Conversations with Dexter Hemedez and Allan Ibanez

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dexter Hemedez and Allan Ibanez.

Hi Dexter and Allan, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
We started at ABS-CBN, the largest broadcasting network in the Philippines. While working as full-time writers, we also pursued our passion for writing feature scripts on the side. One day, we decided to take a chance and submitted one of our finished full-length scripts to a grant-giving festival in Manila. Fortunately, luck was on our side, and our script was chosen. The festival awarded us a grant that would enable us to bring our script to life as an actual film.

In 2015, we took a leap and ventured into directing, writing, and producing our first full-length film, “First Semester.” It was a heartwarming family-comedy which revolved around a boy who was dropped off by his entire clan at his university dorm in the city, only to return to their small town in the province that same night due to separation anxiety, much to his mother’s dismay.

To our delight, “First Semester” was embraced by international film festivals across Asia, Europe, and North America in 2017. We had the incredible opportunity to travel to South Korea, India, New York, Seattle, and California, where our film received major accolades. The support from the Filipino-American community allowed us to showcase our film at The Art Theater in Long Beach, and it was heartening to see the positive response from the audience.

One audience member was particularly captivated by “First Semester” and decided to organize her own screening of our film. This, along with the help of the University of the Philippines Alumni Association of Greater Los Angeles, led to our film being showcased at the prestigious American Film Institute. The back-to-back screenings were both sold out, and the film received a warm and enthusiastic response from the audience.

We were humbled to realize that despite being filmed in a small town in the Philippines, it deeply resonated with audiences in South Korea, India, and the United States due to its universal theme and relatable characters. This realization instilled us with the courage to pursue our dreams in Los Angeles, prompting us to make the move in December 2018 to try our luck in Hollywood.

However, our journey in Hollywood was far from smooth. Despite our solid writing background, opportunities in scriptwriting and film and television production were hard to come by. We took on various jobs to cover our rent while relentlessly developing concepts and writing scripts during our free time.

Despite our efforts, our scripts faced rejection in various contests and pitching opportunities. We attended mixers, networking events and enrolled in scriptwriting seminars and online courses, but the breakthrough we hoped for didn’t materialize. We spent a significant amount of money on various pitching opportunities online, specifically those focusing on diverse writers of color, with hopes of finding interest in our diverse concepts. However, none of our concepts managed to get through. After investing quite a bit of money, we came to the realization that we needed to take a step back and reevaluate our approach.

The pandemic further complicated matters, but we didn’t let it stop us. Realizing that we could produce films independently, just like what we did in the Philippines, we decided to invest in our own video camera, delved into online videography courses, and learned through trial and error. We slowly acquired other filming equipment, ensuring we had everything we needed to bring our vision to life.

While the ongoing pandemic posed challenges, we kept focused on writing more scripts while honing our videography skills. In 2021, we took a significant step forward by filming our very first short film in Los Angeles, “The Reliever” which is about a young Filipino-American son who is forced to care for a grumpy, bed-ridden patient after his undocumented father gets detained at Los Angeles airport.

It was a self-produced project with very limited resources, that is why we took on all the roles during filming except for the sound mixer. We were also particularly cautious during filming due to an elderly cast member and the presence of a new virus strain.

Post-production editing proved to be a challenge due to the distance between Los Angeles and our editor in the Philippines, with a significant time difference complicating our communication. Nonetheless, our dedication paid off, and we were thrilled with the outcome of “The Reliever.” It received acceptance at different film festivals and even won the Best Short Film award at the Glendale International Film Festival.

Motivated by the success of our short film, our next goal was to create a gay web series called “STAY,” inspired by the struggles we faced as aspiring immigrant filmmakers in Los Angeles. With passion and dedication, we poured our hearts into crafting seven episodes that follow the romantic journey of an impulsive, sentimental Filipino filmmaker and a jaded, indifferent Korean-American store clerk who fall in love while navigating the daunting city of Los Angeles.

Initially, we aimed to finance the series through crowdfunding, but unfortunately, the campaign didn’t go as planned. Undeterred, we shifted our focus to seeking investors, only to face another huge disappointment as they backed out at the last moment.

We then decided to take a bold risk, maxing out our credit cards and applying for loans, all in the pursuit of making our vision a reality. Each step was nerve-wracking, but we firmly believed in the power of our story. Our courage, hope, and yes, insanity fueled our resolve to proceed with filming.

