MANILA, OCTOBER 1, 2012 – The upsurge in the Philippine economy this year has lead to the rise of more creative talent in the country. And online platforms, such as PortfolioMNL, provides creative talents the support needed to flourish in the once-elusive industry.
PortfolioMNL, first launched in 2010 and introduced an improved version last month, seeks to boost the country’s creative industry by building a bridge between Filipino artists and businesses seeking to hire them.
The brainchild of Rina Malonzo, a former New York-based Lane Bryant creative director, and Trina dela Rama, a professional writer who handled corporate giants’ accounts during her stay in Campaigns and Grey, is designed to “battle the brain drain problem,” Malonzo said in a previous interview.
“We want to keep and nurture talent in the country instead of forcing Pinoys in creative fields to seek employment elsewhere,” Malonzo added.
Artists of all kinds can join PortfolioMNL by simply uploading their own portfolios to the website. For those seeking to hire creative talent — perhaps a person in advertising or someone needing a photographer — it is easy to browse the PortfolioMNL website and contact the right people.
Regional creatives get a leg up
But the economic upsurge that has prompted creative growth is not only limited to the Philippines as Bankofcreative.com, which will be launched in the third and fourth quarter of this year, will provide a unique job portal especially designed for creative professionals in the region.
The site has already launched in Singapore for talents last week. It will open to employers by the end of October and for freelancers and industry partners, in November.
The phases of the launch ensures a satisfying user experience for all its members. Next year, the site will expand to include creatives from the Asia-Pacific region.
Much like PortfolioMNL, Bankofcreative.com is a venue where creative professionals from various industries – advertising, marketing, design, film & TV production and digital media – can showcase their work and secure the privacy of their search for new career options, as they connect with new employers from various creative industries across the region.
According to Lezann Ching, director of Creative Jobs Pte Ltd, the creators of bankofcreative.com, the website will be the first of its kind in the region.
She said: “In a flat world, employers need to hire the right talent in order to remain competitive. Bankofcreative.com was set up with a mission to enable the creative industries to achieve their economic potential by providing the tools and support for talents to develop their creative career while offering a rich platform that simplifies and enhances the process of getting the right talent for creative industry employers. Bankofcreative.com is designed to eliminate the barriers between talent and opportunity, and putting creative works to work.”
However, the site does not only bring together employers and creatives; it’s also a place for networking and it multiplies opportunities for collaborators (i.e. printers, suppliers, studios etc.), giving them the chance to connect with potential clients.
Just as PortfolioMNL brings together Philippine creatives, bankofcreative.com makes the world smaller (and easier to navigate) for Asia’s creative industry.
