by Mary Licel Biscocho

Fostering homegrown talents, students of Far Eastern University Department of Communication (FEU DepComm) won the Best Fashion Video - Community Engagement and Views award in the recently concluded Adobo Video Fest last December 16, 2021, with their show entitled Runway Lockdown.

Produced by Klik Midya, Runway Lockdown is a virtual fashion show designed to showcase the creativity of all aspiring models while embracing inclusivity in all genders and identities.

The show aired three episodes which ran from November 4, following the journey of six contestants from different parts of the country as they exhibit their resourcefulness by maximizing their own household items in creating a quality portfolio.

Jean Albert "Yanyan" Orpiada, a 21-year-old aspiring model from Laguna, was crowned as the Runway Lockdown SuperModel 2021, taking home a cash prize of Php 10,000 and Php 5,000-worth of skincare products.

Along with Orpiada during the finale are Kiev Adriane Tobias and Michaela Martha "Micay" Samar as co-finalists. Meanwhile, three contestants including Shaine Allen Dayrit, Sean Jericho Villegas, and Ricco Bordon Arrozal were eliminated during the first two episodes of the show.

The contestants were evaluated and judged by Viva Artist and Model Arlove de Jesus, ABS-CBN Design Lead Kenneth Rivera, and Social Media Influencer Gerald Domingo.

The show was hosted by former Miss Universe Philippines Top 100 delegate and FEU Communication Arts student Samantha Abordo.

In an interview with FEU Advocate, Klik Midya director Jesus Antonio Bautista expressed their team's delight, highlighting that the production's collective efforts were "worth it" as it brought pride both to the department and University.

"Hindi namin macontain kung gaano kami kasaya kasi parang nung nanalo kami, naganahan talaga kami tapusin 'yung finale. (We can't contain how happy we are. When we won, it really boosted us to give our all during the finale)," he added.

Bautista also shared that the financial demands of the show challenged their team the most.

"Since reality show nga siya, need talaga namin maglabas ng money and 'di siya provided ng professor or ng department. Provided siya ng class kasi output namin siya. (Since it is a reality show, we really need to allocate money and it wasn't provided by our professor or the department. We have to provide it ourselves because it is our output)," he shared.

In line with this, Klik Midya partnered with Pretty Skincare, Krissy's Choice PH, MKsmetics Pasig, and DBA Apparel as sponsors of the project.

According to Bautista, the possibilities of having a second season are yet unclear since the production team was initially formed to work in a course requirement in Multimedia Production.

"Since binuo lang siya sa class, dun na nage-end 'yung show. (Since it was just formed within the class, the show ends with it)," he explained.

However, the student-director is open for discussions if other producers would want to pursue the idea. According to him, it would be a big opportunity to see how Runway Lockdown will grow.

The Adobo Video Fest is a festival organized by Adobo Magazine to celebrate the Filipino creators behind the most innovative content on Facebook Watch. With the theme “Entertainment We Watch," its first-ever edition ran from October 25 and ended with the virtual awards night last December 16.

The fest has totaled 589 qualified entries across the Publishers, Advertising, and Independent Creators categories. Among these, 51 were awarded under Creative and Community Engagement and Views Awards.

Among the prominent creators who won were mass media companies ABS-CBN Corporation and GMA Network, Star Magic, Regal Entertainment, Viva Entertainment Inc., and Jollibee Foods Corporation.

 (Photo courtesy of Klik Midya