront of managing creative talent from New York to Paris to Tokyo, with a number of top industry names under his company’s (Jed Root, Inc.) wing. To date, the international creative network has counted the likes of fashion photographers like Michael Thomson, makeup artists like Dick Page, Laura Mercier, Rumiko and Kevyn Aucoin among its clients. Newer talents include Scott Schuman, who initially shot to fame online as “The Sartorialist”.
Late last year, a wave of excitement rippled across the Philippine creative scene when it was announced that the company would be establishing a Southeast Asian hub in Manila and that Jed Root himself would be heading up the search for talent. adobo Magazine was able to catch up with Root and photographer Mark Nicdao on the eve of the company’s April 3 launch party (held at 71 Gramercy lounge and restaurant).
So what drew Root to the Philippines?
“I heard there was a great deal of creativity and a lot of frustration on the part of artists, especially from clients who insist on dealing with pegs while expecting them to turn it into something original. But despite that, there is a lot of quality work being done here, with a very international flavor and appeal – which is impressive.”
While the breadth of creative talent to be found in the Philippines was most impressive, said Root, he said that the key to forming a diverse group with a wide range of skills meant mixing established names with new ones, a notion reinforced at the launch, where Jed Root Inc.’s initial lineup of 21 handpicked Philippine talents was introduced.
Included in the lineup were photographers Johann Bona, Edric Chen, Shaira Luna, Mau Mauricio, Mark Nicdao, Patrick Galang, BJ Pascual, Jason Quibilan and MJ Suayan; stylists Angela Alarcon, Daryl Chang, Pam Quinones and Suki Salvador; makeup artists Omar Ermita, Amanda Padilla, and Xeng Zulueta; hairstylists Borge Aloba, Mark Famila, Cats del Rosario, Celeste Tuviera and fashion filmmaker Samantha Lee. The creatives were chosen through a rigorous series of portfolio reviews and interviews.
For the more established names like Nicdao, the affiliation with Jed Root, Inc. opens up a world of possibilities as far as foreign work is concerned.
“I’ve been shooting for eleven years,” said Nicdao, “mostly concentrating on the local market, but from time to time, I would do shoots outside Manila. Every professional photographer in the US and in Europe has an agent, so this (signing up with Root) seemed like the best way to get out there and show my stuff without having to leave the country. His coming here is a great opportunity.”
Look out for a more detailed discussion with Jed Root and Mark Nicdao in the May-June issue of adobo Magazine.
In photo: L-R adobo managing editor Mikhail Lecaros, adobo editor-in-chief Angel Guerrero, Jed Root and Mark Nicdao
