CALL ME FEENY.

Because there's an 80% chance you may butcher "Gephine." But that's ok, I'm used to it :)

I'm a twenty-something always on the journey of discovering more about myself, the world, and how I want to contribute to it. And I discovered how I want to contribute to it fairly recently.

Events. Making you go places.

At this point in my life, I've had several experiences working in event production (and online media), planning and executing different events from Chicago nightlife parties to concerts that have drawn hundreds of attendees. And I'd love to continue getting more experience in the event planning/production industry.

In the events I've had the privilege to being a part of, my favorite part is seeing it all pan out and seeing people feel and leave happy... and that just about sums up how I want to contribute to the world: create events and experiences that make people feel good, whether it's because they had a really good experience, had lots of fun, helped donate to or spread awareness about a good cause, or tried something new.

Wanna learn more about me? Check out these seven little tidbits! (Or tweet me!)

Don't forget to take a gander at my resumé!

 

TIDBITS

Because you might be curious about me ;)

  1. Call me Feeny. It's my nickname of choice. It's just pure coincidence that Boy Meets World is one of my favorite shows of all time. (BTW, this is the proper way to do the Feeny call).
  2. How'd you pronounce my name? Just wondering ;). American-ly, it's pronounced juh/jeh-FEEN. My grandma's name was Josefa/Josephine; my parents took out the o-s, made the J a G, and there ya have it: Gephine. I thought I was the only Gephine in the world but, sadly, I am not. (But I am the only person who has it as a first name ;))
  3. I love word games: Scrabble, Bananagrams, Appletters, Mad Gab, Words/Scramble/Hanging With Friends. Let's play a game: my username will either be geefeeny or gephine. Just a warning, though: I'm pretty sure I'll beat you.
  4. I went into college majoring in Music Therapy, despite a professor recommending I be an English major. I changed to Music & Marketing, then Marketing, then Journalism, then Communication & Media. A bit indecisive but I'm happy with where it's taken me.
  5. I'm an amateur photographer: My fiancé and best friend got me a Nikon D40 (which I named D'Artagnan) for my birthday because they know that I love photography and want to become a better photographer. I now have a Canon 5D, which for now I've dubbed Aramis to continue the naming theme. Check out some of my pictures on my Tumblr!
  6. I have a really good "Two Truths and a Lie." You really can't tell which ones are truths and which one is a lie. And you might think me odd(er).
  7. I'm particular about my shrimp fried rice. Whenever I order shrimp fried rice, I ask how big the shrimp(s?) are. Why? Go big or go home.

 

EVENTS

Planning and executing events is what I want to do as my career. I love the feeling of being able to leave someone with some kind of happy feeling, whether it's because they met their favorite celebrity, donated to a good cause, or just had a really good time. Here are some events I've taken part in.

Co-Production Manager, ManilaStar Events, 2009-2011
ManilaStar Events was a nonprofit organization that hosted different events to feature Asian- and Filipino-American talent from Chicago and nationwide and to benefit different charities such as 3Doves and Sagip Kapamilya. In 2010 and 2011, ManilaStar Events held PIN@YPALOOZA, a benefit showcase.

Duties:
  • Planned, coordinated, promoted, and executed events with staff
  • Worked together with charities and businesses for projects and sponsorships
  • Recruited, supervised, and led volunteers and team leaders
  • Supervised event flow
  • Gathered tech riders to assist sound and stage crews
  • Acted as liaison to volunteers, businesses, and artists
  • Co-created promotional material, program, and banner with marketing director

Production Manager, 2010-2011
In 2010 and 2011, I had the privilege of helping produce three different shows: The Believe Benefit Concert, My New Year's Wish, and Simply Passion. My duties were similar to those I had when I was a co-production manager (above), but in these events I was the lead production coordinator.

Duties:
  • Planned, coordinated, promoted, and executed events with small team
  • Recruited, supervised, and led volunteers
  • Created soundcheck schedule and schedule for the day
  • Supervised event flow
  • Gathered tech riders to assist sound and stage crews
  • Acted as liaison to volunteers and artists

Production Assistant/Staff Coordinator, 2010-Present
Throughout the year, some of the Philippines' best and most popular talent tour the U.S. to meet and entertain their overseas fans. Filipinos can get very crazy and excited at these concerts (push really does come to shove when trying to meet your favorite Filipino celebrity), so being calm, stern, and friendly is a must whenever I work at these concerts.

