Daphne Oseña-Paez
Encyclopedia
Daphne Oseña-Paez is a TV host, producer, and businesswoman from Manila
. She is widely known for her production and hosting of television programs Urban Zone
, Proudly Filipina, and F. She is a Special Advocate for Children for UNICEF and a brand ambassador for Olay
. She also has her own line of jewelry and home furnishings.
She was a member of Pi Beta Phi
sorority at the University of Toronto and graduated with a Bachelors degree in Urban Studies with a specialization in Fine Arts History. She began work in Toronto as a project officer with the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI) in their international programs office. She has managed programs in Aguascalientes
, Mexico
, as well as projects in Cuba
, Latvia
, Lithuania
, and Estonia
. Her last assignment was in Guimaras
, Philippines
where she lived onsite for about 13 months .
While at ABS-CBN, an opportunity to produce a lifestyle show within the news and current affairs division of ABSCBN arose, and Oseña-Paez pitched the idea for F, a show about fashion, food, travel and lifestyle in general. She reported that her flair for design and creativity helped propel her career in TV as a lifestyle show host. While working for ABS-CBN, she filmed, shot, and edited her own show, which she called Video Postcards. "I did it for free. I filmed it with my own camera. I edited it at night." She reported waiting in the parking lot for an ABS-CBN executive to show him her work, which was received favorably. "Because of that I got F", she recalled.
Oseña-Paez's discovery by ABS-CBN executives landed her the women-oriented show F hosting alongside Angel Aquino and Cher Calvin
. F became the longest running and most-awarded lifestyle magazine program on Philippine TV. It was produced by ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs and aired on Studio 23. Her notable broadcasting ‘scoops’ included coverage of the 2006 Spring/Summer New York Fashion Week, exclusive interviews with the hosts of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, an intimate travelogue of Angkor Wat in Cambodia, and a personal travelogue in Paris. F was on the air from 1999 to 2006. "When I was discovered on ABS-CBN, I used that opportunity to learn the language of television. I learned how to write for TV. I learned how to produce. I learned how to film. I learned how to edit," she recalls. She edited her own segments for F.
In 2000, while working F Oseña-Paez also accepted an offer to host Guide to Urban Living, an info-tainment program focusing on stylish city living for the young. The show ran until 2002.
Oseña-Paez was the anchor of ANC Life from 2005 to 2006, a one-hour weekly newscast/talk show revolving on local and international lifestyle and entertainment stories.
When F was canceled in 2006, Oseña-Paez accepted Proudly Filipina, a magazine show on QTV-11 focused on women achievers. However, having recently started Urban Zone
on ABS-CBN and still breastfeeding her second daughter Lily, she found that her "heart was not really in it. I didn't like coming home late and seeing my kids already asleep. I also found it ironic that I was interviewing women who were living inspiring lives, successful at their chosen fields—and there I was, wanting to be nowhere but home with my babies." She reported in an interview that her decision to leave Proudly Filipina was a tough one, but eventually she had to make her family the priority. "It was the perfect project but it came to me at the wrong time." Though only with the show seven months (June 2007 to February 2008), her hosting of Proudly Filipina was a commercial and critical success, even garnering an international award (see below).
Oseña-Paez is currently the host and supervising producer of Bayan Productions’ Urban Zone
, a 30-minute weekly magazine program that airs on ABS-CBN and internationally on The Filipino Channel
. Urban Zone enjoys a loyal following with design conscious urbanites looking for tips on home, architectural design and stylish living. It began airing in 2006.
on Proudly Filipina won the 2008 Golden Camera Award at the US International Film and TV Awards in Los Angeles, California. She was awarded Best TV Host for a Lifestyle Program at the 2002, 2003 and 2004 Star Awards (the Philippines’ version of the Emmy Awards. F has been awarded Best Lifestyle Program at the 2003 and 2002 Star Awards. F won Students’ Choice Awards at the USTV Awards for three consecutive years. While she was hosting, Guide to Urban Living won Best in Infotainment in 2000 and 2001 at the Asian TV Awards in Singapore.
, and has a self-named line of jewelry, linens, and furniture.
She explained that Daphne Linens came into existence "Because I've [always] been focused on the home front, it's been my dream to have a Daphne Home line. This came true in 2009 when I started my design collaboration with Linens Direct." In 2010 she launched a luxury handcrafted furniture line called "Daphne". She reported that she "basically went back to old, classical forms and borrowed inspirations from the likes of Marie Antoinette."
Oseña-Paez's reputation as a fashion and style icon and the success and influence of her TV shows enabled her to convert her name into a brand suitable for lifestyle products that are high value and high style. Her career and business sensibilities have led some to comment that she may be the Philippines' answer to Martha Stewart.
