On the list of must-haves for every couple’s wedding day, there’s usually one name that comes up: Jason Magbanua. Jason is known as the wedding videographer on everyone’s wishlist, with his innate ability to capture on video once-in-a-lifetime moments and all the overflowing emotions one feels on their special day. His claim to fame was the introduction of same-day edits (SDEs) during wedding receptions, where the newlyweds and guests can relive the event that happened mere hours ago. Over the years, he’s built a star-studded portfolio with names like Solenn Heussaff & Nico Bolzico, Judy Ann Santos & Ryan Agoncillo, and Bianca Gonzalez & JC Intal. And with 25 years in the industry, you’d think that Jason would’ve hit a plateau in his career. But just last month, he’s wrapped up one of his biggest projects yet with his team: covering power couple Zeinab Harake and Ray Parks Jr.’s wedding, where their video amassed 11 million views on YouTube.

While Jason often speaks about his passion for film and storytelling, he also likes to geek out on coffee. If he’s not behind a camera, he’s most likely behind an espresso machine making lattes. And where there is an editing desk, there’s always a cup of coffee on the side. We invited Jason to collaborate on a coffee blend and merch line with Plain Sight, which he aptly named the Sleep-Deprived Editor (SDE) Collection. We caught up with him to chat about pursuing passions, how coffee fuels his creativity, and his vision for the collaboration.

 

On Building a Lasting Career

You’ve been a wedding videographer for more than 25 years. How were you able to thrive in such a fast-paced industry all these years?

Jason: I can distill it to a few things. Number one, I just really love what I do. I love wedding videos and creating films for our couples. When I was starting out, I was a one-man crew. I would do everything, film, edit, talk to people, send the deliverables, and then just attend the bridal fairs. And it’s a passion that has never left me.

Second thing is being true to my own voice, because trends come and go. I don't chase trends. It's just being true to what I believe in, which is storytelling and focusing on the couple, not the fancy techniques of editing and shooting. There's a time and place for that, I agree. But me, I stuck to my guns, so to speak.

The third one would be making the customer experience just really pleasurable for my clients. From the very first time that they communicate with us via email, from pre-production, talking about their wedding on the actual day, and then post-wedding, how we deal with them in terms of deliverables. It’s the reason we’ve kept at this for 25 years and counting.

 

On Chasing Your Passion

In your talks, you share a very realistic take about pursuing creative passions, where it doesn't necessarily have to be your job. When you were first starting out, especially during really challenging moments, at what point did you realize that you wanted to stick to it professionally instead of just for your personal enjoyment?

Jason: Okay, great question. I have to look back a long time ago. Back then, I was a teacher for five years in Lucena City, Quezon Province. I quit that and said to myself, “Okay, let me go back to Metro Manila and see how it goes.” Let me tell you, it was super hard because I was expecting my firstborn back then, and then to see in my calendar that I only had around 10 bookings for the year was really tough. Because when you book something today, you’re not going to get anything except the down payment. Everything will be reaped weeks or months after.

So, why did I stick to it? I stuck to it because I really believed in what I was doing. Even though other people didn’t believe in me because it was a different kind of storytelling, very contemporary at the time. People were used to two-hour wedding videos delivered on VHS.

Even though it looked bleak, I gambled on myself. It was make or break, and I really had to make it work, because I had a son coming in. I had to gamble on myself that it was worth pursuing even if it was really rough at the start.

 

On Making Wedding Same-Day Edits Mainstream

You’re credited as the one who pioneered the really cinematic same-day edits (SDEs) for weddings. So what about SDEs do you think people really enjoy? Why do you think it became such a big hit?

Jason: At the start, my selling point to the same-day edit was that this is something that you can share right away to your friends and family, because the final wedding video won't be out until the next several months. The main selling point was immediacy.

Now, the second thing is on a more artistic level. Because at the start, there wasn’t much artistry. And the way that I interpret wedding ceremonies, filming and putting it together and using audio and music as tools, I'm delivering something else altogether other than what you saw. And that connects with others on an emotional level.

It really caught on without me expecting. And I'm credited with that. I'm happy. Maybe I'm really one of the first few to do it. I don't know if there's historical basis, but I own up to it. This is me. This is what I do.

 

On Jason’s Coffee Routine

How does coffee play a part in your daily routine and your artistic process?

Jason: I drink coffee for the taste of it. It's freaking delicious. I make the best oat lattes at home.

And it's just a signifier that I'm ready to face the day, right? I don't want to call it an addiction, but if I don’t have coffee in the morning, it’s like there’s something missing. You're not powered enough, you're not driven enough.

So, I have my latte and then I go on about my business. Usually in the morning, it's a lot of emails, client stuff, admin work. It's only in the afternoon that if I need to edit something, that's when I do my second cup. Or even if I'm not doing anything and just listening to music, I have coffee. Usually, my cut-off is at 3 p.m. or 4 p.m.

If there's a shoot day, I bring along an iced coffee. I bring it in my flask and that will power me throughout the day, especially when I do same-day edits on a wedding day.

 

 

On How It Started with Plain Sight

Can you share with others your story with Plain Sight, from how it all started up until the collab?

Jason: My relationship with Plain Sight, of course, is I'm a customer first. I learned that our roasters here in the Philippines are truly world class and it's not lip service. Because before, I would get beans on a regular basis from Europe. And I would think falsely that because it's imported, it's good. When I was able to try other local roasters like Plain Sight, it's like, wow. Okay, I don't need a subscription anymore from abroad because everything that I need, everything that I want in coffee, it’s in the Philippines.

Now, I’m collaborating with Plain Sight, and it’s an honor of a lifetime to come up with my own coffee blend. To be asked that, it's truly amazing. And I am in deep gratitude to the people at Plain Sight.

(Photo by Tara Reyes)

 

 

 

On His Collaboration With Plain Sight Coffee

Can you describe your concept for the collaboration with Plain Sight?

Jason: When we started, the very basic question was “What do I want in my coffee beans?”

I am an espresso drinker, so we started with that. And then, what kind of espresso do I want? I want something that's not straight out super nutty and chocolatey. I want something different that also goes well with a latte, whether it’s with oat or dairy milk. That's how it started.

It was a lot of trial and error during the cupping until we arrived at something that we can put our name on proudly, Plain Sight and Jason Magbanua.

And then of course, what do we call it? It took us a while but we decided to call it by what we’re known for, the SDE. We wanted to do something funny and relatable for my audience, which is videographers and editors. That’s when we knew: Let's call it SDE, Sleep-Deprived Editor. It's not taking ourselves too seriously, but I'm telling you, the coffee is seriously good. It's an appeal to people who just burn the midnight oil, editors who take the long nights to finish something that they need to finish.

 

 

What are you most excited about in this collaboration?

Jason: I'm excited about the launch because I will be there personally at the HQ for the bar takeover to make coffee for the people attending. Yes, I’m the video guy, but I’m also the coffee guy in my circle. I'm excited for them to taste what we have prepared. Officially, formally, this is my first bar takeover. Plus, it's going to be with my beans—I’m going to claim it—my beans. It's super surreal.

 

 

 

The Sleep-Deprived Editor collection is officially launching on July 30! Join the waitlist to be among the first to purchase from the collection when it goes live.