Amidst the creative chaos, long hours, and endless problem solving, one has to hold down production fort. Behind the camera and outside of the spotlight—this is where Natalya Adea, general manager and producer of Rec•Create, comes in.
Most of the time producers are unsung heroes, quietly putting the crew together and lending a hand in putting their vision to life. Adea shares that:
“Full production ‘yung sa Rec•Create eh, so maraming kailangan asikasuhin when it comes to admin work and during the shoot.”
Rec•Create is a platform showcasing Filipinos’ different personalities, their unfiltered takes, and experiences.
Now, almost two years with her Rec•Create team, Adea reminisces on how far she’s grown as a producer, detailing that before her media job, she once worked in airline logistics. Specifically, aircraft parts, handling the maintenance and coordination of the air crafts.
Adea even admits that working in the media industry was not in her radar, “if I were to talk to my old self tapos tatanungin ko siya na, “Interested ka ba magtrabaho sa media?”, parang sasabihin ko no.”
Detouring from one industry to another is no easy feat, but Adea does it seamlessly as she followed the string that led her to production. The string in particular was her high school friend, Allison Barretto, the co-founder of Rec•Create, who asked Adea to join their passion project in 2019.
One production and a rekindled friendship later—Adea slowly transitioned into the media industry. Starting out as the host for Rec•Create’s show, Unfiltered, and eventually fully joining the team as their general manager and producer.
Often unseen on the screen, producers are tasked with the challenge of keeping things in check. More often than not, things are not smooth sailing, albeit from pre-production to editing, but Adea is up for the task. She further explains that producing is just not all about ticking off the boxes on your to-do list. It is also about taking care of your people and your crew, Adea ensures that: “Safe ‘yung environment and I make sure na hindi sila stressed, ‘yung hindi patong-patong ‘yung mga workload. I make sure na okay pa ba sila or kailangan ba habaan timeline ng editing para hindi stressful ‘yung work.”
Producing is a tall order, a lot is asked from you, Adea opens up that:
“Kailangan focused ka talaga kasi ikaw ‘yung backbone ng production, kahit hindi kita sa camera. May maling schedule lang, lahat parang chain reaction na yun eh.”
A big chunk of production is learning how to be flexible as well. It is key to be open to different things happening, nothing is set in stone in the shoot, and creatively things would always change.
Even with its challenges, Adea champions her job and most importantly, her team. For her, the crux of any production is to lean on your teammates, communicate, and make it a safe space for creative outtakes. She also makes it a habit to find inspiration from her crew: “Doon ako kumukuha ng validation. ‘Pag nakita kong masaya ‘yung workmates ko, ‘yung team ko.”
After everything is said and done, Adea knows there is no production without her crew. She knows how important it is to put their well-being first, and as a result of Adea’s hands-on take on production, “Sobrang thankful ko naman sa team ko now. As in sobra ‘yung support system namin eh, hindi lang as co-workers, as friends din… As in andyan sila lagi for me.”
For Adea, she is definitely in it for the long haul when it comes to her job in Rec•Create. Even with all the expectations that come from production, Adea faces all those challenges optimistically. Often leaning on her team for support, she advises the aspiring producers and leaves us with a message:
“Don’t be hard sa sarili mo I’m sure you’re doing fine, you’re doing great as long na andyan ‘yung teammates mo.”
Make sure to catch Adea on her Instagram to see what’s next in her production journey.
Check out Rec•Create on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Tiktok, and Twitter for more unfiltered takes and stories.
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In Partnership with
Production Credits:
Photography by Enzo Santos {@enzosantosx}
Styled by Maxx Macalinao {@michaelamaxx}
Makeup by Jia Achacruz {@jiaachacruz}
Hair by Mharhea Banting {@mharheabanting}
Executive Produced by Isa Lim {@isaaa_dalawatatlo}
