By Leila Castro
Leilacastro.ca@gmail.com
Thousands follow his show. It’s informative and entertaining with lots of raffle prizes given away. It is interactive and easy to share being in social media.
Drigs Maglalang is Papa Dee of the popular ‘AYOS! Fb Live’. Anyone can stage a show virtually, it’s just one click in Fb. But not all gets a good share of number of viewers.
Drigs presently works for a manufacturing company here in Winnipeg. He is happily married to Ana Liza (Liezel to friends) and blessed with two children Rigo and Aubrey. His family migrated to Canada in 2011.
In this interview write up, Drigs tells us what made him decide to launch AYOS! and what makes the show different from the other players in social media.
When did you arrive in Canada? What was your life like as a newcomer?
We arrived in Canada Feb 1st 2011. As what every new immigrant has gone through, we suffered from big adjustments, we had sleepless nights thinking about our decisions until we passed thru the hurdles of every beginner. We had difficulties in getting the careers that we wanted but we hold on to our faith that everything will be given to us in God’s perfect timing and here we are now, living the dream.
What is ‘AYOS! FB Live’?
AYOS! Stands for Ain’t Your Ordinary Show! A weekly talk program that tackles anything and everything about being Filipinos, how we are proud of our ethnicity and how we laugh about things we are going through as immigrants. The show also features throwback topics that most of the viewers can relate.
How did the idea of having ‘AYOS! FB Live’ come about?
After my hosting stint from my previous FB show, I have decided to quit, but a couple of friends and supporters urged me to continue what I have started since I got what it takes to be a host (according to them. Lol!). With all the support that I’m getting plus the passion of doing what I love to do, I started thinking about a catchy concept that will attract the people’s attention and be at par with the latest trends. Since the word “ayos” is a common tagalog word and connotes positivity, I used the word AYOS! And thought of giving each of the four letters a meaning that will define the show.
I did some research on the broadcast technology that is being used in this kind of live streaming, setup a mini studio in one of the spots in our basement, did some lighting, invested on some equipment and did a couple of test broadcasts, produced video plugs until finally, AYOS! Had it’s pilot episode on Dec. 2, 2017.
What sets ‘AYOS! Fb Live’ apart from other shows?
As the name implies, AYOS! is not just simply a talk program. We tackle serious matters in a very light and fun way, we promote good vibes in every episode that will leave every viewer a smile on their faces since I, along with my co-host, have been keeping the show lively every time we’re on air. Our target market is the Filipino community since the medium of communication is in tagalog, especially the new landed immigrants who often suffer from “homesick” and depression, we want to entertain our fellow kababayans in our own little way. We also support and promote the community by playing the role of an online community billboard. Currently, the show has gone interactive by having the viewers participate in games and the show gives out prizes courtesy of our sponsors.
Do you think the days of traditional media (such as AM/FM radio and newspaper) is dying?
No, I believe the traditional mainstream media still exists and should not be neglected. Social media has its own market and so are the traditional media, specifically the newspaper. There’s still a large percentage of the population who are not tech/internet savvy and still prefers reading the papers everyday.
What are the exciting things to look forward to with ‘Ayos! FB Live?
AYOS! Is slowly becoming a household name that’s why I’m starting to come up with bright ideas to further entertain our viewers. AYOS! Is now being involved with concerts and shows as a media partner and we have injected an exciting segment that is the give away tickets through various games and raffle courtesy of the event’s producers and sponsors.
AYOS! Is now broadcasting live on location to promote local businesses to create awareness and boost market.
AYOS! Has recently opened a Facebook community called AYOS biz which caters all registered businesses big or small to advertise their products and services.