Farewell, C! Magazine
What life was like at C!
By all indications from former employees and shareholders, the Philippine automotive magazine that could be proudly compared to many international car magazines since 2002, is gone.
C! Magazine has ceased printing and production; something that was sadly inevitable. The switch to digital media and social media hasn’t been kind to legacy print publications as the drive to be faster on the web and video platforms isn’t an easy transition to make. This was further hampered by the pandemic, among many other things that occurred in the years past.
C! will always be a special place for me because it was where I got my start in this industry. After I graduated in 2005, I decided to work for a year before applying for law school, and so I started out as a marketing professional working for a Toyota dealership. That was a job I did well, but it just wasn’t for me. I am enthusiastic about cars, but the selling side wasn’t an easy thing to do given the pressure.
One night I tuned in to the radio (NU 107.5) and heard this foreign-sounding dude saying they had two openings for junior writers who could do those supplements; the paid inserts in the magazine that are typically sponsored. I figured that was my shot; a way into a side of motoring that I really had no connections in. I sent an email to the guy on the radio and hoped for the best. He replied.
That dude was James. I met him for a coffee a few weeks after, and we talked for a while, and then he told me what the pay was. It wasn’t much even for 2006, but I took the pay cut (I was making quite a bit for a fresh grad, as selling cars did yield decent commissions). I figured this was the start of a career path rather than just another job.
The first time I walked into the office, I was greeted by a kind lady at the reception: Elsie, with Mai, Kuya Alex, Manong Bart, and Chris over on the right next to the pantry. Then I walk down a short hallway full of magazines awaiting delivery, right in front of a small conference room full of other foreign publications, coffee table books, and all kinds of memorabilia. This would be where the four directors would meet from time to time. Two of the directors would be actively involved in the management of the magazine when I came in.
Then you get to the main office full of cubicles. On the left is the art team. At the time, it was Jocas, Charie, Mark and Raymond. On the right, we have the sales and ad team with Mayette, Mabel, Zennia, Rose, and Ria.
Ahead were the guys whose names were the bylines I would read in the magazine: Editorial. On the left was JC; he did the tech side of Tech&Tuner. Next to him were Iñigo and AG; both of which were already a few years in with C!. Just beyond were Chris and Chuck.
To the right was Miguel; the design director. Next to him was the table reserved for James; he was usually away on trips. And at the far end was Kookie eating a Subway sandwich. And then by the window on a little vertically stacked computer table was Tito; the Editor-in-chief.
I would learn a lot while working with the C! team. James was the master of storytelling; his articles were entertaining, easy to understand, sometimes personal, but always late. If you can find a copy, look for the C! issue with the article Heart of England, and you’ll know what I mean.
Kookie, on the other hand, was the wily old school master when it came to driving. Imagine how nervous I was when he sat next to me for my first loaner car (an extra humble Chevrolet Aveo sedan) to evaluate my driving. I passed, thankfully.
Chuck was like the big brother who would give a lot of advice about life. What to do. What not to do. And how much to not drink. He didn’t stay long, and eventually, I would take his table at the office when I went full-time.
From Mayette, I would learn the ropes of how this industry works, especially when it comes to keeping OEMs (advertisers) happy. It was not easy to be frank in articles yet keep the support flowing. It's a tricky balance.
Tito was the tome of knowledge, and I would go to him to learn the intricacies of automobiles, design, engineering, and production. I still don’t have anywhere near the level of vocabulary he has; I mean, who uses the word luddite in an article now?
And then there was the C! Boys; the core crew. AG, Iñigo, Chris, JC, Kim (marketing guy), and I would take our lunch from 2 PM to have the restaurants all to ourselves, and usually, we were just at a place called Chili Peppers and Subway along Valero. It was the cheapest place where we could eat, have cheap coffee (PHP 30), and sit for an hour or even two, hatching ideas.
Lots of great shoots were born there, like when we brought compact cars (Lancer, Impreza, Corolla, Mazda3, Civic, Focus) to Subic or when we took executive cars (300C, Teana, Camry, Legacy Wagon, Accord) for a shoot on the still unopened Clark-Tarlac section of the SCTEX. There were a lot more things that happened, but best discussed over beers.
That was the golden age of C! when the magazine was in top form. There was a high level of pride when you arrived at an event or a drive wearing a C! shirt. It wasn't all food, glamor, and fancy trips though; there was a lot of work in it. Try fixing a page plan for a magazine that would go up to 192 pages at its peak, plus supplements, and you'll know what I mean. Then you have to fill those pages with articles, hound the editors for being late, and make sure everything was in its proper place. Then you still have to do shoots, attend events, put a magazine together, and make sure everything is correctly spelled especially on the cover. It gets very complicated very quickly. And I loved doing every minute of it, even for the low low pay of justforgetaboutit.
But all good things come to an end. We weren't too happy with some of the changes happening around 2008 and 2009, so a lot of the guys left, and that included me. That was when I went to AutoIndustriya, which is where I'm still at now. The lessons I learned there under the tutelage of the masters, I applied in the articles we publish and even in the videos we produce. More importantly, the same kind of camaraderie was what we strived to build with the team at AutoIndustriya.
That's not the end of my story at C! though. I would come back to C! in 2015 while I still concurrently holding the position at AutoIndustriya. This time it was as C! Executive Editor as Carl was Editor-in-chief. We had Caco as Managing Editor for print, as well as Mikko as the managing editor for online, and Maynard as the motorcycle editor, while Nics, JC, and Nico filled out the rest of the team. Jerel was handling the shoots, while Jocas returned to lead the art department. Mayette was still there; the ever-present mother figure to us all.
We rejuvenated the magazine at a time when magazines were not as prestigious. We were doing great comparos and cover cars again, including the Civic Type R (FK8) in 2017. By 2018, however, I could see that the demands of the job would be too much, so I departed C! Magazine and dedicated myself to AI. That was the right call at the time, and the right one given the way things turned out.
It truly is sad to see C! Magazine go, and as an alumnus, I have nothing but love for those who stayed. In the end, everyone is doing something else. AG, Chris, and JC all run businesses now.
Mayette runs her own business away from corporate life. Tito is enjoying his time with his family up north, away from the automotive world. Sadly, two have since passed: Kookie and Ria, both from long battles with illnesses.
The directors also chose to pursue their passions. Carl has gone on to found carsandcalibres to bridge his love for cars and watches. After having been recognized and appointed by the Sultan of Sulu, Datu Kevin Limjoco is also very busy now with formal duties, though he also started his own website called datudirect.com.
C! served as the launch pad for the careers of many guys, myself included. Iñigo is now the motoring editor of the Manila Bulletin. Jerel now runs what is undoubtedly the best automotive photo and video provider in the country for car manufacturers: Point Zero. Caco would go on to be his hilarious self over at AutoDeal. James would go on to be the celebrity and master host that he was born to be.
All these people started out somewhere. For us, that place was the 21st floor of the 88 Corporate Center in Valero corner Sedeno.
