Nope, don’t go into a tizzy, it isn’t going to happen. But I thought I would let you know what could have happened, if only to keep you up and reading another post and procrastinating from work and other miscellaneous holiday chores… A couple of weeks ago, I got an email request from a fairly well known evening TV program at one of the top local channels, asking if they could feature our family’s gingerbread creation this year and to talk about past year creations, the tradition, the baking, houses to charities, houses auctioned to raise funds, etc. I agreed only if they would keep my identity and face out of the segment. The station agreed to my terms regarding anonymity. The main reason I agreed to do this was partially to titillate Marketmanila readers in North America and The Philippines, as the program would air close to Christmas on The Filipino Channel in the U.S. and local TV, and it would be my way of saying Merry Christmas to all of you guys, without giving away my full identity… You would also get to see this year’s creation in detail and with the aid of video coverage, which is better than still photographs… However, as my daughter put it, “what, they will back light your face and alter your voice like an ex-terrorist while you talk about the joys of gingerbread?!” – and eventually the producers of the show reverted and said they HAD to show me being interviewed and that included my FACE. So I declined and there went my hope of coming into readers homes through the TV.
A few days later, a researcher for the same station or related station contacted me to ask if I would do a guest appearance on an evening show and be interviewed about what to put on a Noche Buena table. The researcher, as with the first one, was obviously not a regular reader, so I explained the desire for anonymity and gracefully turned down the request. Then a few hours later, I received another email request for an interview/guest role on a discussion on queso de bolas on a rival TV network. Same answer, thanks, but no thanks. Finally, in the fourth instance in two weeks, I just got a text this morning from my sister-in-law (forwarded from a friend of hers) that was requesting another interview for another TV show, which as expected, I have also gracefully declined. In addition, several newspapers have requested that they feature the feeding program we have been pursuing here in the last few months… and I have agreed for one of them to accompany me to the Manila based feeding program sometime in January, but maintaining anonymity.
Let me say I am slightly flattered by all the requests and on the positive side, see it as a sign of the popularity of the blog Marketmanila as a potential reference source for stories on all these programs. But on the negative side, I wonder about the depth of research that goes into these programs if a few googles yields them their guests for their shows… I choose to remain anonymous to the public at large because I do not feel my identity is important or adds to the blog at all. We are all so conscious now of who is who and not what people do… so I wish to remain in the background and let the posts and the blog speak for itself. I am known to several hundred readers by now, either through eyeballs, friends, sukis, etc. but I do want to remain relatively private and not go public. I hope the vast majority of you understand this desire, and will respect our choice to be more private than not. And for those who always think negative thoughts, I reiterate that when I file/post a rant or complaint, I send the company my real name, for the record. And I have never made a centavo on this site. There are tons of reasons on both sides of the argument of whether to be or not to be anonymous, but let me just say I am more comfortable being simply known as just Marketman. And so are Mrs. Marketman and The Kid. So TV is out of the question for now… Thank you. :)
54 Responses
You did not break my heart. I will do the same thing remain anonymous. You, Mrs. MM and The Kid are very
gulliblevulnerable. It is like sending an invitation to robbers, kidnappers, holdupers and other hoodlums! Your blog and your kindred feeding program are testaments of your great work and continuing contributions to humanities. You do not need to be on national television to have your commenters have a glimpse on you. You made the right decision. You are a MegaStar now and have your own solid followers.I agree with you Mr MM. But i’m hoping one day i will be able to see you and your family in person….
Wow, you’re getting to be a celebrity,just like Ms. Connie of Pinoy cook. Hat’s off to you, rarely would I find people like you who still knows he got two feet on the ground. Have you read what happened to Pinoycook when she was asked to present a simple noche buena meal? it was a big dissappointed. anyway, they say a true good man is someone who do good deeds in the absence of other’s observing eyes.
Merry Christmas. May your tribe flourish! he he he
Oh that’s to bad…sayang we have tfc pa naman and i can watch it over and over again! hehehe. But as a regular reader of your blog, i totally understand the reasons why you want to keep your identity unknown to the rest of the world. To see a reflection of you and The Kid from a window of an upscale resto in HK is good enough and oh yeah lets not forget when you bravely posted your photo of “a la James Bond” pose in the beach for a few hours I had a glimpse of that too! You don’t need to reveal your identity in TV because to us you are ” a star” already, with all the hard work you do to keep this website up and running, and also for your charity work-your feeding program which shows that you have a biG heaRt and the desire to help others, may god continue to shower you and your family more blessings in the coming years!
