Most Influential Filipinos in the Gulf: Mike Fillion – Trailblazer

Mike Fillion

Artist

In Dubai’s thriving community of artists, Mike Fillion has distinguished himself as a renaissance man: he seems to be able to do anything, and he is great at everything he does. Music composer, filmmaker, writer, a now a creator of a sci-fi series called “Deciders.” Mike elaborates: Deciders is a multi-tiered project that is meant to begin as a toy franchise – but with a universe attached that opens it up to comics, and even movies. The basic gist is that a colonised Mars of the future develops a justice system where disputes are solved by Mecha battles. Sci-Fi gold. The project is in development and looking for funding.”

In 2016, Mike played a crucial role in the development du’s Tropa For Life campaign, which was specifically geared towards the Filipinos in the UAE. The campaign was so successful, it won the Gold Award for Branded Entertainment at both the Dubai Lynx and Mid East Effies Awards. Mike recounts: “The brief was simple: win the hearts of Pinoys in the UAE, and that’s exactly what we did through humor and music. What made the campaign particularly memorable was the soundtrack. The idea for it came from the director Richard Ang, who wanted a hip hop track for the “hero walk” in the commercial. The lead actor, Twizted Martines, was practically made to perform that track. Twizted and I wrote the lyrics, and my friend Lucky Schild from The Recipe laid down the beats. We wrote and recorded that song in a burst of inspiration. The whole thing was done in two hours. It was a lot of fun. And the sheer joy of putting this campaign together was evident in the final outcome.”

Mike may be a rain man, but he is decidedly clear on the legacy he wishes to impart to his fellow kabayans: that of a story teller. “I’ve always believed that great art stems from great storytelling. Whether it’s design or music, film or video games, when there’s a great story at the heart of it, audiences will be helplessly lured in. It’s something I learned from people like Steve Jobs, J.J. Abrams and Hideo Kojima. I’d be delighted if one day, the younger generation can learn it from me.”

Photo by Alex Callueng; Photography Assistant – Bethoven Filomeno Special thanks to – Giordano, Nikon, Liali Jewellery, Lulu, Mitsubishi and Western Union.