As everybody knows, Monday is the worst day of the week.. but not for the interns. Others may see it as the start of another hell week, but for us, we see it as an opportunity to learn and grow. Although the day felt just like any ordinary day, it’s a special day for Chana since she gets to use Drew Tyler Sparrow for the first time in the office. Oh! We haven’t mentioned, it’s the name of her new laptop.

Of course who wouldn’t forget to have a cup of Bates coffee in the morning? It’s a typical drug for us all which gears us up for the whole day. And yeah when we say geared up, we mean geared up! Thou shall not forget to put your game face on because Mondays surely are jampacked.

Today, we had to think of how we could promote an account in a subtle way by making this douchebag icon. It was an intense brainstorming session since we need to find a way on how this could be humorous yet viral. We learned how to see it in a 3rd person’s perspective because not everyone gets inside jokes. As what James said, “………or fail miserably”. It’s a risk we’d have to take. What’s the point of living when we’re always on the safe side?

After the brainstorming, tasks were divided among the copy and the art based interns.

Just before the day ends, the WIP was presented to the accounts in charge.

Since it was pretty late and we haven’t finished our work yet, Bates offered us energy boosters… food! We had pizza and lasagna for dinner. Of course the good thing about eating dinner together is the insights you learn from the masters of Bates. Also, this is when we’ve told our company representative about the sudden change of our mentor. The moment we entered Bates.. a lot of changes have happened in our lives. First, the unforeseen change of agency. Second, the relaunch of Bates which then gave rise to a change for a better philosophy “changengage”. Last but not the least, the change of mentor. We do believe that God has his plans for us and so far, He hasn’t failed to surprise us yet. What’s the next big change?

It’s been only over 2 weeks and we know that we have grown so much from the experiences we’ve gained here in Bates. But, it would not stop there. We will continue learning, doing, learning some more and eventually grow into what we want to be - ad men. 

Today, we were finishing up simultaneous tasks for several accounts and it was the real deal. In the industry, you should rise above from all your responsibilities and still have fun on the side. That’s how it works. Work and have fun with it! 

Josh and Joan went to the client’s office today to finalize some details from the previous pitch. They went there with Ms. Mannette, Jason and of course, Paul Chan! The client was really nice and awesome. She was really enthusiastic about the whole activation and she wants to roll everything out as soon as the budget gets approved. It’s just awesome when you deal with clients that are very much enthusiastic and open to creativity!

We are continually growing here in Bates because we are continually immersed in briefings and in real work. We had 2 briefings today and Renz and Chana art directed a shoot here in the agency. AWESOME! 

It did not end there just yet. We had internals today with the bosses for another account and mind you, these are the moments wherein we really see how our bosses think and all you could do is be amazed with all of them. 

Again, as interns, we appreciate everything that our bosses put into our tables. Though we admit that we get tired and sometimes, panic just to meet deadlines we surely absorb experiences that in turn nourish us to grow.:)

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Today was proof that there are still good samaritans out there who are willing to go out of their way to help. While Joan was on her way to the office, she left her iphone4 in the cab. Good thing Mr. Ronald De Villa, teacher of Builders School in Quezon City and the passenger of the cab, was kind enough to insist on returning the phone to her. Thank God for people like him. 

The Creatives then decided to make a music video of Jac “making love to the bean bag”. Watch out for its release soon. :)

Josh and Chana had to go to school in the morning for the College of Business Recognition Rites. They were awarded for winning first place in PRSP competition. Congrats guys!

As soon as they got back, the group worked on revising the Creatives Deck according to client’s requests.

In the afternoon, the DPWHERE cake was shared for everyone to enjoy. Talk about sugar rush!

People have negative connotations regarding the number 13, but not for us. Our thirteenth day has to be one of the best days for us at Bates. Everything that could go right, did happen in a day’s time.

First off, the preparations for the internal launch was a success. Colors surrounded the area, and even the food served was full of colors. 

As we waited for the event to start, we were surprised to find a cake customized to imitate the “DPWHERE?” social experiment initiated by the Creatives of Bates. Turns out, it was sent by Mr. Tony Sarmiento, Ace Saatchi & Saatchi’s Creative Director. The note actually made everyone smile as it read, “To the amazing guys at DPWHERE?!, Thanks for making us all laugh! Love, Tony. P.S. It’s better when you collab.”

To those who still have no idea as to what we’re talking about, join the craze by liking this page:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/DPWHERE/147529172009029

The launch was very inspiring as we got to hear insights from the different regional directors around the Asia Pacific region. Thereafter, a toast was made as Ms. Mitos and James unveiled the new look of Bates. 

