MEET THE ARTISTS From left: Macoy Villanueva a.k.a. Macoy Dubs, Tina Boado, and Roanne Carreon

In the age of social media, everyone wants to be an influencer, a YouTuber, or a content creator, a person who publishes digital content for a living. The term content creation has blown up, especially since almost everyone has become familiar with the workings of the internet.
As a practice, however, content creation has been around for longer than we know. Journalists, painters, even sculptors all fall into the category. Cavemen who drew pictographs on the walls of caverns are essentially the first content creators. Despite the high demand today, not everyone is an efficient and responsible producer. We get into the minds of successful content creators and follow their personal stories to see what it takes to be good in the game.

Macoy Villanueva or Macoy Dubs is a social media superstar famous for his persona Auntie Julie. Among his latest works is Charot Readings with Macoy Dubs, a playful podcast on zodiac sign dates, meanings, and compatibility. Queertuhan, on the other hand, aims to “spur dialogue…and explore the issues of the LGBTQIA+ community in the Philippines.” Roanne and Tina are real-life partners and co-founders of Queer Safe Spaces (QSS), a non-profit organization that empowers the Filipino queer.

What made you pursue a creative path?

FORTUNE TELLER Macoy Dubs as Madam Tarot in the video format of Charot Readings

Macoy: Since college, I’ve always been drawn to the creative field. I started making memes and dub videos as a way to relax and have fun. Eventually, these videos started to gain traction, and in 2017, Macoy Dubs was born. I became more determined to make content creation my full-time career. I became interested in podcasting after listening to one of the episodes of The KoolPals while I was on a long solo drive from Manila to Subic. I found myself hooked. In that episode, James [of KoolPals] mentioned that “if you want to do something, you won’t know unless you try it.” That resonated with me. After reaching out to him, he encouraged me to explore podcasting as another avenue for my creativity.

Roanne: It started in 2019 when I invited Tina to a lie detector game challenge on Re-Create. We got good feedback from the LGBTQIA+ community on being able to represent them at the outlet. People from the community messaged us saying that because of the video they felt seen. They encouraged us to do vlogging.

Tina: The thing with long-form videos, however, is that we [hosts] tend to talk a lot and the audiences are not as interested in that type of content. So, we searched for a more appropriate platform. We thought of podcasting and, fair enough, found a different type of audience who are more into listening, have a long attention span, and are appreciative of our long discussions.

Roanne: Back when we were vlogging, we share more about our life and we called it “Tina-Roan Talks,” which sounds like “tinuruan talks.” When we did the podcast, it developed into Queertuhan because it’s all about the stories of queer people and paying it forward to the community.

Who are your inspirations in the creative industry?

Roanne: When I was a teenager, I didn’t have a queer role model I could look up to. There are also few resources about the LGBTQIA+ community, which inspired me to help the younger generation feel less alone. Ultimately, my purpose as a creative is the representation of the community.

Tina: We have a very deep “why” as content creators. We want to be the role models we needed when we were younger.

Macoy: Aside from The KoolPals, Aryn Cristobal is a big influence since I want to venture into improv comedy or acting. Fellow Spotify creator Inka Magnaye also inspires me and she was the first creator I met during the pandemic. Of course, my late good friend since college, Lloyd Cadena.
Can you share your creative process?

Macoy: As a creative, I find motivation in observing people and their behaviors. When I need to create characters, I go to a coffee shop or restaurant to observe the people around me. I also value feedback, especially from my followers. Spotify’s Q&A and polls feature also allows me to get feedback from listeners, as well as connect and engage more deeply with them.

Roanne: Everything started when our story was featured in Maalaala Mo Kaya. It made us realize the importance of having a platform to share our stories and empower others. To ensure that even closeted members could participate, we have a call for anonymous submissions. Our goal is to create a safe and inclusive space where everyone’s voices can be heard.

Tina: We welcome all kinds of stories on our podcast, even if it’s just about shouting out their crushes. Once we receive submissions, we relate them to our own experiences and sometimes conduct related research to support them. We also respect our listeners’ perspectives, and it’s up to them whether they want to take our insights to heart or not.

QUEER TALKS Roanne and Tina in a video format of their podcast (lifted from YouTube)

How do you manage to stay both personal and original in your creative endeavors?

Roanne: We see ourselves as storytellers, and we just really talk about what happens in our everyday life.

Tina: It also reflects the format of our podcast. When we tackle issues, we start with our own experiences.

Macoy: Personal touch is key to maintaining authenticity. I try not to put too much pressure on myself and instead upload content according to my own timeline. Because my audience is discerning and loyal, they recognize and appreciate my voice. It’s important to continually evaluate yourself as a creator. For instance, you need to know your peak time for posting videos and understand what type of content resonates best with your audience.

Is there a particular story from your readers that struck you?

Roanne: The “Sa babae tumagal, sa lalaki kinasal” episode.

Tina: The listener shared that she had a long-time relationship with a girl, but she still ended up marrying a guy. It struck us because we have that fear. What if this is just a phase?

Roanne: I’m bisexual and Tina had that fear that at the end of this, I might still end up with a guy.

Tina: Because I feel like hindi ko kaya ibigay sa kanya yung “normal” life and family na gusto ng society. Another thing would be the concept of “bi-erasure.”

Roanne: We got a lot of comments saying that was really painful and at the same time parang na-erase yung pagiging bisexual ng girl because she ended up with a guy.

What has been the greatest sacrifice that you have made for your craft?

Macoy: Time and energy are the main ones. I realized when I reached my 30s that you really need to invest your time not just for work but also for yourself. I try to find that balance of being a hustling person but can also be a quiet quitter when there is a need.

Roanne: As creators, we share a lot of personal stories and experiences without an audience, and sometimes it can be challenging to separate our personal lives from our work. We’re learning to strike a balance.

Tina: The greatest sacrifice I have made for my craft is our relationship as a couple. We started creating content when we were in our early 20s and didn’t know what we were doing. As we grew older in the industry, we became more mature. We’ve received pressure from people who tell us not to break up and it was difficult to handle the external noise. Eventually, we decided to stop creating content for a while, which allowed us to get to know ourselves better. It was during this time that we decided to venture into podcasting.