It’s okay. You can always do your own videocast (at your own terms) and greet the not so regular visitors of your blog.
yes mm. i myself don’t want commercialize beauty. i prefer people who are low profile and their beauty not shown to everyone.
No problem, MM. As somebody who also values privacy, I totally understand (and respect) where you’re coming from. Loyal pa rin naman kami sa ‘yo, kahit sight unseen. I just wish the next EB will coincide when we’re in Pinas.
instead of a TV debut, an EB perhaps (next year) for your loyal readers? :)
It’s ok, MM. We really have to value our privacy. As long as you’re keeping us updated through this blog, then it’s more than enough. Merry Christmas to you and your family. More power!!!
Hi MM,
After reading this post, I feel so honour to meet you personally when I picked up my brown book. The wait was worth it.
Merry Christmas to you, Mrs MM and the Kid.
“what, they will back light your face and alter your voice like an ex-terrorist while you talk about the joys of gingerbread?!â€
Haha, spot-on, Kid!
It would’ve been a treat, you seemed to be a jolly\pleasant fellow in person but it’s already a treat reading your blog, it’s a stress reliever in an otherwise chaotic world. I think what endeared your readers is your generosity, humor, wit and very unpretentious in your writing. It’s fun, inspiring and informative reading your blog..no commercials pa!
Agree with all of the above (except Maria Clara who called you, Mrs. MM and the Kid “gullible”.)
Generosity and kindness need not have a face.
Too bad… I really do like to see your works be featured on air. :) Maybe, since Christmas is close, you could put on a Santa costume so you could still be anonymous hehe. ;P
CecileJ, perhaps MC meant “vulnerable”? and not really “gullible.” Thanks everyone for your comments… :)
Mr M. I think I saw you in rockwell awhile ago. When I saw you the picture of the kid you posted before just flashed and I knew it was a familiar face. I agree though that you being anonymous to most of us provides an extra excitement. Thank you for hosting this website. It is very informative. Merry Christmas to you and your family!!
How about Eb for MM readers? :)
i know where you are coming from MM and i think it is reasonable, since privacy is hard to come by these days. still, kudos to you, your family and crew who have shown much patience and generosity to a lot of people. i hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!
MM, a person is not a name, or a face. A person is his heart and his mind – and you have generously shared both with us, your readers. Which means you are not entirely anonymous. :-)
I forgot your name…. I have seen it somewhere before…
Maria Clara, did u mean Marketman, Mrs MM, and the Kid are vulnerable and not gullible?
I do not think MM is gullible as he does not believe everything people tells him.
MM, You’re right about opting out. Sometimes, they don’t show the entire interview and you end up being misquoted. Worse, your spot may be appended or seen just before a similar product they endorse.
I am particularly wary about interviewers asking about heart disease, for example, and then when they air the segment, they put it right before a plug for a supplement, when the doctor has absolutely nothing to do with that product.
Wow, congrats for the popularity!!! U did a great job to informed and helped readers like me. Applauses.
Good thing you did not agree Marketman. It might have spoiled your Holidays! I think you might be interested in reading this:
https://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=connieVeneracion_dec18_2007
I agree! Happy Christmas!
I had to laugh after reading what the Kid said about backlighting and distorted voice.
That does give a negative connotation to the persona and topic :)
Good deeds don’t need to be heralded.
You know what MM, you earn much more respect and credibility for deciding to remain relatively “private” so kudos to you and the family! Oh and, a very happy and yummy Christmas to you guys! :)
So true how people always focus on the “who” of the story instead of the “what” or “why” what they are doing is important. Good for you for choosing to stay low profile. So when do we get to see this years gingerbread creation or have I totally missed that post ?
Hahaha! If they acceded to your request, one would wonder about the dark history of gingerbread. The Kid was spot on there. We support you 100% MM! It’s what you do that matters. And appearing on TV is overrated, anyway. =) But I love your QdB post, I must say.
Just had to say that whatever The Kid said reflects the high level of intelligence and humor that is present in your posts.
Way to go Kid!
MM, Although appearing on TV may bring your causes forward, I think the relative anonimity lends to much better credibility and also emphasizes the clean and wholesome spirit of your other endevours. I totally agree with your decision. I think you are a noble man MM and Im proud to know you and your family even if just in cyberspace :)
Hi MM,
I think you posted a couple of photos of yourself here before so frequent readers already know how you look like. I respect your decision to remain anonymous. However, how long can you really keep it that way? If this feeding program (kudos on this one!) that you talk about becomes big or say, goes national, or if for some reason you’ll achieve the same status as Julia Child, or become a spokesperson for Filipino food in the international scene, what then? Mahirap talaga maging sikat. Hehe. You probably were not expecting this much popularity when you started your blog and big things just kept coming. Good luck to you for the coming years and thanks for a great year of blogging!
