Written by Ching Balina
I’m sure most of us go through the phase of fangirling/fanboying over our favorite athlete, actor, musician, and so on. Yes, we buy their merch, we stalk their social media accounts, and that’s really fun. But what if I told you that you have a chance to sit across your idol and talk to them in person?
WhenInManila.com attends some of the best events, and for #WIMterns (WhenInManila Interns), these are memorable opportunities to not only hone their skills, but meet their favorite local and international celebrities at the same time!
Just take it from our Batch 2 #WIMterns. Below, they share the moment they met their favorite celebrities through their WhenInManila.com intern assignment:
On meeting Before You Exit
“I met quite a lot of celebrities through WIM event coverages actually–some of them by accident pa nga. I was given a free concert ticket for the Before You Exit concert and at first I didn’t know that it was a VIP ticket AND it comes with a meet and greet – I basically died when I found out. I went to the concert venue really, really early for the meet and greet and I met up with a new friend that I made on Twitter minutes before the concert because meet and greet photos are group photos which needs 5 people in it. To summarize what happened when I met them, I was hyperventilating when it was our turn for the group photo and the first thing that I told Riley McDonough was “OHMYGOD, YOU’RE SO TALL”. But hey, he laughed so I guess it wasn’t so embarrassing on my part AND I got to hug all of them.”
– Yann Magcamit, Writing Intern
On meeting Shawn Mendes
“Perhaps the most memorable celebrity meet experience I had through WIM was with Shawn Mendes during his press conference in Manila. I was so nervous when I got to the venue even if it wasn’t my first press conference cover because I had such a HUGE crush on Shawn Mendes. When it was time for the press to ask questions, I (admittedly) hogged the microphone and kept asking questions just so he’d look at me a lot HAHAHA. Because I was so nervous, I even forgot to introduce myself to him (everyone introduced themselves during their first questions) so on my second question, I told him “HAHA wait I forgot to introduce myself during my first question. I’m Yann from When in Manila” and he replied “Hi! Nice to meet you!” – and that’s the story of how I yelled “OHMYGOD” and broke down in giggles during a press conference. And yes, I was the one who asked Shawn Mendes if he was single.”
– Yann Magcamit, Writing Intern
On meeting Mikael Daez
“So, the most memorable #meetaceleb experience I had was when we met Mikael Daez. It was at a food park in Marikina and all the bloggers/press were asked to partake in a game. We were given a certain amount of money to buy food that we’ll have to defend and will impress Mikael. It was a contest and being the competitive beshie that I am, my partner and I toured the whole park before deciding! (SPOILER ALERT: We didn’t win but hey.) We ended up with churros with rum and nitrogen ice cream and found out that Mikael doesn’t drink much–so the rum churros were a bust. But he did love the nitrogen ice cream! I mean, it makes people look like dragons so who wouldn’t? It was really fun, not your typical interview. (And there were lots of food, I am not kidding!)”
– Louise De Luna, Writing Intern
On meeting Maine Mendoza
“I met Maine Mendoza during a shoot she was doing for Duty Free last Mother’s Day. My mom is a fan of AlDub (Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza) and it that was the reason I wanted to get this feature. During the shoot, I had to conquer my fear of getting close to a lot of people or get crowded in an area. Although we went through a lot, it was still so worth it.”
– Nikki Collantes, Photography Intern
On meeting Marika Sasaki
“During that shoot, I also met a co-VIP fan (Big Bang fan) and gained a friend in GMA Star Marika Sasaki. She is a talented and a bubbly person. This girl doesn’t need an energy drink anymore because she’s energetic and it’s contagious. We promised each other that we would watch the Big Bang concert here in the PH when they all come back from their army service. Her bias is Taeyang while mine is Seungri.”
– Nikki Collantes, Photography Intern
On meeting the cast of “Encantandia”
“I don’t watch Encantadia (yung first one lang huhu), so di pa ako familiar sa faces nila. But when they started arriving, kinakabahan and kinikilig pa rin ako! I didn’t know if we should entertain or talk to them para di awkward? hahaha. Nahihiya ako sa kanila, so I tried to play it cool nalang. Afterwards when we started shooting na, it was really fun because they were all g to pose for the camera and they seem to not have any bad angles!! Then it was really satisfying in the end because they were all excited for the photos and were very approachable.”
– Elaine Quion, Photography Intern
On meeting Maine Mendoza
“To be honest, I’ve been dreaming of this moment for like 2 years. As an OG fan of Maine even before the Aldub magic, it was truly a dream come true for #ARTdub nation.”
– Art Dalumpines III, Photography Intern
“Meeting NBA players is on my bucketlist since I’m a big fan of the league and the game. Sitting alongside Brook Lopez and making him guess Harry Potter spells isn’t something you do everyday!”
– Art Dalumpines III, Photography Intern
On meeting Gerald Anderson
“Gerald Anderson just got back from his first ever Skechers marathon and was more than willing to share and gush about his experience!
– Glee Rosales, Writing Intern
“I’m part of the team who went to see Gerald Anderson shoot his campaign with Skechers! We got to interview him and talk about his preparation for the LA marathon. We were down to our last question, which was if he liked pineapples on his pizza (and he said “No” hahaha), when he offered me apples! He had to stop me from talking to ask if I wanted apples, he placed the plate near me, but then I refused because I was too shy to take a piece from his plate. Then he asked me if I was sure and all. Then he went to the other room and the only thought in my head was “WHY DIDN’T I TAKE HIS APPLES?!”
– Regina Bumatay, Writing Intern
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The perks of interning for WhenInManila.com are awesome and the experience is fulfilling. Want to get your chance? Visit this link to learn more. It’s going to be one fun ride, we promise. 🙂
