By Sara Grace C. Fojas
Some people travel with the desire to see beautiful things, some want to explore different cuisines, others just want to get away, while others still hope to have personal growth.
TV host, producer, entrepreneur, blogger, and UNICEF special advocate Daphne Oseña-Paez, on the other hand, travels with a purpose—to make meaningful connections and conversations with different people, on food, culture, and more, and then to share all of it in AirAsia’s RedTalks.
RedTalks is a series of travel webisodes. It’s a magazine show on Facebook featuring six amazing stories that will inspire you to travel, reach your destination, and learn from your experience.
“AirAsia is a sociable and innovative brand and we embrace social media not only to engage our fans but also to inspire and connect with our guests. With RedTalks, we are bringing back the era of talk TV and magazine shows to online audience with a refreshing approach using a platform that has become so effective and popular,” says AirAsia Philippines CEO captain Dexter Comendador.
Daphne shares that she will never forget meeting Tony Fernandez who talked about how he built his AirAsia empire from just two airplanes. Filmed over the course of eight days, season 1 took viewers on an inspiring journey through travel, where they learn all about Asia’s most coveted attractions, vibrant cultures, and insightful perspectives about helping local communities.
“It was a very memorable experience during the first season. The second season is even bigger and more exciting. I will never forget day one of the first season at RedQ, the headquarters of AirAsia. It was literally my first shooting with the team and I met Tony Fernandez. So it was like my baptism into the AirAsia culture and I was so impressed with how dynamic the airline is,” says Daphne.
Now on its second season, the web series will bring its audience to the different corners of the country and the world. With a total of six episodes, the web series will talk about diverse topics such as food, women empowerment, talent, human trafficking, entrepreneurship, and art education.
“The quality of stories and the online engagement we got last year when RedTalks was launched have been overwhelming. This new season, we aim to raise the level of discussion and cover a wider range of topics to engage our audience and inspire them to have meaningful connections.
It’s a different platform. I really think that this is a very interesting time for all of us. We are all trying to figure out how to use social media in the best way we can and here I am working with the team of AirAsia on RedTalks and we have it and we’re using it, and for this season we’re pushing it a bit further and making a difference and making stronger connections,” says AirAsia RedTalks host Daphne.
In one episode, Daphne travels to Davao with chef JP Anglo who is regarded as one of the new generation “rock star chefs” because of his flair for creating edgy dishes with strong local Filipino identity. The pair talked about creating something fresh and new using the award winning Malagos chocolates and including it in AirAsia’s in-flight menu called Santan in April.
Another episode is about empowering women, a subject matter that AirAsia has been championing through the airline’s former CEO and now chairperson Maan Hontiveros. Maan wants to disrupt the ordinary and create value in the lives of women and marginalized groups.
David Foster was also featured in one episode collaborating with AirAsia to find the best in and tap into a diverse pool of talented, skilled, and creative individuals in the Asean region.
Human trafficking is also tackled in one episode. Being a serious global issue that has reached the Asean shores at an alarming rate, the AirAsia Foundation discusses the issue on how to raise awareness and train airline personnel across the region and beyond to combat trafficking.
In the fifth episode, Daphne goes to Bali, Indonesia to take part in the much celebrated food festival in Ubud and interact with farmpreneurs to learn about upscaling farmers through innovation.
Cambodian Living Arts (CLA), a non-profit organization based in Phnom Penh, has been facilitating the transformation of Cambodia through the arts by providing arts education, capacity buildings of arts leaders, and opportunities for emerging artists to generate income and create a sustainable environment for the arts. CLA’s success story takes center stage in the sixth and final episode of RedTalks.
“It was a privilege to see nature so preserved and so pristine. It also strengthens my hope that we are able to do quality stories with heart and meaning and touch people via Facebook or YouTube. Traveling can open your eyes not only to different cultures but also places. You see a bigger world. It’s a bonus in life, something to strive for, to value, and dream about. It’s important that you are not constricted. The world is too big. It’s not just for you to see but it’s for you to take care of,” says Daphne.
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