The Manila Times

S TA R T U P SPOTLIGHT

- BY MARGA BELLOSILLO

Janna Pablo or Pabys as she is fondly referred to was exposed to events ever since she was a child. “When I was a kid I really loved doing events already. I would perform, people would ask me to help them with logistics, and I was always known in the family for doing something new or creative.” She always liked to personaliz­e everything—from greeting cards, homework, to whatever she gets her hands into.

If Janna looks familiar, it was because she was part of ABS-CBN’s now defunct show, “Let’s Go!”. She eventually gave up show business, however to pursue her Behavioral Science studies at the University of Santo Tomas.

“During that time, I was thinking of becoming a teacher because I had dyslexia when I was a child. I wanted to teach those with special needs because I myself was like that. I ended up teaching in an exclusive boy’s school and taught math even if I didn’t like it at all. That was a real challenge.”

Aside from teaching math, Pabys was given the opportunit­y to handle school programs and events, “even if math was my subject, I was always tagged to do events. I would do the program and start all these out-of-the-box ideas. Just about everything I’m involved with was always a production, even in my classes. Like for example, if the topic is fractions, I use paper and other materials to make the class more fun and interestin­g.”

She eventually quit her job as a teacher for a corporate job. “I tried corporate after teaching just to tick it off Toni Gonzaga and Gary Valenciano at the birthday party of Toni’s Son, Seve that Pabys organized

brain cells because he wanted a golf theme in a theater. I had to manage their expectatio­ns. Fortunatel­y, I was able to pull it off.”

Through that event, she was able to

discovered her capabiliti­es and eventually booked her services. She orga-

Bunand, son of Georgina Wilson. “I got a call from Georgina a week before

being in Hong Kong for a vacation and I was busy calling all the suppliers, sponsors. I only had a week to do everything. It was very challengin­g but everything went well.”

From then on, it was one success after another. Her most recent event was the famous baby shower of Isabelle Daza. “It was all over social media because of its unique theme. I mean, who does a sportsfest for a baby shower right? Initially there were only supposed to be 50 pax but it stretched to 200. The event trended all over social media and I was really happy with the feedback.”

When Jenna’s journey began, she was all alone but now she has a team to help her out with everything. What started out as a passion project eventually became a business built on trust and malasakit. “I look at events as a blank canvas. I’m the painter. The colors are what my clients want or their non-negotiable­s. But I am the one who chooses and paints it to make it a whole photo. I tag myself as an event mastermind,” she concluded.

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