The new faces of youth
Published Jun 29, 2018 12:05 am
By Maggie F. Francisco
A toast to SM Youth Go-See!
After two months, eight episodes, 1,700 hopefuls from across the country, and 14 finalists, SM Youth finally chose their newest brand ambassadors during the conclusion of the digital-exclusive show SM Youth Go-See Season 3. The event was held last June 1 at The Cove, Okada Manila with SM Youth’s past ambassadors Richard Juan and Erika Kristensen hosting the finale show.
Unlike the first two seasons, Season 3 saw a boys-versus-girls set-up. Each episode challenged the finalists, from doing solo photo shoots to being live mannequins, from styling themselves as a squad to producing an emotional self-empowerment social-media campaign. “More than just physical attributes, we looked for potential ambassadors who have the heart and passion to inspire people through their stories,” revealed Bjorn Bedayo, SM Youth senior digital marketing manager and SM Youth Go-See producer. “I designed the show to focus more on the stories of the contestants rather than on the competition, so that our audience can really get to know them and connect with them on a deeper level.”
In the end, five finalists remained: Sabrina San Diego, Julian Rodriguez, Stephanie Aquino, Jaime Borromeo, and Karla O’Hara. After performances by SM Youth’s music ambassadors Jesse and Christian Perkins, and a runway show featuring past and present brand ambassadors, Julian Rodriguez and Jaime Borromeo were announced as the new faces of the brand, joining the prestigious group that includes Tommy Esguerra, Kaila Estrada, Kyle Perry, and Macauly Lofgren.
“Honestly, my mind when blank!” shared Rodriguez in an exclusive interview with Manila Bulletin, when asked what his first thought was when his name was announced. “I felt a rush of emotions—I was so overwhelmed; I can’t describe what was going on inside my head.” Borromeo agreed, saying that he suddenly realized that his whole world was about to change. “I thought to myself, Huh? my name? Whoa! I just couldn’t believe it.”
After spending eight weeks together, both Rodriguez and Borromeo admitted that their fondest memories were the bonding sessions and late-night get-togethers with their fellow finalists, whom they now consider as family. “Yes, it was a competition, but honestly, because we went through the challenges together, we genuinely wanted everyone to do well,” said Rodriguez.
But did either of them feel, at any point, that they could win the competition? “No!” they both answered, laughing. “I never really thought of it that way,” said Borromeo. “For me, I just focused on each challenge.”
Rodriguez even shared that he never expected to join the competition, adding, “There were a lot of times I came so close to getting eliminated. I really have to credit Bjorn—he gave me that push, especially during the challenges.”
Since the reality show was on its third season, you would think that judging the finalists would be much easier. SM Youth assistant vice president Marielle Ardiente explained, “We had to look at the total package: looks, talent, heart. Our ambassadors have to evolve. They have to be capable of representing different tribes of the youth.” So how did they finally choose Jaime and Julian? “Jaime was always a consistent performer . Julian was someone who really improved—during challenges, he would ask what he needed to do to improve, and he would do it.”
Heart and humility also played a big part in the decision-making, Bedayo added. “If you ask their fellow contestants, they will tell you how genuinely selfless these boys are. They really both embody the ideal SM Youth ambassador because of everything that they showed us throughout the entire season.”
Now that they are SM Youth brand ambassadors, both Julian and Jaime realize how important their role is in representing the youth, especially during this time. “Nowadays, we, the youth, have become very vocal about what we want to do, what we think. We want to be able to make a positive change. We want to show that anything is possible,” shared Borromeo.
“It’s about building a community,” added Rodriguez. “We want to inspire the youth to make a change, to make a difference. I personally want to let everyone know that it’s all right to be yourself, no matter what.”
For more info, like SMyouthlifestyle on Facebook, follow @SM_youth on Twitter and Instagram
A toast to SM Youth Go-See!
After two months, eight episodes, 1,700 hopefuls from across the country, and 14 finalists, SM Youth finally chose their newest brand ambassadors during the conclusion of the digital-exclusive show SM Youth Go-See Season 3. The event was held last June 1 at The Cove, Okada Manila with SM Youth’s past ambassadors Richard Juan and Erika Kristensen hosting the finale show.
Unlike the first two seasons, Season 3 saw a boys-versus-girls set-up. Each episode challenged the finalists, from doing solo photo shoots to being live mannequins, from styling themselves as a squad to producing an emotional self-empowerment social-media campaign. “More than just physical attributes, we looked for potential ambassadors who have the heart and passion to inspire people through their stories,” revealed Bjorn Bedayo, SM Youth senior digital marketing manager and SM Youth Go-See producer. “I designed the show to focus more on the stories of the contestants rather than on the competition, so that our audience can really get to know them and connect with them on a deeper level.”
In the end, five finalists remained: Sabrina San Diego, Julian Rodriguez, Stephanie Aquino, Jaime Borromeo, and Karla O’Hara. After performances by SM Youth’s music ambassadors Jesse and Christian Perkins, and a runway show featuring past and present brand ambassadors, Julian Rodriguez and Jaime Borromeo were announced as the new faces of the brand, joining the prestigious group that includes Tommy Esguerra, Kaila Estrada, Kyle Perry, and Macauly Lofgren.
“Honestly, my mind when blank!” shared Rodriguez in an exclusive interview with Manila Bulletin, when asked what his first thought was when his name was announced. “I felt a rush of emotions—I was so overwhelmed; I can’t describe what was going on inside my head.” Borromeo agreed, saying that he suddenly realized that his whole world was about to change. “I thought to myself, Huh? my name? Whoa! I just couldn’t believe it.”
After spending eight weeks together, both Rodriguez and Borromeo admitted that their fondest memories were the bonding sessions and late-night get-togethers with their fellow finalists, whom they now consider as family. “Yes, it was a competition, but honestly, because we went through the challenges together, we genuinely wanted everyone to do well,” said Rodriguez.
But did either of them feel, at any point, that they could win the competition? “No!” they both answered, laughing. “I never really thought of it that way,” said Borromeo. “For me, I just focused on each challenge.”
Rodriguez even shared that he never expected to join the competition, adding, “There were a lot of times I came so close to getting eliminated. I really have to credit Bjorn—he gave me that push, especially during the challenges.”
Since the reality show was on its third season, you would think that judging the finalists would be much easier. SM Youth assistant vice president Marielle Ardiente explained, “We had to look at the total package: looks, talent, heart. Our ambassadors have to evolve. They have to be capable of representing different tribes of the youth.” So how did they finally choose Jaime and Julian? “Jaime was always a consistent performer . Julian was someone who really improved—during challenges, he would ask what he needed to do to improve, and he would do it.”
Heart and humility also played a big part in the decision-making, Bedayo added. “If you ask their fellow contestants, they will tell you how genuinely selfless these boys are. They really both embody the ideal SM Youth ambassador because of everything that they showed us throughout the entire season.”
Now that they are SM Youth brand ambassadors, both Julian and Jaime realize how important their role is in representing the youth, especially during this time. “Nowadays, we, the youth, have become very vocal about what we want to do, what we think. We want to be able to make a positive change. We want to show that anything is possible,” shared Borromeo.
“It’s about building a community,” added Rodriguez. “We want to inspire the youth to make a change, to make a difference. I personally want to let everyone know that it’s all right to be yourself, no matter what.”
For more info, like SMyouthlifestyle on Facebook, follow @SM_youth on Twitter and Instagram