The Idea: Hong Kong Meets Toronto, After Dark

For Nuit Blanche, our objective was clear: raise awareness of Hong Kong’s role as a global centre for contemporary art. To do that, we commissioned original large-scale projection works by two prestigious Hong Kong artists, Hung Keungand Ellen Pau, both of whom have exhibited at the world-class M+ Museum.

Their works were projected in two of Nuit Blanche’s most prominent locations: Love Park on the waterfront and the façade of Toronto City Hall, right in the heart of the festival. These monumental projections acted as an open invitation to Canadians to experience the depth, experimentation, and global relevance of Hong Kong’s contemporary art scene.

Scale and Reach

Nuit Blanche attracts one of the largest cultural audiences in Canada. That year, the estimated attendance across the festival reached approximately 500,000 people, with our activation positioned directly within the main exhibition zones.

Beyond physical attendance, the exposure extended far wider. Produced in partnership with the City of Toronto, the activation generated an estimated 500 million brand impressions across platforms.

Media and Public Response

The project received extensive national and local media coverage, including features on Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail, CP24, CBC News, Global News, and CityNews.

More importantly, the work resonated with the public. Seeing thousands of people stop, look up, photograph, share, and talk about the art confirmed that the project achieved what we set out to do: visibility, cultural impact, and virality.

My Role Behind the Scenes

I led the project team from concept to execution, working closely with curators, the City of Toronto, and internal stakeholders. I was directly involved in shaping the creative concept, aligning partners, navigating approvals, and managing the many moving parts that come with large-scale public art installations.

Projects like this live at the intersection of creativity, diplomacy, logistics, and trust, and my role was to hold all of those pieces together.

Why This Project Mattered to Me

As both an art lover and a public relations practitioner, this project was deeply meaningful. It was the culmination of months of planning, problem-solving, and collaboration, brought to life in a way that city residents could freely experience.

Seeing the work appreciated by hundreds of thousands of people, embraced by the media, and successfully achieve its objective of cultural visibility and virality was incredibly rewarding.

One Key Lesson

Large, multi-stakeholder projects come with unknowns. Technical constraints shift. Approvals take time. Surprises happen.

The biggest lesson I took away is the importance of building generous timelines for ideation, approvals, and execution. When working at city scale, preparation is not optional. It is what allows creativity to shine when it finally meets the public.

I once listened to a podcast saying that we should allow for “good enough.” This makes sense. After persistence, sometimes it’s ok to tell ourselves that things are good enough and just get better next time. Or else, you will not stop “perfecting” something.

Instead of striving for unattainable perfection, aiming for “good enough” can lead to better overall performance. These are some of the things I follow to overcome perfectionism:

Setting realistic goals: Focus on achievable targets and celebrate incremental progress.

Limiting changes: If you allow yourself to have limitless changes, you will never stop thinking, never stop perfecting something and will never be happy with the outcome. It can lead to burnout.

Embracing mistakes: I’ve learned to understand that errors are part of the learning process and an opportunity for growth. You should remind your team about this to foster a more positive attitude towards mistakes.

Practicing self-care: I engage in non-work activities that rejuvenate and mitigate stress, whether cycling, running or attending art events.

As managers and leaders, it’s crucial to recognize and harness the positive aspects of perfectionism yet remind ourselves being a perfectionist has the potential to inhibit growth. We will lose some opportunities.

At a high level, these videos explore the mindset, lived experiences, and turning points behind Filipino founders, builders, and professionals who chose a different path. It is not about quick wins, hacks, or surface-level motivation. It is about understanding how culture, migration, family expectations, and identity intersect with entrepreneurship and career growth.

The goal is simple but intentional: to create thoughtful, well-produced conversations that reflect the complexity of Filipino ambition. The kind that balances practicality with emotion, discipline with hope, and realism with possibility.

This project is deliberately designed to stay high-level. The focus is on themes, values, and perspective rather than formulas or playbooks. That is intentional. The power of these stories is not in replicating someone else’s path, but in seeing what is possible when context and courage meet.

What These Videos Represent

At its core, this video series is about representation and reframing. Many Filipinos grow up with strong work ethic but limited exposure to entrepreneurial narratives that feel attainable or culturally relevant. These videos aim to shift that lens, not by prescribing a single definition of success, but by showcasing diverse interpretations of it.

You will see conversations that touch on growth, identity, risk, creativity, and reinvention. Each episode is meant to feel grounded, reflective, and human, rather than performative.

Looking for Interviewees

As this project grows, I am looking to connect with Filipinos who are open to being part of these conversations.

You do not need to be famous, viral, or have a perfect success story. What matters is perspective, intention, and lived experience. Founders, entrepreneurs, creatives, professionals building something on the side, or individuals navigating unconventional paths are all welcome.

If you believe your story could add depth to a broader conversation about Filipino entrepreneurship, I would love to hear from you. This is about contributing to a shared narrative, not spotlight-chasing.

Moving Forward

This is a long-term project, built with care and purpose. It is meant to evolve organically and remain protected in its vision. The intention is not scale for the sake of scale, but impact through meaning.

More to come soon.