Why Punchdrunk Panda created Anteroom Sessions

Punchdrunk Panda’s Anteroom Sessions was really all about showcasing budding independent brands and talent. And as a company that passionately pursues creativity through our work, we acknowledge others who actively follow their creative inclinations, and provided this avenue to share their passion with others.

We had people passionate about music. About tea. About photos. About film. About fashion. About dance. About design.

We listened to inspired and inspiring performances from:  RJ Gomez of Love Never Dies

 Karlo Cleto of Love Never Dies

Selena Salang of Slow Hello

Diego Mapa of Tarsius

Owel Alvero of Manuel Nicolas Alvero

Mike Benedicto of Outerhope 

 Mick Benedicto of Outerhope

 Francis Maria Regalado of Love in Athens
…and DJ sets by Only Revolutions. (view more photos here)

We cooled down with smile-inducing tea concoctions from our host venue Moonleaf Tea Shop.
We let loose, wielded nifty props and got fun, free photos as Anteroom keepsakes, thanks to Topshot Photo Booth.
Punchdrunk Panda also sold all sorts of funky items alongside Splatt.MNL, Junk Studio, Holic, Filed & Analog Soul.

Some of the Punchdrunk Panda creations we had in our pop-up shop

We also screened webisodes from our last photo shoot in which we collaborated with hip hop dancers Legit Status, photographers from Little Red Moments, stylist Reza Aznar and make-up artist Shayna Young. (We also collaborated with The Amazing Playground and Giordano Philippines for our shoot apparel). Through the webisodes, we wanted to showcase the passion that these people have, and what drives them to pursue their respective crafts.
Of course, we could not have produced the webisodes without the help of Fictionaut Productions, whose short film and demo reel we also featured.

Jopy Arnaldo of Fictionaut Productions

Anteroom Sessions started as a nameless, modest idea to show some Punchdrunk Panda sample products at a milk tea place while screening our photo shoot webisodes and having a DJ (a coaxed boyfriend) mix some tunes. Gradually, the idea grew and grew, and with everyone who decided to come on board with us for this event, Anteroom Sessions became bigger than we could have imagined.

I’ve finally calmed down from the sustained high I got from Anteroom Sessions, but a “kilig” feeling still lingers back every now and then when I think about Anteroom Sessions.

This is probably among the more “serious” writing I’ve done for Punchdrunk Panda, (because I’m usually trying to be witty or funny when I write for PdP), but I just can’t help but feel like we achieved something important through our first ever event. We’ll definitely do this again next year, and hopefully showcase even more independent brands and talent.

What did you guys think about Anteroom Sessions?
How can we make it better?
Post on our Facebook page or tweet us.
We’d love to know your thoughts. :)

Photo credits to Leo Avendano & Jonver David.