Internal Sunset of the Restless Mind

22nd September 2011

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Samsung PR Chronicles

I’ve been meaning to but I haven’t really gotten around to finding the time and the words to actually write this until now. A long period of writer’s block, I guess, has occurred.

I’ve recently ended my 13-month relationship with Samsung as a PR Assistant. The reason? Well, I guess I don’t have to broadcast it to over 16,000 followers. It’s very personal. But you can be assured that I wasn’t fired. Of course they wouldn’t fire the most reliable PR Assistant Samsung has ever had. Or so I’ve been told.

It’s also not a case of another Andrea Sachs story. Although I could relate to her very much in many levels. From dealing with topnotch people in the industry, to running errands for an event. From talking to editors of the biggest broadsheets and magazines in the country, to working with top-of-the-line photographers and well-renowned celebrities. My stay in Samsung has been genuinely exciting, glamorous, not to mention prestigious. Sure, my boss wears Prada, and she’s like the Miranda Priestly of the local tech industry in some ways but she’s in no way a devil.

If I were to describe my employment in Samsung in three words, I’d use the cliche “a roller-coaster ride” except that the one I took was all glammed up with Android phones and tablets, 3D internet TVs and elegant laptops. Very premium, actually.

Of course it’s not purely a bliss all throughout. It also involved a lot of whining here, a little bit of crying over there, and a whole bunch of cursing everywhere.

There’s this one time that a bunch of Samsung microwave ovens made me cry. We needed them for an event and the logistics staff couldn’t give me an update on the status of the delivery, not to mention the stress of creating press kits and last minute small details for that particular event. I’ve also used the patronus charm (Expecto Patronum!) that one time when a snooty colleague bitched out on me which made her look like a dementor of some sort.

But it was fun, all in all. I’ve experienced a lot, learned so much that the delinquent, careless, and come-what-may kind of guy in me had taken a sudden transformation into (if I could say) a more responsible corporate dude clad in long-sleeved polo, slacks, and black leather shoes.

If it wasn’t for Samsung, model/TV host Bianca Valerio wouldn’t have noticed that I have a nice butt. I wouldn’t be in beso terms with DJ Mia of Magic 89.9. Georgia of Wave 89.1 wouldn’t have greeted me on air for my 21st birthday. I also wouldn’t have experienced the posh office of Marlon Rivera, director of Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank.

I wouldn’t have had lunch with three of the country’s top designers Rajo Laurel, Rhett Eala, and Randy Ortiz in Sala.

I wouldn’t have carried Daphne Oseña-Paez’s youngest daughter in my arms during a photoshoot. I wouldn’t have gone into several road trips around Metro Manila with former MYX VJ and now UKG host Andre Felix for the Samsung-WNCAA VJ hunt. I also wouldn’t have experienced Sam Milby’s limousine in Baguio. And former President Fidel V. Ramos wouldn’t have told me “Tigasan mo! Tigasan mo pa!” when I shook his hand during an event.

If it wasn’t for Samsung, I wouldn’t be able to easily get Patron tickets to the Samsung Cheerdance contest.

If it wasn’t for Samsung, my writeups wouldn’t be published in the country’s major broadsheets.

I wouldn’t have gone to Bacolod to experience the MassKara Festival, to Iloilo for Dinagyang, to Cebu for Sinulog, and to Baguio for the Panagbenga Festival. All that in one year.

I also wouldn’t have flown business class in Philippine Airlines to Cebu, and stayed in a spacious presidential suite in Crowne Plaza for two nights.

I also wouldn’t have experienced going on stage during the Miss Sinulog pageant to award a 32-inch LCD TV to the winner.

I also wouldn’t be able to experience lavish overnight stay and buffets in the country’s premiere hotels such as the Oakwood, Manila Peninsula, EDSA Shangri-la, Marriott among others.

Man, have I learned a lot from my experience in Samsung. The company that glorifies itself as “the leading brand in technological innovation,” could also be the best avenue for real-life training for the real world.

Tagged: personal Samsung