Which leads us to the third good news for the day… Food!

The afternoon was again filled with good news as we overheard that we won in two campaign pitches, one of which was against a popular agency. This is a perfect example of the cliche, “size does not matter”. Good job to the Bates employees for a job well done!

Well by the looks of it, seems like change is good.

The day started early with us all working on an account introduced to us last week. We pretty much had to simplify a proposed campaign such that it will be feasible with the budget provided by the client. This account was very fun to work on since it brought out the little kids in us.

Several teasers were also posted around the office for the upcoming event we organized for the agency. This involved comic strips that illustrated the people at bates as the main characters, each having a role in a story they themselves had the freedom to conceive. We had the blank comic strips posted on one of the walls and left a white board marker for them to doodle and write on. The dialogues written on the speech bubbles turned out pretty funny!

Several teasers were also posted around the office for the upcoming event we organized for the agency. This involved comic strips that illustrated the people at bates as the main characters, each having a role in a story they themselves had the freedom to conceive. We had the blank comic strips posted on one of the walls and left a white board marker for them to doodle and write on. The dialogues written on the speech bubbles turned out pretty funny!

Later that night, all four of us including four others from the other group of interns decided to stay late to decorate the place. We wanted to fill the place with colorful speech bubbles to help create a festive mood for tomorrow’s event. The office looked all dressed up and ready for a party before we left.

 We started this day with a thesis workshop in school. It was a great opportunity for us to clarify concerns and also have a formal meet up with our own thesis mentor. Looks like Sir A’s going to be with us in our goal of achieving best thesis.

As soon as we got back from school we had a briefing with Ms. Mannette for Bates’ existing account. They asked the interns to provide a simplified version of the existing idea to fit into client’s budget constraints. 

Just before leaving the office, we tried to play the Change game. The closest that we got to was 15 secs. As for everyone else, an upcoming client pitch means it’s OT time!  

Today, Josh, Chana and Renz was not able to go to work in the morning due to PANA rehearsals. The rest of the interns went to the office early to set up the teasers. 

Lunch time was extremely special today (especially for Joan) because a pair of celebrities were outside the office. Also, everyone had good laughs as Noah was back from Singapore and Jason, from a paternity leave. Welcome back Noah! Congratulations Jason! :)

The day ended with an internal meeting and the pool of employees trying out the new bates game. Ipad2, we’re coming for you :D

Today was devoted entirely to one account, as we helped the Creatives in coming up with the visuals and audio pegs for the client presentation the next day. But before that, the idea was first presented to Ms. Mitos and CJ to make sure that all loopholes are covered.

Nights at the office mean more food, laughs, and random conversations with the employees. You just cant help but stay for a while. 

Everything now is a relief. All blow in one day. Whew!

Today, all we have been waiting dawned before our eyes. Not really that dramatic for others but what we found out today will shape the future of our OJT/Thesis term. Again, we believe that His plans for us are for the better and we have no qualms whatsoever. Today, we are ready to take on more challenges and rise above them. :) 

Today, the ‘unexpected project’ pitch happened. It was nerve wracking, heart beat stopping and exciting all at the same time. It was CRAZY. Imagine the 4 of us feeling it was like our thesis defense already. Why? Because we were part of the team who presented the deck to the client. Again, CRAZY. Haha! 

Here we are on our way down Picadilly to head out to the client’s office. 

So here, we’re waiting to be called for the pitch. Our bosses never failed to remind us to keep our cool and just let the words flow out of our mouth. 

It was a sigh moment after the pitch. It was really scary inside the room when all eyes are at you. But, no regrets at all. 

After the pitch, James treated us to Happy Lemon. YAY! Happy KIDS. HAHA! Thank you very much James! Also, We would like to thank Ms. Mannette and CJ who laid down all the important details of the pitch. Our bosses are really great and cool. Will never trade them for anything! 

After Happy Lemon, the 4 of us went ahead to Jabee (Jollibee) near TBWA\ to greet an awesome friend of ours a Happy Birthday! :D Happy birthday, Kri! and Hello TBWA\ team!!! You guys are missed! It was such an intimate time catching up with each other (even though we were just together with other friends last Friday. HAHA). 

We went back to Bates after lunch and saw some kids at the lobby. They were here for a go-see. OHA! Kid models! Moving on, Renz left for a very important PANA meeting. That is why he’s not in our Vlog. *sobs* 

Today was full of reasons to celebrate and be thankful to Him. 

It started with the brainstorming session for the unexpected account. Renz and Chana decided to sing to familiar tunes while trying to think of ideas.

