An Interview with Sarah Meier and Vicky Herrera (Authors of ‘Unscripted’)
A couple months ago, I posted a review of a book that opened me up to a new culture, a list of foreign talent and a breadth of knowledge of entertainers and creative individuals in the Philippines. The book is titled ‘Unscripted’, and the amazing authors behind aforementioned book are Sarah Meier and Vicky Herrera.
A while back, I was lucky enough for the chance to interview the two and now, I can finally reveal what went on during that interview.
1. Who are you and what do you do?
Sarah:
Hi. My name is Sarah. In a nutshell, I’m a half Swiss half Filipina chick that was born and raised in Hong Kong, spent my teenage years in Manila, and the rest of my life traversing the globe, getting paid to ask creative and famous people questions. I write articles for magazines I’m sometimes on the cover of, write scripts for TV shows I’m occasionally the host of, wear pretty clothes made by Filipino designers, run my mouth about how much I love the Philippines, and once in awhile I have the incredible opportunity to fall in love in and with Hip Hop all over again.
Vicki:
For work, I am a model, host and writer. But for life, I like to help people out with words I write, explore the world, have rich conversations with interesting people, and always experience new adventures. Who knows what I’ll evolve to become. This year, I’ve made “doing what I love” my first goal and I’ll let the career labels come later.
2. What’s the story behind ‘Unscripted’ and how did it first make its way onto the airwaves in the Philippines?
Vicki:
In 2009, when I was still working for Status Magazine, I received a call out of nowhere from my booker to co-host a radio show with Sarah. (Sarah and I are in the same modeling agency in Manila so he represents us both.) He told me that the same company behind MTV Philippines was starting a radio station called U92. They got Sarah to host a show and she needed a co-host – so they called me! I had no prior experience in radio, but I knew it was something I wanted to try. So within 15 minutes all I said was “When do we start?” Actually, I’m lucky to have been given that opportunity.
From there we had a solid one year of radio work in our morning show “The Dollhouse”, interviewing awesome guests from different industries in the Philippines. I feel like we really brought a fresh approach to a traditional medium. We really learned the ropes of how being a radio DJ was. In terms of lining up songs, creating great content, interviews as well as the being exposed to business side of marketing. I learned a lot from that new environment and I feel like I really grew up in a lot of ways.
After the show ended, we received a lot of messages/tweets from our Dollhouse fans wishing we were still on air. So we decided to come out with a book last December that documented the entire journey. From putting together the best interviews from the show, photos, plus adding great photography, art, and graphic design from our talented friends in Manila.
3. What did you want to express with ‘Unscripted’?
Sarah:
Completely honest answer? I’ve said a great number of things about this book being our gift to the next generation, and our “salute” to the one that came before us, but the most fundamental thing about getting ‘Unscripted’ done and out on shelves, was precisely that; getting it done and out on shelves. If Vicky and I got paid for creating concepts, we’d have matching minimalist beach houses on a private island, brownstone walk ups in Brooklyn, and a villa in the Italian countryside. Good ideas are EASY for us. But choosing which ones to invest passion, cash, and time into – and then doing all the grunt work to see it through? All I’m saying is that the process was the progress, and what that expresses is that a) to begin, you must dream without boundaries, and b) to make them real, you must create boundaries. Ah, the irony.
Vicki:
We wanted to express time-tested lessons that the youth could learn from but in a fresh way. The guests we interviewed have really lived interesting lives and we wanted to bridge that gap between the people who came before, and today’s generation. Bringing these “OGs” back in a way that was relevant for the youth to understand. ‘Cause at the end of the way, we can learn a lot from different people from their life stories.
Our guests are so diverse. We have everyone from the former first lady Imelda Marcos to the Philippine pioneers of hip-hop, Mastaplann. But what’s so great is that even if you never experienced the show, you never lived in the Philippines, or you never heard of us, you can pick it up and basically get the whole story right away.
READ THE REST OF THE INTERVIEW HERE...
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