CyreneQ: Multimedia Siren

By Mary Verdure Biron-Tolentino

CyreneQ, Snapchats social media princess is the proverbial girl-next-door; her

wholesomeness (reminiscent of her Disney alter egos) almost an anachronism by
todays standards. Who would think that underneath her ingenue-like personality
lies an astute and seasoned artist-marketing entrepreneur who has conquered both
the real and virtual world with her stylus and brushes?

This quintessential 21st-century success now commands an easy $10,000 - $30,000

per contract as a brand endorser using the Snapchat platform, which she transforms
into a digital canvas where she does a magnificent job telling 10-second cleverly
scripted stories.

Cyrene Quiamco, a 27-year Fil-Am, recalled that her first commissioned snap for a
brand went for just $500. After the first one, more brands started to take notice.
And since Snapchat was very new and I was one of the first people who was doing
branded work, the demand simply grew, she told this writer. Now, Forbes
magazine estimates she makes about $500,000 a year.

Her intricate and whimsical art may only have a shelf-life of 24 hours but it is an
interactive and creative mix of drawings, stories, videos, text, games and quizzes -
something that her audience of 100,000 per snap look forward to. Educated and
trained in both classical and digital arts, a web designer and freelance graphic artist
by trade, Cyrenes story of true grit fascinates and inspires.

Doe-eyed, bubbly and oozing with positivity, Cyrene could be your sister, daughter,
favorite niece or BFF. Despite being the toast of the Millennial set and a cult figure
among her Gen Z followers, she has remained unaffected and gracious. Up close and
personal, she comes off as very authentic: a quality that can be sniffed a million
bytes away in a virtual world. Her sheer talent across many art forms and her ability
to engage her massive audience on an emotional level and get them to connect and
interact, has earned her the right to be called a social media influencer.

Going beyond Snapchat as a messaging app and leveraging on her design

background, she has pitched for Samsung, Walmart, MTV, Pixar, Burger King. Coca
Cola and Disney among others. Her so-called selfies with celebrities such as Ellen
DeGeneres, Bruno Mars and Taylor Swift, Donald Duck and Frozen royalties Elsa
and Anna are very popular with followers, as are her lovable Disney
transformations as Jasmine, Snow White and Ariel.

One wonders, how did she go viral? Did she belong to the entitled set whose rise to
fame is usually made easier by being privileged? Or was she an accidental find on
Youtube who caught the eye of Ellen D. or Oprah; daytime TV queens who had
 habitually brought Filipino sensations to worldwide attention? Not at all. In fact, her
story is what telenovelas are made of - a migrants hard-earned success story with a
twist. In a manner of speaking, her life can be defined in stages by 3 Disney songs:
When You Wish Upon Star, A Whole New World and Let It Go.

hen You Wish Upon A Star

W
In 1997, roughly twenty years ago Cyrene aged seven, together with three year-old
sister Chris-Joy and single mom Christine Ganzon went to America on the strength
of a 10-year tourist visa, in search of a better life. Leaving the Philippines, was not
easy. She had to leave her job as a teller at BDO Unibank and sell a property she had
hoped to build their house on. The amount was not a princely sum even then, but
enough to buy tickets for the US, get them through their adjustment stage and enroll
the kids in a private Catholic school.

The University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos graduate dreamed big and her

shining example was a beacon for her two children to follow. Starting over was
difficult and it was a constant struggle make ends meet. What made it an incredible
feat was that Christine was not a nurse, doctor or highly paid professional who
could afford costly child care. She worked long hours as a cashier and an
optometrists assistant but could only afford a small apartment. Nonetheless, it was
home full of love, laughter, joy and the incredible faith that things would take a turn
for the better.

When asked in an interview with the family during a recent trip to their hometown
of Bacolod city on how she raised two extremely successful daughters, Ganzon
shrugged her shoulders and joked, I just fed them!

The two sisters were quick to refute that, recounting struggles through the difficult
years. They credit their moms indomitable spirit for inspiration, and are eternally
thankful for the love, faith and support that had molded them. Ever low-keyed, it
took some prompting for Ganzon to add, Kidding aside, I raised them to be
respectful and well-mannered; to be always kind and nice to everyone. I showered
them with unconditional love and support in success and failure. Most of all, they
knew I would always be there, all the time for them.

The two sisters, mature for their age even as children, practically raised each other
by keeping themselves preoccupied watching Disney features after doing their
homework and playing very quietly. They had each others back with Chris-Joy, the
younger sibling sometimes preparing meals for an exhausted and sleeping Cyrene.

A Whole New World

When Cyrene, a straight A student decided to study art in college, she remembers
quieting her moms unspoken fears by declaring, "I wont be a starving artist. She
pursued her passion with that same go for it attitude inherited from her mom and
entered college with seven scholarships (Donaghey Scholar, Windgate Art Scholar
and Little Rock American Advertising Federation Scholar).

She graduated from the University of Arkansas, at Little Rock, magna cum laude
with three majors for Studio Art: Graphic Design, Painting, and Ceramics with a
minor in Digital Graphics. This explains how she could switch from one medium to
another with ease- or switch styles without losing a beat! She also had scholarships
in Hong Kong and Seoul. Even as a junior college student, she indulged her penchant
for traveling with family - Christines philosophy of putting family first had rubbed
off on her children who wanted nothing more than to share good times.

To everyones surprise, Cyrene was able to purchase the dream house they had
visualized for years with money left over from her scholarship funds augmented by
earnings from freelance jobs. A house and a car completely paid for before she
turned 25 was nothing short of amazing, but the achievement she is most proud of is
the fact that their financial stability allowed Christine to retire and enjoy what she
had missed out on. Today, they are living the American Dream while remaining as
Filipino as adobo. In fact, Cyrene is the global ambassador for NDAA 2017 (National
Digital Art Awards), the Philippines top award giving body that honors digital
artists.

et it Go
L
She said .Ive always excelled in Art, but didnt know how to make money from it.
It was providential that she studied graphics design, landed a job as a product
designer for a cosmetics company and was web designer for Verizon, the US
telecoms company where she won awards, two years in a row. Learning the ropes
prepared her for her next challenge - to monetize her art. Her early ventures, didnt
pan out, I dont see losing as a failure, its only a step to finding out what success
really is.

As luck would have it, when she was 25 and burning out from a job that paid well
but didnt allow her to spend quality time with family, she chanced on the Snapchat
app. Incredibly creative and equipped with the technical facility, she created snaps
that integrated video and graphics. Each casual-looking snap was not as easy to
make as it looks, since she had to make a storyboard and shoot videos that looked
effortless. These movies in a nutshell sometimes took numerous retakes to look
natural but her efforts paid off.

Companies took notice, and soon enough, she had to quit her corporate job at
Verizon to follow her bliss. In 2016, she was named as One of the Most Fascinating
People on the Internet (Cosmopolitan), Top 50 best People on the Internet Right
Now (Tech Insider), The Best, Coolest, Smartest, Weirdest Accounts on the Hottest
Social Network (NYMag) and Top 100 Cultural Icons (Vanity Fair). She continues to
paint and has won an award for graphics design.
Last year, she wrote a book, 11 Seconds to Success, as way to pay it forward. To be
released by Amazon on February 14, 2017, the book chronicles how she made it,
hoping to inspire those who want to follow in her footsteps.

Let It Go indeed Cyrene. The best is yet to come.

-Ends-

Mary Verdure Biron-Tolentino is an educator and an advocate of free

online ICT skills and language training. She was a columnist for
Sun Star and belonged to the top 1% of Elance (now Upwork)
writers worldwide