Duties:
  • Assist production managers in day-of duties to ensure smooth shows and meet-&-greets
  • Assign duties to and manage volunteers

Personal Assistant, Mandel Events Presents A Red Carpet Event, 2009
A high-end fashion and public relations networking event hosted by Mandel Events held in downtown Chicago with an ongoing fashion show and vendors.

Duties:
  • Acted as liaison to vendors, guests, and production team
  • Recruited and managed three intern teams
  • Supervised event flow on behalf of coordinator

Programming Intern, WKSC-FM, 2008-2009
I was an intern for Ty Bentli, former afternoon DJ for the afternoon drive at 103.5 Kiss FM.

Duties:
  • Developed show topic ideas for on-air use through research and creativity
  • Assisted afternoon deejay in show production and acted as personal assistant at station events
  • Interacted with show guests and listeners
  • Trained and supervised seven interns

 

WEB DESIGN

I like to dabble in web design here and there. This website is actually custom-made/made from scratch: no Wordpress, Tumblr, or Blogspot foundation. Although I don't consider myself an expert, I have more skills than some people. I'm still learning as I go! Here are a few websites I've done.

                        
    My Portfolio

A website designed... well, for YOU!
Illustrator • Photoshop • Dreamweaver • HTML • CSS • JavaScript
    Salon Heather Lim

Freelance cosmetologist.
Photoshop • Wordpress • HTML • CSS
    Be a Missionary Foundation

A Chicago-based nonprofit organization that conducts medical missions trips to the Philippines. I also created the logo for the organization.
Illustrator • Photoshop • Wordpress • HTML • CSS
project still in progress
    Sunday 527

A Chicago-based a cappella group. I also redid the logo for the group.
Illustrator • Tumblr • iMovie

 

VIDEO

I'm hardly the next Steven Spielberg, but I got skills in iMovie. Here are just a few videos I've done.

        
    For years, it's been a debate whether to cateogorize Filipinos under "Asian" or "Pacific Islander." To get a different take on it, I interviewed a few college students and a mestiza Filipina professor. Instead of an entirely written article for BakitWhy.com, I wrote an intro but filmed the interviews to make a video article, using my Canon G9 and iMovie.
    During my time as an intern for Rockit Ranch Productions' CEO Billy Dec, I made a few videos for his blog aChicagoThing.com using iMovie and Illustrator. Altogether, the six videos I made have garnered almost 4,000 views. Click on the picture to view three of them.

 

PRINT

It's not enough to just put words on a piece of paper: it has to be aesthetically pleasing too! These are samples of print media I've done in the past.

ManilaStar Events
With the help of marketing director and webmaster Jason Tran, I helped design the info and sponsorship packets and programs for some of the events ManilaStar Events held between 2009 and 2011, using Photoshop and Illustrator.

         

Chicago Artista
With my passion, pride, and interest in advancing both my Filipino culture and Chicago roots, I chose to create an entertainment magazine for my senior capstone project that focused on the Filipino community of Chicago, which I even had printed into a real magazine - a copy for myself and for my professor. Despite requests, I've unfortunately been unable to mass-produce my magazine. However, it is a project and concept that I am deeply proud of. (View a PDF excerpts copy here).

 

WRITING

As you may have learned from reading my tidbits, I'm very interested in my Filipino culture and entertainment, and at one point during college I was a journalism major. Here are samples of both of those passions in one!

Pilipino History 101: The People Power Revolution
This was my first article as a Midwest Contributor for BakitWhy.com, an online community dedicated to becoming a progressive advocate, information resource, and a place of discovery for and about the Pilipino-American community. I wrote about the People Power Revolution, a historic moment for the Philippines. I feel very blessed to have been able to learn more about my history and discover what my parents, relatives, and family friends went through. Additionally, in just two days, my article became the #1 article on BakitWhy.com ever.

Pilipino Cinderella: The Story of Charice Pempengco
With the release of her debut U.S. album, young YouTube sensation and Filipino singer Charice Pempengco definitely has the drive, talent, the support of her fellow Filipinos, and two prestigious and experienced mentors - talk show host Oprah Winfrey and producer/songwriter David Foster - to help her succeed in the tough world that is American mainstream music. Born to a poor and broken family, Charice is a true Cinderella story that inspires many worldwide.