I’m lucky to have met MM during the last day of the little brown book pick-up. Kinda intimidating at first but ultimately, a warm and jolly person…and very passionate about helping the kids through the feeding program. I only read about him and his adventures through his blog. But to actually meet him, is pretty cool and surreal.
and this is why you are (for me) the most credible food blogger in town. =D
ok lang yan MM to remain anonymous… it’s your right. Merry Christmas to you, Mrs. MM and The Kid
Kid comments make me laugh! =)
I think you made a good decision. Especially now that we live in a smaller world, it’s really hard to keep one’s privacy.
I really love this blog! So clean and advertisement free. Pure passion for food and living life graciously. Truly, the best things in life are free. This is better than a magazine…
It was a right decision, Mr.M.
If I were this good, I’ll keep my anonimity too. Happier that way. You would not be happy people coming up to you everywhere you go right? But then again, I would love to see you in person even once hehehe!
Here’s another vote for MM, the most credible food blogger.
I used to go read another food blogger’s site but I became highly suspicious that maybe he gets to eat at restaurants for free because they already know him by face. And I find it strange he gives good rating to restos that I won’t even give a passing mark. And most of the time, his reviews are “playing safe”. Nakaka-inis!
MM’s blog is the real deal! :)
Thanks for not selling out :) I wouldn’t have seen you as I don’t really watch regular shows on TV (I only watch news) but things would be different if everyone knows who you are…
Pssst! That’s one smart kid you got there. But wait, here is how you do the TV thang: You put on a big afro wig, a small black mask, a mid-length red cape, a black Marketmanila t-shirt, a tote bag around your neck, and a pair of black LYCRA TIGHTS! Then with the proper big music fanfare, you jump into the TV set as the TV announcer says “Presenting Marketman, the man in TIGHTS”!!! Oh, don’t forget to hold a big whisk in your right hand! This will work I tellya. Batman and Robin have been doing something like this for years! By the way, did I tell you that’s some smart kid you got?
The kid was so funny hahahaha…. Merry Christmas to all!
Sorry for the confusion I created – I meant vulnerable/prey not gullible.
Hah hah. Trust The Kid to sum it up so succinctly. I especially like “…disguise your voice like a terrorist…” She definitely has your number. Definitely stay off the air…
MM, you’re right to insist on anonymity. Too bad though it didn’t work out. Now we’ll have to get a Pixar-animated version of you and The Kid to host your own show!
hahaha..just emailed you 2 days before regarding your identity..and know im thinking that this is a part of your reply.but anyways Mr MM ill keep reading on your blogs..keep on blogging!!Youre the MAN!!
The Kid has a point, but the TV guys could have been a bit more creative, hiding your face like Wilson from that Tim Allen show “Home Improvement” –or you could’ve had a luchadero’s mask made of gingerbread (heheheh)
Natawa talaga ako sa statement na to: “what, they will back light your face and alter your voice like an ex-terrorist while you talk about the joys of gingerbread?!â€
It’s OK to keep your anonymity MM. as long as you don’t withhold pictures of your gingerbread village from us! ;-)
hint… hint…
oh well am still a MM addict even in the Bahamas am trying to get my market manila fix.. hello from paradise island
I like your idea Silly Lolo. You are so funny.
MarketMan, I prefer that you remain anonymous and for you to keep us guessing. That way you can be whatever we want you to be. That being said however, I think I know who you are. I came across your picture with Mrs MM when I was doing research on something.
MM,
That’s why I was so thankful that you were the one who delivered the T-shirts at Jollibee-Gorordo(Cebu). I was awed when I finally met you. I support your decision to remain more anonymous. To us your regular readers, you have been a great source of information and ‘wisdom” too.
you’re not to blame here MM, it’s the tv people. you were willing to do the interview but they were trying to push their luck by insisting on giving away your identity to the public. they should have considered the essence of your story and not the ratings. sayang, you would have given inspiration to a lot of ordinary people. talk about the power of television! your humane acts of generousity, humility, passion in life, etc. is something our countrymen or humanity at large need these days to emulate to make our world a better place (no matter how cliche that may sound). kudos to the loving hands that raised you MM. it was indeed a great job they did!
Good Decision! Of course it would be nice to finally see you and hear your voice but if it would go beyond your boundaries then I wouldn’t want that. I was hoping to meet you in person in this year’s eyeball (if there was one) as I’ve missed the first two out of shyness :-) Looking forward to meeting you in person next year (Eyeball 2008?) :-)