Featured Expert at Work: John Aguilar

John Aguilar is the president and founder of television production company StreetPark Productions, Inc. and the Executive Producer of Philippine Realty TV. Persistent and dedicated, he truly immerses himself in his work to guarantee success in everything that he does. He calls himself a Method Producer because just like Method Actors, he heart and soul gets into his work.

When he started his TV show, John admits that he hardly knew anything about the real estate industry. But to prepare for and be adept in the industry, he showed extraordinary dedication to become the prominent and influential TV producer that he is now.

How did your career in television production start?

I graduated with a degree in Psychology, but my career path then was really toward media. I worked in different TV organizations before putting up my own company in 2003. I sort of used my experience to build my own production company which was really my goal from the start.

What do you love most about your job?

My job does not feel like a job. It allows me to do something that is different all the time. It inspires me to do what I love to do.

Name your top three strengths as a practitioner in the broadcasting industry. How do these strengths help you in your career?

I value my independence. I have wild ideas and it helps that I do not necessarily have a boss with whom I need to clear things with before I implement.

I like to innovate. That is the thing with me; I like to come up with different things that have never been done before.

I am creative. It is essentially useful when we come up with plans and strategies as a company.

How would you describe your work style?

I can be very intense and calculated at the same time. In the initial coming up with ideas, I can be intense. As a result, in a span of perhaps a day or two, I would already have an idea on what I want to do with a new business. On the other hand, I can also be calculated when the strategy is to cascade to my team what needs to be done and have them take care of the nitty-gritty. I like giving everyone in my team independence when it comes to their work. And while there is constant collaboration, designation of tasks to the team allows them to come up with their own decisions that they can execute accordingly. As much as possible, I am intense at the start then I let them do the rest of the work so I can concentrate on the bigger picture.

Your ideas for functional and inventive homes are both clever and beneficial. Where do you get your inspiration?

Inspiration comes probably from materials that I read and the people that I talk to. The good thing about having a TV show about real estate is that I get to talk to a lot of people in the industry. Ideas come freely and sometimes it just takes a small opportunity to create something unique and impactful.

When did your love for real estate start?

I kind of learned things as I went along because of the TV show; my love for real estate actually just grew. Real estate is not hard to love.  It is a dynamic industry; a healthy one to be in. It is an industry that has a lot of components and stakeholders that you can learn from.

Why do you think sustainable and smart homes are important in the Philippines?

They are important primarily because we do not have a choice anymore. We have to be able to come up with home designs that are adaptive and meant for our particular needs; we cannot just copy the home designs in other countries. People are now more aware of the importance of building smart and building green and the demand for green homes is actually high. Moreover, because of that awareness, it is good to know that developers are becoming more responsible now.

Can you tell us more about your projects – the First Home, Smart Home, and Green Home – in Philippine Realty TV?

Project: First Home

Back in 2009, I built Project: First Home which was the first home that was ever built from scratch in real time on Philippine TV. We documented the building of my first home. My vision was to document everything a first time home builder would go through, from the construction all the way to the interior design, to educate viewers on the entire home building process. The series was eventually made into my book “Project: First Home-everything you need to build your house from scratch” which is now available nationwide through National Bookstore, Fully Booked, and all Wilcon branches.

Project: Green Home

The project was created to show people how to build greener homes in the Philippines. We worked with numerous green suppliers that have technologies and products that either have a green stamp of approval or something that uses sustainable materials. As much as possible, we sourced green materials within a particular vicinity so there won’t be additional transportation cost in bringing the materials to the project site.

Project: Smart Home

Project: Smart Home is a flood adaptive townhouse project we built in Marikina inspired by the events of Ondoy. It is a raised townhouse complex. The entire structure was raised so the ground floor would empty; the only thing that would be there is your car. It has a floatable carport that would enable a car to float in case of another catastrophic flood just like Ondoy. It also has a detachable balcony RAFT– RAFT stands for Regenerative Amphibious Floating Terraces that can carry up to four people. We came up with Project: Smart Home to help and address the needs of low-laying areas like Marikina.

Nowadays, what is the best type of home Filipinos should invest in?

The most obvious criteria should be affordability – it has to be something you can afford. There are a lot of people who buy homes they cannot afford. Eventually, a lot of them would end up foreclosing their houses. When investing, you should be smart and practical. The house has to be near your workplace or the school of your children. Ideally both, but if not possible, choose at least one. It will help you or your children reduce travel time and allow you the quality of life you deserve that you lose on a daily basis battling traffic.

What is your advice to people are planning to buy their first home?

Know your priorities. If you are a single young professional, a house or condo near your workplace should be your primary consideration. If you are in your 30s or 40s and you have kids, you need to consider what is convenient for your family. If you are in your 50s and that is the only time you are investing in your first property, it should be where you would eventually settle or retire. It might be near parks, malls, or theaters where you could relax. The considerations would vary depending on what stage of life you are in.

With your knowledge about the real estate industry and given your influence being a practitioner in the broadcasting industry, what is your encouragement to people who want to enter the industry and specialize in the real estate sector?

Learn as much as you can. Do not jump into something without knowing what you are getting into. Knowing the ins and outs of the industry will give you the capability to come up with innovations or new ways of doing things. Get to know the industry, but at the same time keep a certain sense of naivety so you can also allow yourself to break rules and come up with something that is different. Innovation comes from knowing what you can do while keeping an open mind that would allow you to come up with groundbreaking ideas and innovative ways of doing things.

John knows that to succeed, one should never get into anything halfheartedly for dedication definitely goes a long way.