The VoiceMaster Speaks at the 6th Bicol Youth Congress in IT

Almost 1,000 Information Technology students from all over the Bicol region attended the 6^th Bicol Youth Congress on Information Technology (BYCIT) on December 10-12, held at the Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges in Nabua, Camarines Sur. With the theme “WEBeyond: Widening Experience Beyond ICT,” the seminar aims to equip the IT students of the region with additional knowledge in their field as well as about their future career in Information Technology.

Pocholo “The VoiceMaster” Gonzales brought the house down with his talk about “The Art of Voice Acting in IT”. The young crowd watched in amazement as the VoiceMaster did one character voice after the other – from cartoon characters to famous personalities. He even played a short radio drama for the audience where he voiced all the characters and sound effects!

More than mesmerizing the audience with his voice acting skills, Pocholo captivated the students’ hearts with inspiration and words of wisdom on how they can make the most out of their youth by being an inspiration to their fellow students. He challenged the students to become the modern-day Jose Rizal, whom he considers the epitome of greatness and excellence in every Filipino. He also challenged the students to go beyond thinking about their future career, but more importantly, thinking of the LEGACY they can create by pursuing their passion and living their dreams.

Read

The VoiceMaster Speaks at the 11th Philippine Blogging Summit

The 11^th Philippine Blogging Summit, dubbed as #iBlog11, was held on December 4 and 5, 2015 at the UP College of Law in Quezon City. This 2-day event is a gathering of novice and veteran bloggers, where they get to learn tips and techniques from speakers on various blogging topics.

Over a dozen featured speakers shared their expertise on topics such as social media, blogging for beauty products, podcasting, blogger ethics, among many others.

Pocholo “The VoiceMaster” Gonzales was one of the speakers on the first day of the summit, with the topic “Opportunities & Challenges in Podcasting and Video Blogging”. In a short span of time, the VoiceMaster presented valuable information on how bloggers can utilize podcasting and video blogging to effectively reach their audience on the internet. Being an expert on the use of voice, he also shared how powerful the voice is in sending out messages – even on the web – that can move and change the world. Pocholo labelled himself as the “Proadcaster,” and further went on to say how he is a combination of a podcaster and broadcaster in his advocacies, like Voice of the Youth Network.

Of course, the audience would not let the VoiceMaster off the hook with his sample character voices, to which he gladly complied.

#iBLog11 was sponsored by GMA Network, Payoneer, Vibal Foundation, Rufo’s Famous Tapa, TravelBook.ph, The Dailypedia, Lazada Philippines, Bitstop Network Services, Unbox.ph, Villar Foundation, KKK Coffee, and Alfox Printing Services.

Read

Discovering the Extra in your Ordinary: a Motivational Talk for Banking and Finance Students

On December 4, over 200 Sophomore students of Banking and Finance in the Polytechnic University of the Philippines Sta. Mesa gathered at the COC Theater for a unique seminar experience which was entitled “Discover the Extra in your Ordinary.” This half-day seminar was organized by the section officers, which aimed to bring learning to the students not just for their respective field, but also in their personal well-being.

Two speakers were invited to speak on the event, sharing their knowledge and experience on living an extraordinary life. The first speaker was Herald “Kyut” Villarca. Kuya Kyut, as he is fondly called, started his talk with a couple of games to break the ice and raise the energy of the crowd. He then went on with a funny yet insightful talk, sharing the stories of famous personalities in history that he considered extraordinary – Princess Diana, General Antonio Luna, Mark Zuckerberg, among many others. He also told his own life story, including the hardships of putting himself through school as a working student in order to fulfill his dreams. He inspired the audience to live an extraordinary life by holding on to their vision and never giving up.

The second speaker for the event was Voice Care Philippines Executive Director Ada Cuaresma. After an intermission number, Ada briefly talked about the Science of Happiness, and how positivity can make an ordinary day extraordinary. She briefly told the story of her life, then went on to talk about attracting positivity by maintaining a positive attitude. Ada also shared 5 simple yet powerful tips on how to harness one’s positive emotions – embrace change, be intentional, be grateful, seize the day, and smile. She ended her talk with a strong statement: HAPPINESS IS AN INSIDE JOB.

The half-day motivational seminar ended on a positive note with showcase of talents, games and raffle.

Read

The VoiceMaster Teaches Bloggers about Personal Branding

Following the success of the first networking event in February, Pinoy Blogger held its 2^nd meetup event, which also served as their Christmas party, on December 2, 2015 at the Asgard Suite, Victoria Court in Malate. About 30 bloggers attended the event where they enjoyed networking with their fellow bloggers, a sumptuous dinner and great raffle prizes.

The bloggers were also treated to a night of learning as 4 prominent personalities in the blogosphere shared their blogging expertise and advice: Digital Marketing Guru Janette Toral, famous Filipino tour guide and cultural activist Carlos Celdran, veteran voice artist and motivational speaker Pocholo “The VoiceMaster” Gonzales, and historian and TV personality Xiao Chua.

As the first speaker, Janette came upfront to discuss the life cycle of a blogger, and the stages of being a digital influencer. She talked about how a blogger can become an “agitator” all the way up to being a “celebrity,” which means the blogger has a strong, loyal following.

Up next was Carlos Celdran, who made an informal presentation in a Q&A format. The bloggers were given the opportunity to ask Carlos about his thoughts on certain socio-political issues. He also shared his good and bad experiences in social media, and ended his talk with the encouraging challenge to meet and communicate with people on a more personal level, both online and offline.

Pocholo “The VoiceMaster” Gonzales talked about personal branding. He shared his expert advice on how a blogger can find his or her “keyword” in life, so that they can brand themselves in their own blog criteria. He also talked about how blogging can be used not only for personal gain or monetary rewards, but also to push for advocacies and express passion through writing.

Last but not the least was historian and TV personality Xiao Chua, who shared his own experience in blogging and teaching history. He talked about how his interest has started, and shared some tidbits about the Philippine history that are not widely known.

The evening was capped off with a hearty dinner of Filipino cuisine, and a raffle of amazing prizes.

Read

The VoiceMaster Motivates Broadcasting Students in Legazpi, Albay

The JAG Center for Professional Development conducted the International Seminar-Workshop on Campus Journalism on November 27-30, 2015 at the Concourse Convention Center in Legazpi, Albay. Over 200 students, teachers and school heads specializing in Journalism came together to attend the event. With the theme “Local Writing for Global Competence,” the seminar provided a venue for an enriching learning experience for those who intend to pursue and further their career in Journalism.

The seminar featured speakers who are highly recognized in the field of Journalism and Broadcasting – TV hosts and news anchors Atom Araullo and Paolo Bediones, Youth Media advocate Rhyan Malandog, and the founder of the largest Youth Media organization in the Philippines, Pocholo “The VoiceMaster” Gonzales.

On the second day of the seminar, Pocholo treated the participants to a whole day of motivation, empowerment and practical learning on broadcasting. Pocholo shared his journey in establishing Voice of the Youth Network, the largest Youth Media organization in the country that aims to encourage every Filipino youth to believe in themselves in creating positive social change. Having started his profession on radio, he also shared his learning in using the combined powers of broadcast media and social media to inform, inspire, involve and empower the youth.

Pocholo also taught practical application of his own learning through a mini-workshop on Broadcasting. He gave exercises that stretched the creativity of the participants, and also gave them tips and techniques on how they can write stories that can become a source of “good news” to the society.

Most importantly, Pocholo motivated the participants to reach their full potential in pursuing their passion for Journalism by bringing out the greatness in themselves and others.

Read