Get to know the entrepreneur lighting up celebrity's birthdays and weddings
From Francine Diaz’s fairytale-themed debut to Barbie Imperial’s 24th girl-on-fire-inspired birthday, Always In Motion proves nothing is impossible.
In an interview with PhilSTAR L!fe, Gelvin Hernandez, the president of Always in Motion, shared how he plans to reinvent the way Filipinos do celebrations one LED design at a time.
The entrepreneur and LED wall design visual artist attributed his fascination with the LED visual designs to music festivals he witnessed such as Tomorrowland, as well as to the performances of K-pop groups like Twice and Blackpink.
He observed that while visual design was taking ground in other countries, the market in the Philippines was still niche, so he taught himself professional animation and editing.
“I didn’t have formal training, but I can say I’m very good finding artists and training them. Almost all of my staff hindi rin marunong nung nag start eh pero may mga nakuha ako na magagaling. Since very collaborative yung team namin, nagtutulungan kami. Learning experience din kasi every event is a challenge,” Hernandez told PhilSTAR L!fe.
As an undergraduate, Hernandez did not know he would tread a path in designing, let alone motion graphics, as he is a licensed chemical engineering from the De La Salle University. He said his Filipino-Chinese roots and being business-minded helped him realize his true career path in 2019.
The company was first established as Always In Motion Designs, but transitioned into Always In Motion Live during the pandemic, with Hernandez hoping that the company would soon conduct more live events. Since then, Always in Motion Live has covered all kinds of events possible, from weddings, birthday parties, online and offline corporate events, and even music festivals.
Top to bottom approach
Another factor that fueled this passion was Hernandez’s frustration over the LED visual designs he often saw at weddings abroad, which he found “very basic.” Most of the LED visual designs he saw focused on lively events such as concerts and music festivals. He wanted to soften the graphics and make these appropriate for weddings to set his company apart from others in the business.
“We’re very inclined with social events, so the term would be, ‘Mayroon kaming landi.’ A lot of people do cool graphics na maangas, na very out-of-this-world graphics, but only a few can do stylings for weddings. Almost 90% of our works now are for weddings and debuts. So from the idea to only do it in concerts and music festivals, I transitioned to weddings,” he said.
Hernandez stressed that Filipinos love to go all out for weddings, so he took it upon himself to give his clients a unique, theatrical, and thematic experience worth remembering.
The process starts with a one-on-one meeting with the client where the team gets to know the couple or the birthday celebrant. This part is where they note the motif, table cloth, and even the colors of the flowers. Hernandez refers to this process as a top to bottom approach, where the AIM Live team confers with the client from conceptualization to the end of the momentous celebration.
“We’re part of your event. We do the installation. We do the playback of the videos. This adds a personal touch. We are there from the first meeting up to the last message when the couple says thank you. We don’t just send the graphics to you, as if saying ‘Here are the graphics. Thank you. Bye-bye. Congratulations’,” Hernandez explained.
Motion graphics, challenges
Motion graphics is still a niche market in the country, and Hernandez revealed that clients would often vaguely ask him to simply make them a video. However, that’s not all there is to it. He takes into account the occasion, purpose, and style of the event to serve as a guide for the artists to capture the client’s vision.
Hernandez highlighted that motion graphics thrives because of the artistic ingenuity of Filipino artists. As talented as they may be, they’re usually confronted with a limited budget, time, and space, on top of an influx of events happening almost weekly. Filipino artists rise above these challenges with their resilience and resourcefulness.
The AIM Live owner acknowledges that weddings are a collaborative effort, and that despite limitations, all significant aspects come together to deliver a world-class wedding experience.
“I get to work with a lot of stylists in the Philippines. Gideon Hermosa, Teddy Manuel, Dave Sandoval, to name just a few, and they’re very creative. We’re challenged in the Philippines because there are events every week. A lot. So the real challenge is how to be creative and how to make something new,” he said.
Favorite celebrity events
“I think one of my favorite yung kay Francine Diaz kasi it’s very simple, pero very elegant. It’s also how Francine is. I got starstruck with her but ‘pag kasama mo siya she’s very simple and ang bait niya sobra,” Hernandez recalled of the Kapamilya actress.
Another concept he liked was YouTube content creator Small Laude’s 1M Laughs pink birthday bash for her subscribers. Hernandez said that this event was memorable because Laude gave them creative freedom.
Barbie Imperial’s fire-inspired 24th birthday party is the third most unforgettable event on his list. Events stylist Gideon Hermosa challenged him to make it seem as if Okada, the hotel venue was ablaze.
Each event was unique, a “burning” hotel for Barbie; something sweet, ethereal, and dreamy for Francine; and fun, fun, fun in pink for Laude’s concert,” he said.
Working with celebrities is an accomplishment in itself, but he adds that he feels a sense of fulfillment when their hard work is acknowledged online.
“You get to know them, that they’re simple and appreciative, and not at all intimidating. It’s one of the best things I like about our work,” he said.
Dream clients
After doing almost a thousand local events, Hernandez dreams of going global, bringing Filipino to the fore as a visual artist and LED wedding designer.
He wants to work with Nike and Adidas next, as he is a big fan of these athletic brands.
He would also like to work with Megastar Sharon Cuneta and Asia’s Songbird Regine Velasquez in a concert setting. “The work would be intricate. Working with them in a concert setting would be a very fulfilling and a big achievement for Always In Motion Live,” he said.
“Aside from doing concerts, I’d also like to work with the group of Anne Curtis, Solenn Heusaff, Isabelle Daza, Liz Uy, Bea Soriano Dee, and Kathryn Bernardo. My wife is a huge fan these celebrities. So we’re waiting and hoping for an event or a birthday. We’ll be first in line. Anong gusto niya, bibigay namin,” he added.
In addition, Hernandez pointed out that his wife is a huge fan of the It Girls with Anne Curtis, Solenn Heussaf, Isabelle Daza, Liz Uy, and Bea Soriano Dee, including 2 Good 2 Be True actress Kathryn Bernardo.
“Aside from doing concerts siguro, if I get to work with sila… yung group nila Anne Curtis siguro. Yung barkada nila, I think that’s one of the… sila Solenn Heusaff, if I get to work with them kasi gusto sila ng asawa ko and also si Kathryn Bernardo, very big fan kasi talaga yung wife ko. As in we’re waiting, sana kung mayroon siyang event or birthday niya, ‘matic yan! Mauna kami dun. Anong gusto niya, bibigay namin,” he added.
Future is bright
Just as mobility in the country is returning to normalcy, so are meetings and events, Hernandez said, while doing this interview in a running cab on the way to an in-person meeting.
Always in Motion Live is about to get even busier as he has been talking with restaurants, hotels, and bars. He has also partnered with brands like Epson Philippines and is now entertaining inquiries from Thailand, Dubai, and the US.
“Go big or go home,” that’s precisely what Always in Motion Live aims to do in both the near and distant future. “So, hopefully, all the inquiries will lead to contracts. This will propel the Filipino visual artist, and, in a way, the Filipino LED wedding designer to the limelight. That should bring glory to the Philippines.”
“Bigger celebrities, bigger weddings, bigger concerts, bigger corporate events, and at the end of the day, what’s new, and we go to the question, “Kaya ba ng Always In Motion, yan?” Kakayanin and gagawan namin ng paraan.”
Want to spice up your next big celebration? Send your inquiries to Always In Motion Live.