She promotes the practice of exclusive breastfeeding among Filipino mothers and endorses this natural feeding option as the best way to keep newborns in good health. "Officially, my role is to assist UNICEF in its advocacy, fundraising, and program efforts and in communicating to the public—particularly mothers—the vision and values that guide UNICEF's work for children. I will be focusing on (but not limited to) infant and young child feeding, especially breastfeeding; maternal health and maternal mortality; and universal primary education."
"I will be one of the voices that'll draw attention to children's issues," Oseña-Paez said in an interview. "In the Philippines, only 34 percent of mothers practice exclusive breastfeeding. Formula/bottle-fed infants are put at great risk because they're potentially exposed to contaminated water, bacteria, [and] infections. My immediate role is to encourage more women to breastfeed, and this will be done through a national campaign. I want to show them that [breast milk] is truly the best and should be the only thing you give your newborn for at least the first six months of his or her life. If you breastfeed your baby exclusively, he or she won’t even need a drop of water for the first 6 months."
In May 2011 Oseña-Paez founded Auction for Action: A UNICEF Fundraising Online Auction to benefit children's programs in the Philippines and worldwide. A first for UNICEF Philippines, the online auction is in partnership with Greenbelt Ayala Malls
, Ebay.ph and others. It features work from noted local artists and designers in the hope of raising money that would benefit programs on maternal health and education in the Philippines' poorer areas.
While her work with UNICEF is her first participation in a humanitarian enterprise in an official capacity, informally, Oseña-Paez has engaged in other philanthropic activities, such as scholarship programs through her brother-in-law, Fr. Dennis Paez. She also supports her friends' charitable programs, such as the emergency response to Ondoy, and she also gathers corporate donations from sponsors like Procter and Gamble to donate to orphanages.
Other civic appointments include:
s. She said that her mother always told her that her clothes were special and that she had to take good care of them.
"When I was still in university in Canada, I always dressed a notch neater than my friends and classmates. While my friends were in Doc Martens, I'd be in Robert Clergerie shoes that I had saved up for. When I was a news reporter in Malacañang, I was always in little suits. I just think that when you're working, it's important to put your best self forward. My job as a TV host requires me to look polished and fashionable. But my husband also inspires me to make the proper choices. He is my shopping buddy, my third eye. We have this inside joke when we shop: he always asks, “Would Angelina
wear that?”
She is widely regarded as a fashion and beauty icon in the Philippines for her production and hosting of television programs Urban Zone, Proudly Filipina, and F.
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
. She is widely known for her production and hosting of television programs Urban Zone
Urban Zone
Urban Zone or sometimes shortened as "UZ" is a lifestyle program produced by ABS-CBN and Bayan Productions, Inc. It airs every Friday 1 AM on ABS-CBN. With replays in five regions via The Filipino Channel .-Host:The program is hosted by Daphne Oseña-Paez...
, Proudly Filipina, and F. She is a Special Advocate for Children for UNICEF and a brand ambassador for Olay
Olay
Olay is an American skin care line. It is one of the top skin care retail brands in the world, except for Japan, and is one of Procter & Gamble's multi-billion dollar brands. For the 2009 fiscal year ended June 30, Olay accounted for an estimated $2.8 billion of P&G's $79 billion in revenue.-Early...
. She also has her own line of jewelry and home furnishings.
Early life and career
Oseña-Paez was born in Metro Manila and moved to Canada in 1983.She was a member of Pi Beta Phi
Pi Beta Phi
Pi Beta Phi is an international fraternity for women founded as I.C. Sorosis on April 28, 1867, at Monmouth College in Monmouth, Illinois. Its headquarters are located in Town and Country, Missouri, and there are 134 active chapters and over 330 alumnae organizations across the United States and...
sorority at the University of Toronto and graduated with a Bachelors degree in Urban Studies with a specialization in Fine Arts History. She began work in Toronto as a project officer with the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI) in their international programs office. She has managed programs in Aguascalientes
Aguascalientes
Aguascalientes is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 11 municipalities and its capital city is Aguascalientes....
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, as well as projects in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
, and Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
. Her last assignment was in Guimaras
Guimaras
Guimaras is an island province of the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Among the smallest provinces, its capital is Jordan. The island is located in the Panay Gulf, between the islands of Panay and Negros...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
where she lived onsite for about 13 months .
Television career
Oseña-Paez's broadcasting career in ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs began in 1996 as a news reporter covering the presidential beat. She became a segment anchor and segment producer in Studio 23’s Newscentral and weather anchor in ABS-CBN’s multi-awarded newscast, The World Tonight.While at ABS-CBN, an opportunity to produce a lifestyle show within the news and current affairs division of ABSCBN arose, and Oseña-Paez pitched the idea for F, a show about fashion, food, travel and lifestyle in general. She reported that her flair for design and creativity helped propel her career in TV as a lifestyle show host. While working for ABS-CBN, she filmed, shot, and edited her own show, which she called Video Postcards. "I did it for free. I filmed it with my own camera. I edited it at night." She reported waiting in the parking lot for an ABS-CBN executive to show him her work, which was received favorably. "Because of that I got F", she recalled.
