By Keri Zamora
Corrina Vistan-Takahashi and the author at the Avengers: Infinity War global premiere night held at Los Angeles, California
When my childhood friend Corinna Vistan-Takahashi, or Coline, sent me a message inviting to the biggest Marvel movie premiere, I didn’t think twice. I was ready to fly all the way to LA to be her date. I thought it would also be a great way to catch up.
Coline and I have been friends since the fifth grade in Assumption College. For as long as I can remember she has always been into movies. She knew the actors, directors, and producers. She would even skip school to watch the Oscars live telecast. “I was a twelve-year-old that watched films like The Godfather and Out Of Africa. When I was a lot younger, I was obsessed with movies like Indiana Jones and Back to the Future,” she says.
I was really excited for her when she decided to study film in the states after college. Eventually, she landed a job at Disney Studios.Today, she is the Director of Franchise for Marvel, which means she is in charge of creating content to sell Marvel films. “Just thinking about how I’m able to be involved in the Marvel films that means so much to kids—the way the movies I watched as a kid meant to me—is so amazing,” Coline shares. “I’ve been working for marvel for eight years, and I’ve learned and grown so much since then. I have the opportunity to learn from and work with the most talented filmmakers. It’s a dream come true.”
Coline prepares Marvel-inspired bento boxes for her son, Ramon, adding a fun touch to his lunch
She is also married to Ian Takahashi, a sought out cinematographer who specializes in underwater filming. They have an adorable 7-year-old son named Roman. “My son was an Avengers baby; I was 7months pregnant waddling down the red carpet at the premiere. Now I take him with me to work, and everyone knows him. He knows where we keep the chocolate and he reads the comic books in the library,” she says. It’s amazing how Coline still manages to create cute Avengers-inspired bento boxes to make Roman’s lunch more interesting and fun.
“Juggling work and motherhood can be tough a lot of the times especially here in the US. I’m lucky that I’ve been working at the studio for a while and they believe in prioritizing work-life balance,” Coline says.“My son comes to the office sometimes and he does his homework sitting next to me. Everyone loves him and he somehow always brings home a marvel toy every time he comes to the office. My coworkers keep giving him toys!”
She also recently added another feather to her cap when she finished writing a children’s book about the Philippine’s first female president, Corazon Aquino. The book will be sold on Amazon soon. She says she wrote the book for Roman so that he’ll learn more about the history of where his mom is from. I really admire Coline for her accomplishments. It must be doubly challenging since most of her family is back here and yet she is able to accomplish so much on her own.
My jaw dropped during the premiere of Infinity War, seeing all the actors in one place and getting to mingle with themat the after party. I’m so proud of Coline for not giving up on her dreams. It gave me goosebumps seeing her name at the end credits of the film and also for being able to do her duties as a wife and a hands-on mother.
And her being both a mom and a Marvel woman is the same thing for Roman. “The funniest thing is I took my son to Atlanta in October. We had a big shoot happening, it was a class photo. All the actors and directors that have ever been in a Marvel film was going to be in that class photo. I asked my son if he wanted to come and meet Ant Man, or Captain America. Funnily enough he said no! He’d rather spend the day at the aquarium. One day he may regret that decision,” she laughs. “He loves that I work at Marvel and I think he will be mad at me the mostif I ever leave. Let’s just say, for my son, it’s mandatory that I keep working there.”
For more photos
http://momsandbabies.com.ph/2018/05/meet-the-pinay-mom-that-works-with-the-avengers/