Throughout the majority of our filming days, we operated with a very minimal crew, often lacking an assistant on set. However, the challenges of limited resources and crew didn’t dampen our spirits. We were determined to see “STAY” come to life and to share its heartfelt message with the world. And after eighteen days of intense filming, we were able to finish our filming.

Editing the series was yet another challenge, particularly due to the large 4k footage, which would have been costly to send to the Philippines for editing. Financial constraints prevented us from hiring an editor, so we took on the task ourselves, ensuring every detail was perfect. We studied editing online, and though it was another difficult trial-and-error process, we thoroughly enjoyed the experience and learned a lot from it.

With the help of a friend, we reached out to the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles, who graciously screened the first two episodes of “STAY” and praised it for its craftmanship, theme, and message. They offered to hold the premiere night of our series at the Philippine Consulate office, which was attended by our closest friends, colleagues, cast, and crew, making it a memorable event.

On June 10, 2023, we proudly launched “STAY” on the Team Campy Entertainment Youtube Channel. It was a long and challenging journey, but the support and appreciation from our viewers made it all worthwhile. To date, “STAY” has garnered an impressive 2.5 million views, with many considering it a masterpiece.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It wasn’t an easy journey for us as new immigrants, with only hope and courage to guide us. We knew it would be challenging, but we didn’t realize just how tough it would be.

We had to immerse ourselves in a new world—studying the people, language, and culture—all at the same time, to ensure our writing was relevant and fitting.

Despite our solid writing background in the Philippines, breaking into the scriptwriting, film, and television production industry here in Los Angeles seemed impossible. To cover our rent, we took on various jobs while devoting our free time to developing concepts and writing scripts.

The pandemic only made matters worse. Hollywood shut down, and the industry was hit hard. Jobs were lost, and productions were halted. It felt like a nightmare, witnessing everything we loved—cinemas, theaters, and entertainment—come to a standstill, deemed non-essential.

When the industry finally began to reopen, we faced another harsh reality: layoffs were rampant. The competition to get in was fierce, and seeing top companies downsizing their workforce left us feeling demoralized and miserable.

In the face of these challenges, we made a bold decision to take matters into our own hands and create and produce our own content. However, finding investors proved to be another difficult battle. It felt like an uphill struggle to find anyone willing to invest in our gay series. Even the people we thought would support us ended up rejecting our proposals. We reached out to almost everyone we knew, but all we received in return was silence. It was heartbreaking.

For the majority of our filming days for STAY, we didn’t have a single production assistant due to cost-cutting. We didn’t have script continuity, gaffers, grips, wardrobe departments, or any other basic crew members needed for a production. We insisted on having a sound mixer/recordist on set because we knew how important audio is for a project like this. Our make-up artist was also one of our actors. But that’s it.

From camera work to lighting to set design, from preparing the wardrobe to washing them late at night and pressing them early in the morning to preparing the props, to location scouting, while commuting because we’re not driving, and everyone knows how hard it is to commute in LA, and applying for location permits, which was also so tedious, we had to do mostly everything ourselves.

On top of that, we had to ensure the emotional continuity of every scene and keep our characters, both major and supporting, true to our vision.

We decided to have an assistant during the last few days of filming because we felt that our health was not in the best condition anymore.

We also did the editing of all of the episodes ourselves, as well as teasers, reels, shorts, and social media posts. At first, we didn’t know how we’ll piece an entire episode together, as it was our first time doing editing. We just knew that we needed to capture the best shots and reactions and bring out the best from all of our actors.

We did twenty-plus subtitles week after week, handled the graphics while giving feedback to our musical scorer and sound design department. Often, we would find ourselves wondering how we’d manage to pay the musical scorer, sound designer, and colorist.

To say it was chaotic, nerve-racking, messy, and traumatic would be an understatement.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
We are passionate filmmakers who live and breathe narrative content. We love to direct, write, produce, edit, and do the camera works. Comedy is our forte, whether it’s romantic, family-oriented, situational, or even infused with drama. We have a strong affinity for slice-of-life narratives, drawing inspiration from our own real-life experiences and those of the people around us. Immigrant experiences are a recurring theme in our stories, as we always tell our stories with a more personal touch.

We are genuinely proud of our gay romantic-comedy series, “STAY,” for numerous reasons. It has allowed us to share an incredibly personal story as aspiring immigrant filmmakers in Los Angeles. Through this series, we were able to share about our struggles, fears, hopes, dreams, perspectives, and vulnerabilities, creating a genuine connection with our roots, our craft, and our audience as well.