Oseña-Paez's discovery by ABS-CBN executives landed her the women-oriented show F hosting alongside Angel Aquino and Cher Calvin
Cher Calvin
- Biography :Calvin is the daughter of former actor Roger Calvin. She started with KTLA in January, 2005. She was a former news anchor of Studio 23's "News Central" and one of the hosts of the fashion magazine show "F" on ABS-CBN.Calvin came to KTLA from KVVU-TV Fox 5 in Las Vegas, Nevada, where...
. F became the longest running and most-awarded lifestyle magazine program on Philippine TV. It was produced by ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs and aired on Studio 23. Her notable broadcasting ‘scoops’ included coverage of the 2006 Spring/Summer New York Fashion Week, exclusive interviews with the hosts of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, an intimate travelogue of Angkor Wat in Cambodia, and a personal travelogue in Paris. F was on the air from 1999 to 2006. "When I was discovered on ABS-CBN, I used that opportunity to learn the language of television. I learned how to write for TV. I learned how to produce. I learned how to film. I learned how to edit," she recalls. She edited her own segments for F.
In 2000, while working F Oseña-Paez also accepted an offer to host Guide to Urban Living, an info-tainment program focusing on stylish city living for the young. The show ran until 2002.
Oseña-Paez was the anchor of ANC Life from 2005 to 2006, a one-hour weekly newscast/talk show revolving on local and international lifestyle and entertainment stories.
When F was canceled in 2006, Oseña-Paez accepted Proudly Filipina, a magazine show on QTV-11 focused on women achievers. However, having recently started Urban Zone
Urban Zone
Urban Zone or sometimes shortened as "UZ" is a lifestyle program produced by ABS-CBN and Bayan Productions, Inc. It airs every Friday 1 AM on ABS-CBN. With replays in five regions via The Filipino Channel .-Host:The program is hosted by Daphne Oseña-Paez...
on ABS-CBN and still breastfeeding her second daughter Lily, she found that her "heart was not really in it. I didn't like coming home late and seeing my kids already asleep. I also found it ironic that I was interviewing women who were living inspiring lives, successful at their chosen fields—and there I was, wanting to be nowhere but home with my babies." She reported in an interview that her decision to leave Proudly Filipina was a tough one, but eventually she had to make her family the priority. "It was the perfect project but it came to me at the wrong time." Though only with the show seven months (June 2007 to February 2008), her hosting of Proudly Filipina was a commercial and critical success, even garnering an international award (see below).
Oseña-Paez is currently the host and supervising producer of Bayan Productions’ Urban Zone
Urban Zone
Urban Zone or sometimes shortened as "UZ" is a lifestyle program produced by ABS-CBN and Bayan Productions, Inc. It airs every Friday 1 AM on ABS-CBN. With replays in five regions via The Filipino Channel .-Host:The program is hosted by Daphne Oseña-Paez...
, a 30-minute weekly magazine program that airs on ABS-CBN and internationally on The Filipino Channel
The Filipino Channel
The Filipino Channel is an international television station owned by the Philippine-based multimedia conglomerate ABS-CBN Corporation. The network is currently available in Asia Pacific, Australia, Canada, Europe, Middle East, and the United States. It has over two million subscribers in these...
. Urban Zone enjoys a loyal following with design conscious urbanites looking for tips on home, architectural design and stylish living. It began airing in 2006.
Awards
Oseña-Paez has won a number of awards over her career. In 2009 she was the recipient of the Carolyn Helman Lichtenberg Award, awarded by her sorority Pi Beta Phi. The award is given to distinguished Pi Phi alumnae for their personal or community achievements. Her interview with the first Filipina to climb Mount EverestMount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
on Proudly Filipina won the 2008 Golden Camera Award at the US International Film and TV Awards in Los Angeles, California. She was awarded Best TV Host for a Lifestyle Program at the 2002, 2003 and 2004 Star Awards (the Philippines’ version of the Emmy Awards. F has been awarded Best Lifestyle Program at the 2003 and 2002 Star Awards. F won Students’ Choice Awards at the USTV Awards for three consecutive years. While she was hosting, Guide to Urban Living won Best in Infotainment in 2000 and 2001 at the Asian TV Awards in Singapore.
