JULY 2019 103And then opportunity came
knocking: two gigs as a television
commercial director. Santos
knew immediately that this was
his moment.
But never one to rest on his
laurels, Santos followed this feat
with “what any man who had the
courage and the dream” would
do—put up his own production
outfit. This vision has since come
to life in the form of Kahel House
Video Production Inc., a full
service film and video production
house for which Santos serves as
director. “My [company’s] unique
selling proposition is [that we]
can work on any budget without
sacrificing the quality of the
materials,” he says.
You’d think, considering how
grueling Santos’ line of work
can be, he’d have little time for
a hobby, much less an often costly
passion outside of his profession.
But in reality, Santos pays none
of this any mind.
The 44-year-old father of three
happens to be an avid film
memorabilia collector. His trove
runs the gamut of pop culture—
nuggets from blockbuster films
like Star Wars, Star Trek, and
The Matrix, and everything else
in between.
In an interview with Speed,
Santos reflects candidly on his
career, his passions, and the most
prized piece in his collection.
Who are the people you look
up to in your field?
The first person that I looked
up to was my brother. At a very
young age, he was able to build
his own house and his own
production house and climb his
way to the top. I learned so many
things from him, [including] how
to treat clients well.Then there are all the directors
that I have worked with. In terms
of style, I was able to adopt them
and make them better. There is
this one director who became
my very good friend and who
really inspires me. He’s Cholo
Hidalgo Laurel, very creative
and very good in storytelling.
He believed in me. He was one
of the people who helped me to
succeed and brought me to where
I am right now.What are the gadgets you use
at work?
I use Apple products for my
editing and color grading. They
are stable, durable, and powerful,
although a little bit expensive.
But it’s worth it to invest. I’ve
been an Apple user since it was
introduced to me and have been
an avid fan of Apple for almost
12 years now.Tell us about how you were
drawn to collecting.
I think I was drawn to collecting
toys because during my younger
years, I didn’t have any. My
parents were thrifty, especially
my mother.I started collecting way back in
1998, despite the hard truth that
I was not financially capable of
collecting. But my interest has
kept me going. From action
figures it evolved to ¼ scale
Premium Format Statues,
I started collecting statues with
no specific line; I just buy, unbox,
and display. Marvel, DC, Aliens,
Predators, Star Wars, Lord of the
Rings, anything. My toys make
me feel good— they remove
my stress.If it’s okay to disclose, how
much have you spent on your
collection?
We collectors usually don’t
compute. Otherwise, we would
be devastated with the outcome
(laughs). But I will tell you myestimate: more or less P4 million.
My Star Wars collection already
cost me about P2.5 million. Since
I am a completist who started
collecting Star Wars Master
Replicas two years ago, I got
them at a very high price and
they were all 1:1 scale. Most of
them had been signed by the
actors themselves.What’s your most prized
possession in your collection?
My most prized possession is
my Princess Leia Blaster made
by Master Replicas. It has Carrie
Fisher’s signature! I bought it
for P45,000.Any favorites?
My Star Wars collections. I have
life size statues of Darth Maul,
Young Anakin, Watto, and Jar Jar
Binks. My special collections are
these 1:1 lightsabers by Master
Replicas. I like them for their
accuracy and the museum quality
of every piece. They were all
hard to find, especially the Mace
Windu lightsaber signed
by Samuel Jackson!What are your plans for your
collections?
To keep them as long as I can.
I use them to entertain my
clients. Plus, they maintain the
good vibe in my office. They’re
a source of happiness. I love
getting to work around my
passion and my childhood all
around me. Perhaps if I do retire,
I could start converting them
to cash.How important is it for a
creative like you to have
pursuits outside of work?
It is important to have pursuits
outside work to avoid burning
out, to have a break once in a
while so my mind stays fresh.How do you see yourself in
10 years?
I’d probably stop directing
and just manage the company.
I would help my son to operate
my company until I can let him
go to continue the business.
My daughter plans to study either
law or psychology, which means
I still need to push myself to
work. However, my dream 10
years from now is to have a rest
house with my entire collection
there, and where I can look at the
sunset while holding my wife’s
hand and spend the rest of my life
with her.GERALD SANTOS