It was lunch break so the group decided to grab a drink at Serenitea in Burgos Circle. This is worth being included in the post cause it’s Chana’s first time. Definitely not her last. 

The afternoon started with a meeting of internals to decide on which creative executions are fit for the client’s needs. It was our first time to meet Ms. Mitos; Chief Strategy and New Business Consultant for Bates 141 Philippines. During the meeting, Josh was able to suggest a brilliant concept which became part of the proposed executions. Good job josh! :D

Two celebrations were held before office hours ended: Jhem and Meanne’s birthday as well as the Mooncake festival. Happy Birthday! You’re now a year olderrrr :))  

The dice game was very funny because there are only few Chinese employees at Bates who actually understand the game. Both KC and Josh were “chongwan”, the Chinese term for winning the game. From the P505, Josh decided to give some to Renz for the cab ride he spent on earlier that day. Now that’s group love :)

Last but definitely not the least, we celebrate because we were given the opportunity to present to client. We prepared the creative deck and concept board thinking that we were doing it for our bosses. It was in that moment that we felt the trust that our bosses have on us. The trial pitch with James felt like a mock thesis defense all of a sudden. They weren’t joking when they said they’ll be treating us like employees. 

Monday is the day that we prove to Bates that they made the right decision. And us choosing Bates for internship was the best decision the group has ever made. 

It’s Thursday which means, say Hello to the Japanese Sushi Boy! Now that’s one thing to look forward to every Thursday. We’re definitely satisfied customers. 

Before lunch break we were assigned to draw additional elements for the ‘impossible project’. Copic markers are the bomb! 

So we decided to make a doodle of our first week at Bates 141 using the awesome markers to express how lucky we feel to be part of this agency :D 

Our afternoon started with a briefing regarding the new account. Of all the accounts that we’ve handled so far, this would probably be the most exciting to work on because of it’s playful concept.Oh and before we forget, today’s the concert of Westlife. Here’s a picture of Jhem trying to stop Abby (a hardcore fan of the band) from going to the concert.

Today was an adventure as we accidentally rode an East bound bus going to Ayala. Good thing it still ended up in McKinley despite it passing through an unfamiliar route. We were supposed to meet up with Nic to watch No Other Woman. Apparently, this movie created a massive hype to the extent that all screenings were sold out. Nonetheless, we enjoyed catching up with her over dinner. It may not be Anne Curtis or Derek Ramsey, but it sufficed. 

Here’s a gif of us trying to squeeze in to fit in the screen. Looking forward to another awesome day tomorrow with Bates 141! :D

Today was rather hectic compared to the previous ones because we lost a day’s worth of work due to the Typhoon Pedring. We were welcomed by a number of radio scripts waiting to be written, a set of TVCs lacking frames, and OOHs in need of a layout. We were split into teams just so everything could be done before deadline. 

Josh and Joan decided to take a breather by visiting Rustan’s to buy samples of the product for the whole office to enjoy. What better way to get inspired than have an actual taste test. The best comments would be “tastes like ass”, “like flavored water”, and “I lychee!”.

Since it was getting a little late, our bossess decided to have dinner delivered for all those who decided to stay behind. A lot of laughs were again exchanged during dinner like how TJ is much of a KPOP fan and how she had to face the never ending questions of would-you-rather’s.

Today made us mentally and physically drained. Nonetheless, it was still awesome. :)

Breakfast -> Briefings -> Brainstorming. 

Our day is basically in that chronological order above. Since we were early today in the office despite Pedring’s wind and showers, we decided to eat breakfast. We had pan de sal with cream cheese, coffee and chocolates. Yes. Chocolates. James our ECD, was back from his business trip last week and decided to share a lot of chocolates and sweet treats at the office.

Take note: Josh did not eat any of the chocolates. Achievement! HAHA!

Moving on, we met CJ; the Strat Planner of Bates. He’s awesome. How awesome? He was behind Greenwhich’s “Sobrang Cheezy” Campaign. Nuff said. He walked us through 2 accounts with a new format.

In between the briefings, three of us colored the materials for the “impossible project”. The Copic markers in the office made the coloring so much fun.  The latter half of the day was spent on brainstorming. Please. Don’t even ask for the name of the product because honestly, it needs an overhaul. But, don’t get us wrong. The product is actually nice. Probably just a clash of cultural differences? 

So there you go. Our 3rd day in Bates. :)

PS. Joan needs further intervention and Josh is contemplating on whether to quit his 21 days or not. And to Renz, good job on the sit ups! Chana, you better start on your 21 days also. If stopping the snooze is close to impossible, you could try something else. :D