Adobofest showcases different takes on the Philippine national dish
The Filipino American Network (FAN) of Chicago hosted the third annual potluck/picnic Adobofest, a Filipino take on the American ribfest. Adobo is meat (usually chicken or pork) marinated and simmered in the marinade of vinegar and garlic while browned in oil. 20 cooks competed for the titles of People's Choice Adobo and Chicago's Best-Tasting Adobo.

Fox's "Glee" inspires young Chicago musician
This article started as a writing sample application, then became a blog entry, and finally became an official article on Examiner.com. Filipino-American and Chicago-based musician Manny Garcia posted a "Glee"-inspired video on YouTube that caught the attention of many worldwide, including an actor from the show.

Filipino showcase of pride and culture at 'Battle of the Bamboo'
A short article I wrote for the PINOY Newsmagazine in Chicago about Battle of the Bamboo, a Filipino cultural dance competition among high schools and universities in the Midwest.

Feature Writing articles
In my Feature Writing class, we wrote different articles under each type of feature story. Below are a few examples.

It's a Wonderful Life. Human interest story on the lives of funeral directors.

Flirting 101. In-depth story on flirting techniques and opinions among college students. My professor believed my article to be very well-written and interesting that she had it posted on the website for The DePaulia Online.

Chicago's Boulevards of Broken Dreams
In my Magazine Reporting class, our final article class was a 1200-1500 word article about anything we wish. I was curious about a hotel I passed by frequently on Sheridan Ave. dubbed "The Pink Hotel." Given my interest in history and Chicago, I wrote my article on two historical landmarks that no longer stand: the Edgewater Beach Hotel and the Nortown Theatre.

 

TESTIMONIALS

I've had the pleasure of working with some amazing people that have taught me a lot. And thankfully, they think I'm pretty okay too ;)

Feeny is one of my favorite people to work with. She gets the job done right, efficiently, and always exceeds all expectations. I first worked with her when she was an intern at Lily's Talent Agency. She did great with the tasks given to her and always had the aura that she wanted to be there, happy to help, learn new things and explore different projects. It wasn't long after this when I asked Feeny to help me out with every concert production I have been involved in. Since meeting Feeny, as I continued to be in concert production outside of the talent agency, I can honestly say every single show has been executed a little more smoothly because we had her on staff. She's always done what was asked of her to do and always have gone the extra mile. Her expertise in social media and web design combined with her knowledge in photography made every concert event look cool and exciting on blogsites and other social media sites because of how she put together footages of what took place. She's also conceptualizing my personal website which I am very pleased with. Even with everything she already knows, I admire her eagerness to learn more, to discover better and creative ways in executing events and projects from start to finish. That, to me, is passion. And that's Feeny.
AC Mangubat
Music & Special Events Agent / Freelance Concert Promoter
Lily's Talent Agency, Inc.


Gephine is an extremely talented and hard worker. Her attention to detail and preparation for events, meetings and the like are truly impeccable. She is extremely creative in design and her skills and products exemplify that. She truly is creative and it's something that I was so fortunate to have while working with her on my staff for a few years. She committed herself to working at a high standard and she pushes herself and strives for great results. I am strongly confident and know that she is a great asset to any team, organization or company.
Jeffrey DeGuia
Founder & Executive Director
ManilaStar Events


Feeny is an extremely motivated, positive young woman. She exudes great energy and is always willing to learn new tasks and to help out when needed. During her internship with Rockit Ranch Productions under the management of CEO/Founder Billy Dec, Feeny worked in and succeeded in an array of tasks and challenges. Whether it be marketing blog posts or viral videos for the company and hitting page view goals, or planning and executing several events with ease, she was always accountable and a pleasure to work with. Feeny is a wonderful listener and easily understands what is expected of her. Throughout her time at Rockit Ranch Productions, her confidence and creativity really shined. I also appreciated her attention to detail, her clearly excellent organizational skills and most importantly, her genuine work ethic and care for her responsibilities and fellow coworkers.
KatieRose Cronin
Executive Assistant to CEO
Rockit Ranch Productions