BUDJETTE TAN goes to Denmark. Will TRESE be tagging along?
Budjette Tan’s abrupt move to Denmark surprised a lot of people. Though they were saddened, they are still happy with the reason behind his relocation; he recently just got hired by the Lego Company.
Fortunately, we had the opportunity to talk to him days after he settled in. We asked him about his job and how he landed it. “I am one of the Creative Directors here in Lego. I am working in their “internal ad agency”. So, I am part of the team that will be creating advertising campaigns for the different Lego brands.I got the job by sending in my application through the Lego site. My friends and fellow comic book creators Mervin Ignacio and Ian Sta. Maria were the first guys I knew who applied and were accepted in Lego. So, I also gave it a try and got accepted as well.” he says.
For those who don’t know it yet, Budjette worked for an ad agency. While his nights were occupied with Trese and the supernatural, his days were spent as McCann’s Executive Creative Director. He told us that his experiences in both fields helped him land the job.
Now, Trese wasn’t Budjette’s only work. He also co-created The Dark Colony Book I : Mikey Recio & the Secret of the Demon Dungeon with Bow Guerrero and J.B. Tapia. We know what you’re thinking. What will happen to those books now that he is going to live in another country? Now fear not, he told us that he met with them before he left. “Me and Kajo (Baldisimo) had a talk before I left Manila. I also met up with Bow and JB. So, we definitely have plans to do more stories of TRESE and more DEMON DUNGEON stories, as well as other comic book projects.”
As Budjette said earlier, Ian Sta. Maria and Mervin Ignacio, creators of SKYWORLD, got in Lego before him. They’re not only going to be co-workers but they’re going to be neighbors as well. Now this has gotten Skyworld’s fans excited as this might be a sign of its second coming. “As you might have seen on Ian’s FB page, Ian and Mervin are now warming up to get started on a new Skyworld story. Most probably, I’ll be working with them on this new project as their editor, just like before. Me and Kajo will still be working on Trese. And me, Bow, and JB will still be working on Demon Dungeon. If there are any new comic book projects happening, they might happen after we’re done with these ongoing projects.“ says Budjette.
We asked him if he would recommend creative people – artists, writers to live together or to live apart from each other. “You can be physically together or physically apart and still get work done. What’s more important is to have a collaborative-attitude when it comes to the work. What’s important is to always provide a venue to openly talk and discuss the project, to agree on where you want to take the story, to be honest enough with one another to express how you really feel about the story and art and your attitude with one another, and to be open enough to find a solution for every obstacle you guys encounter. Then it won’t matter if you’re collaborating with someone face-to-face or if you’re collaborating with them via email and Viber.”
For our last question, we asked him the something that almost all who left the country has heard – What he’ll miss most here in the Philippines. “Aside from being with my family and friends, I’ll miss being able to walk to Comic Odyssey every week to get my usually pull list (the nearest comic book shop here is 3 hours away by car). And, of course, I’ll miss being able to attend all the local comic book events.”
We from FlipGeeks wish you good luck on all your future projects in Lego and in your komiks that you share with us.
Luigi Cabrera
