FULL CIRCLE
When #MakingMEGA started seven years ago in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Machu Pichu, Peru, its purpose was to give our readers a glimpse of how to create a magazine. It aimed to document the challenges and successes of the editorial team and how far they would go to capture the perfect image and produce content for the issue. It also aimed to humanize a cover star and show another side of her—one that is unguarded and raw. While this foundation still holds true for #MakingMEGA now, it has become so much more than that for many of us who have been a part of it. It had brought readers to far off, dream destinations, launched careers, verified stardoms and created memorable, iconic, meme-worthy covers. South Africa, Japan, Morocco, Greece, Iceland, Turkey, Portugal, Italy, Germany and the Czech Republic are just some of the countries where #MakingMEGA brought us, but this year, we decided to go back to where it all started—Brazil. It’s a fitting choice to close the chapter of the #MakingMEGA series. At the sametime it is also an homage to our founding editor Sari Yap, who was the instigator of it all. If not for her, we wouldn’t have pursued impossible dreams and pushed ourselves to the limit and beyond. Needless to say #MakingMEGA wouldn’t also be successful if not for the help of the entire MEGA team (from editorial, publishing, marketing, advertising to events) and, of course, the trust and support of our collaborators and advertisers. As they say “it takes a village,” and the importance of having the perfect team along with having the right support group is key. Our director Mike Carandang asked me, “What is #MakingMEGA to you?” making me ponder for a second. I finally replied with this: “#MakingMEGA can be a lot of things to different people. Personally, I’ve always believed that it was a test. A test of your talent, of your skills, your intergrity and what you stand for. It will push you to your limit, and demand only the best from you. And hopefully, when you pass it with flying colors, you get to know yourself more. You discover who you truly are and emerge stronger and empowered; a better version of yourself.”
Needless to say, it follows that our cover star should be a representation of someone who’s also gone through a lot of pressure to become a diamond. I’m referring to none other than former Miss Universe and constant MEGA muse Pia Wurtzbach, a true blue pageant girl, a consumate professional. In her first (and sadly, our last) #MakingMEGA, we discovered that she also goes through off days and makes mistakes, but she faces them all head on, and with such amazing grace—like how a true queen would.
Enjoy the issue!
Many cover stars will go to extremes to get a shot, but Pia Wurtzbach is in a league of her own. Fighting heat, exhaustion, an unforgiving location, a cold and, frankly, extreme outfits, the beauty queen and Making MEGA March 2020 cover star made sure she would get the photos we needed for an iconic MEGA cover. The word tends to get thrown around easily these days, but surely that image of a sexier-than-sin Pia Wurtzbach, dressed in a little gold suit and heels, has been seared into your consciousness for life.
Careful.
That’s another word that was used a lot during her shoot. Whether it was on the side of a steep cliff, atop the moss-covered rocks where the ferocious Atlantic waves crashed violently upon, or against the stony hill of Arpoador under the blisteringly hot sun, wearing a thick brocade suit (of all things) for the Converse shoot, Pia did it all. With help from a little cold medicine, a layer of Olay Whips Regenerist Face Moisturizer with SPF 30, and her own brand of determination, she pulled through one of the fastest and most jaw-dropping shoots the MEGA team has ever produced for a Making MEGA.
“She’s a pageant girl,” said Creative Director Suki Salvador, as a way to explain her unflappable drive. True, but she’s also Pia Wurtzbach.