We’re also delighted to see that ‘STAY’ has deeply resonated not only with Asians residing in the United States but also with immigrants from various countries outside of the US. Our series has also left a significant impact on members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Many of them have reached out to our YouTube Channel and social media platforms, expressing how they found themselves reflected in the characters and storylines of ‘STAY.’

To quote one of our viewers – “Being an LGBTQIA+ immigrant, I feel seen and represented. The travails of LGBTQIA+ immigrants are well threshed out and reflected onto the screen with nuance and love.” Knowing that our work has had such a meaningful impact on people who are rarely seen and represented on screen is a monumental accomplishment for us.

We also take pride in the fact that despite facing adversity due to our investors backing out, we persevered and successfully completed our series. Completing a short film alone is already a daunting task, let alone a seven-episode series filmed in Los Angeles with barely any resources. Even with limited staff on set, we managed to achieve something our viewers now regard as a masterpiece. The resilience and dedication we poured into ‘STAY’ have truly paid off, and we couldn’t be happier with the result.

Overall, ‘STAY’ holds a special place in our hearts, not only because it reflects our personal experiences but also due to its impact on the lives of numerous immigrants and members of the queer community. It serves as a testament to the power of diverse storytelling and the genuine connections we can establish through our work as writers and directors.

We’re also incredibly proud of our debut feature film, “First Semester” an independent family-comedy film that captured the hearts of viewers around the world. Just like STAY, the journey of creating it was also far from easy. We also faced significant challenges during filming it, including losing a substantial portion of our production budget when our production manager disappeared with our funds.

But we were determined to finish our first full-length film. Fortunately, our persistence paid off. Not only did we successfully complete the film, but we were able to tour around the world as our film got accepted into various international film festivals. It garnered significant recognition in South Korea, India, Ukraine, Spain, and the United States, including Grand Jury Award, Best Debut Feature, Best International Feature, Best Overall Film, and Audience Choice Award, among others. Another huge achievement of “First Semester” was the recognition our lead actress Lotlot de Leon received – not just one, but two international acting awards for her outstanding performance in our film.

“First Semester” was also screened at the renowned American Film Institute. It was also embraced as an educational tool for character development in numerous schools across the Philippines. These accomplishments are important to us because they serve as testaments to our commitment and hard work.

We believe that what truly distinguishes our work is the heart we put into every script we write and every film we bring to life. As filmmakers, our dedication revolves around infusing genuine hearts into our stories. We firmly believe that storytelling’s real strength lies in connecting with the audience on a deep emotional level. As writers, we believe in the idea that a story’s true essence is found in its ability to leave a lasting impact. This philosophy fuels our drive to create narratives that genuinely move people.

This principle isn’t just something we’re proud of—it’s at the core of how we approach our work. We’re honored to touch the hearts of our viewers to evoke feelings that stay with them long after the story ends. Through this connection, we see storytelling as an art that goes beyond the screen, leaving a meaningful imprint on those who experience it. This aspect of our work is something we take immense pride in and cherish.

What’s next?
We’ve got big plans ahead! We want to create a single-camera comedy that portrays the adventures (and misadventures) of Asian small business owners in LA. It’s a story we’re eager to tell, capturing the spirit (and stubbornness) of those who work hard to make their dreams come true in a city as daunting as LA. This idea is also inspired by our own experiences of juggling various day jobs while pursuing our Hollywood dreams. Our pilot script has already won an award from a local screenplay festival, and we’re thrilled to bring it to life soon!

But there’s more! We’re also excited to make another character-driven gay romantic-comedy series that’s all about overthinking, overacting, overanalyzing, overacting, overstaying, and other crazy over-ing situations. Plus, we’re eager to work on our second feature film—a heartwarming story centered around a Filipino immigrant’s search for a prince charming, only to discover a bestfriend and a soulmate along the way.

But we cannot do it alone. We’re hoping to find investors, partners, collaborators, and anyone who believes in the kind of storytelling that we do. With your support, we can keep making meaningful stories that connect and touches the hearts of people from all walks of life!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://imdb.me/allanmichaelibanez (Allan Ibanez)
  https://imdb.me/dexterhemedez (Dexter Hemedez)
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/allanmichaelibanez (Allan Ibanez)
  https://instagram.com/dexterslabph (Dexter Hemedez)
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allan-michael-ibanez (Allan Ibanez) https://www.linkedin.com/in/dexterhemedez/ (Dexter Hemedez)
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@teamcampyentertainment
• Other: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/firstsemester