Archie Carrasco, the man behind Vogue Philippines, was declared by the APEA as Master Entrepreneur for Media and Entertainment.
Last October 20, during a gala dinner at Penang, Malaysia for the Asia Pacific Enterprise Awards (APEA) 2022, 25 business leaders and entrepreneurs were recognized for their efforts in their respective industries. One of them was Archie G. Carrasco, founder and CEO of AGC Power Holdings Corp. (AGC PHC), the company behind the licensing of Vogue Philippines. Carrasco was declared Master Entrepreneur for Media and Entertainment and awarded with honor by Penang’s Head of State, His Excellency Ahmad Fuzi Abdul Razak. The prestigious award-giving body also recognized several of the top movers and shakers across Asia including President and CEO of Pepsi-Cola Philippines, Frederick Ong, Founder of LCY Development Brunei, Francis Lau Choo Yew, President and Chief Executive of Government Savings Bank Thailand, Vitai Ratanakorn, among other entrepreneurs. Carrasco’s APEA recognition comes after another win last June when Carrasco was recognized as one of the 15 Rising Tigers and Nation Builders under the Men and Women Who Matter List 2022.
Carrasco first stepped into the leadership role at One Mega Group Inc. (OMGI) in 2019, after serving as the Executive Vice President for several years. Sari V. Yap, the original president of OMGI and founder of MEGA Magazine, lost her battle with cancer that year, and it fell on Carrasco to re-inspire the team as the new lead. This also took place during a time when other local print titles were folding or experiencing difficulty navigating the move to digital-only platforms. Since taking over, the New Era University alumnus mounted several subsidiaries in the span of a few years including a marketing brand, a production house, and eventually Mega Global Licensing, Inc. (MGLI), which now houses Vogue Philippines and Nylon Manila. These subsidiaries are housed under Carrasco’s namesake umbrella company, AGC PHC, which he established during the pandemic.
Though the local market already trusted Carrasco and his publications, even global industry leaders took notice of the passion behind the company—and the man. At the Vogue Philippines Gala in late August, Markus Grindel, the Managing Director of Global Brand Licensing at Condé Nast even spoke about the decision to work with Carrasco and the Mega Global Licensing Inc. team. “It was indeed clear that there was a person that shared our vision, that there was a company that shared our vision and that spoke the same language, had the same ambition,” Grindel said during his speech at the launch. “Amy [Mangino, Director of Media Licensing] and I felt very sure that there is a possibility of the dream of Vogue Philippines.”
To Carrasco, who’s always lived a “purpose over profit” philosophy, bringing the prestigious Condé Nast title meant more than another notch on AGC PHC’s already strong foothold on the local publishing market. “Having our Philippine edition of Vogue means many things: It validates the Filipino experience as worth shining a spotlight on—that our stories are valid, relevant, and impactful, not just to my fellow Filipinos but to the global audience as well,” Carrasco tells us, adding that creating a positive impact by way of meaningful content was always his end goal. “It represents a bright future for our country despite being hit hard by the pandemic, because a country that is deeply invested in its culture, lifestyle and the arts is a country that is showing economic recovery and stability,” he continues, adding, “Most importantly, its presence now represents hope come to fruition—that, if we can have an authority as big as Vogue become part of the Philippine experience, we’re only headed for greater things.”
These signifiers of a better future and validation of the Filipino experience are the reasons he fought to launch a new title during the pandemic, which hit the Philippines especially hard. While Filipinos were suffering from rigid lockdowns, late vaccine rollouts, and a general feeling of unrest, Carrasco sought to bring hope. “Through our words and features, we were giving our fellow Filipinos something to aspire to, something to inspire them to dream bigger and be better,” he says. “We can show that Filipino identity, culture and talent continue to flourish through adversity—and that being Filipino is beautiful and meaningful.”
