From working as an assistant waiter to marketing manager - Kevinson Pineza De Ocampo

Kevinson Pineza De Ocampo

From working as an assistant waiter to marketing manager

Kevinson Pineza De Ocampo vividly recalled when he embarked on an overseas journey in 2015 and worked as an assistant waiter in one of the leading luxury brands of the hospitality industry in the UAE. From an assistant waiter, he rose through the ranks and soon became the lead bartender. He said that Dubai is a suitable and promising place for someone like him who is immersed in the hospitality industry.

Even before working in Dubai, the Bachelor of Hotel Restaurant Management and Tourism graduate was already honed in the field of the hospitality industry in the Philippines. Ocampo was a customer service representative in the Philippines, handling various hospitality industry accounts. He said it all started with fast-food chains to fine dining to three-star hotels, and then to Forbes’ five-star hotels. While at the peak of his career, he joined different competitions as coffee master, tea sommelier, wine sommelier, and mixologist.

However, he wanted something more outside of his comfort bubble. He got introduced to the badminton community in Dubai. A varsity player from elementary until college, he was able to join badminton competitions and did what he really loved. “I feel at home here in Dubai and I consider it as my second home. Dubai has given me a lot of opportunities to earn aside from outside my job here. I joined different competitions,” he said. He added that he is grateful for having the chance to work with UAE’s leading brands and see how he can push himself to thrive as an overseas Filipino worker.

Ocampo took his chances and decided to venture on his other passion which is to create stories, act, and make films. This passion led him to join the Facebook community page People on the Go as the marketing manager, business development and commercial manager, brand ambassador, and one of its leading actors.

“Working as a filmmaker and handling creative talents is very challenging because you have to bring unique and authentic ideas to capture the most interesting topics and trendy vibes that are very timely and relevant to capture the interest of the audience both locally and internationally. One of the best parts of my career as a talent, producer, and creator is to create wonderful stories that will bring a memorable experience to the audience and hopefully provide them with life lessons and discoveries,” he said. Ocampo is one of the leading actors of the remake Filipino film Lamentasyon. The psychological horror film was written, acted, produced, directed, marketed, and distributed by Filipinos in the UAE.

He shared that one of the most challenging times he had to endure while overseas was during the onset of the pandemic last year. The hospitality and tourism industries were terribly affected, thus their source of income was scarce. “I continued to have my hopes up and I prayed hard that it would end and everything would come back to how it was before the pandemic. I had my friends here in Dubai who kept me going and we helped each other lift our spirits and hopes high in spite of the tragedy,” he said.

Having worked in the hospitality field and having the artist’s blood, Ocampo wants to continue his advocacy which is to help his fellow OFWs to continue their passion in arts.

“I want them to keep creating and sharing stories, narratives, films, that should be heard and seen by people,” he further added.