Business
Oseña-Paez is a brand ambassador for OlayOlay
Olay is an American skin care line. It is one of the top skin care retail brands in the world, except for Japan, and is one of Procter & Gamble's multi-billion dollar brands. For the 2009 fiscal year ended June 30, Olay accounted for an estimated $2.8 billion of P&G's $79 billion in revenue.-Early...
, and has a self-named line of jewelry, linens, and furniture.
She explained that Daphne Linens came into existence "Because I've [always] been focused on the home front, it's been my dream to have a Daphne Home line. This came true in 2009 when I started my design collaboration with Linens Direct." In 2010 she launched a luxury handcrafted furniture line called "Daphne". She reported that she "basically went back to old, classical forms and borrowed inspirations from the likes of Marie Antoinette."
Oseña-Paez's reputation as a fashion and style icon and the success and influence of her TV shows enabled her to convert her name into a brand suitable for lifestyle products that are high value and high style. Her career and business sensibilities have led some to comment that she may be the Philippines' answer to Martha Stewart.
Advocacy and philanthropy
Oseña-Paez has the distinction of being the first Filipina ever appointed Special Advocate for Children by UNICEF.She promotes the practice of exclusive breastfeeding among Filipino mothers and endorses this natural feeding option as the best way to keep newborns in good health. "Officially, my role is to assist UNICEF in its advocacy, fundraising, and program efforts and in communicating to the public—particularly mothers—the vision and values that guide UNICEF's work for children. I will be focusing on (but not limited to) infant and young child feeding, especially breastfeeding; maternal health and maternal mortality; and universal primary education."
"I will be one of the voices that'll draw attention to children's issues," Oseña-Paez said in an interview. "In the Philippines, only 34 percent of mothers practice exclusive breastfeeding. Formula/bottle-fed infants are put at great risk because they're potentially exposed to contaminated water, bacteria, [and] infections. My immediate role is to encourage more women to breastfeed, and this will be done through a national campaign. I want to show them that [breast milk] is truly the best and should be the only thing you give your newborn for at least the first six months of his or her life. If you breastfeed your baby exclusively, he or she won’t even need a drop of water for the first 6 months."
In May 2011 Oseña-Paez founded Auction for Action: A UNICEF Fundraising Online Auction to benefit children's programs in the Philippines and worldwide. A first for UNICEF Philippines, the online auction is in partnership with Greenbelt Ayala Malls
Greenbelt (Ayala Center)
Greenbelt is a shopping mall located at Ayala Center, Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines which is just near Glorietta and SM Makati. It is owned by Ayala Malls, a real-estate subsidiary of Ayala Land, which is an affiliate of Ayala Corporation. It opened in the 1980s and it is one of Ayala...
, Ebay.ph and others. It features work from noted local artists and designers in the hope of raising money that would benefit programs on maternal health and education in the Philippines' poorer areas.
While her work with UNICEF is her first participation in a humanitarian enterprise in an official capacity, informally, Oseña-Paez has engaged in other philanthropic activities, such as scholarship programs through her brother-in-law, Fr. Dennis Paez. She also supports her friends' charitable programs, such as the emergency response to Ondoy, and she also gathers corporate donations from sponsors like Procter and Gamble to donate to orphanages.
Other civic appointments include:
- National Geographic TV, Ambassador
- HERO Foundation, Spokesperson
- British CouncilBritish CouncilThe British Council is a United Kingdom-based organisation specialising in international educational and cultural opportunities. It is registered as a charity both in England and Wales, and in Scotland...
, Nexus of Creative Cities Programme Leader - Canadian Embassy Manila, “Study in Canada” Programme Spokesperson
Fashion
Oseña-Paez has said that her love for fashion began in kindergarten, after her parents got her red patent leather maryjaneMary Jane (shoe)
Mary Jane is an American term for a strap shoe or bar shoe that typically has low heels, broad and rounded closed toes, and a single-buckle strap across the instep and/or around the ankle...
s. She said that her mother always told her that her clothes were special and that she had to take good care of them.
"When I was still in university in Canada, I always dressed a notch neater than my friends and classmates. While my friends were in Doc Martens, I'd be in Robert Clergerie shoes that I had saved up for. When I was a news reporter in Malacañang, I was always in little suits. I just think that when you're working, it's important to put your best self forward. My job as a TV host requires me to look polished and fashionable. But my husband also inspires me to make the proper choices. He is my shopping buddy, my third eye. We have this inside joke when we shop: he always asks, “Would Angelina
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie is an American actress. She has received an Academy Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards, and was named Hollywood's highest-paid actress by Forbes in 2009 and 2011. Jolie is noted for promoting humanitarian causes as a Goodwill Ambassador for the...
wear that?”
She is widely regarded as a fashion and beauty icon in the Philippines for her production and hosting of television programs Urban Zone, Proudly Filipina, and F.