Meet Bran Reluao—a 25-year-old digital genius who has found his niche in the social media sphere. Ask him about the algorithms of Tiktok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, and he knows the answers right away.
Two weeks ago, he founded an online news and features platform—Republic Asia Media (www.republicasiamedia.com), making him the youngest media owner in the Philippines.
In less than two weeks since it was launched, Republic Asia has more than 2-million reach in its four social media platforms—Tiktok, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Getting that traction in such a short time may be hard for traditional media like newspapers, radio and television to achieve. But for Reluao, who knows the algorithm of social media like the back of his hand, all he needed to do is just to stick to the numbers.
Interestingly, Relauo said the challenge for him is not to hit a target nor gain a certain traction. The challenge is to make news palatable, relatable and connected to the Gen Zs and millennials.
While he was working for campaigns for clients at the height of the pandemic, one data struck him: Most of the Gen Zs and the millennials rely on social media for news. But the social media is a haven for fake news.
“When everyone is on Tiktok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and doesn’t read the news, what’s going to happen to our future?” he thought. “If I were not in this business, I would not also read the news.”
So, he asked one of his business colleagues, Eero Brillantes, to help him launch a startup news company that would target the millennials and Gen Zs and take advantage of the disruptive nature of technology.
The business model would be to be omnipresent in social media. The social media will not be just a tool, but the platform for news for the and by the Filipino youth.
“What we need is a media platform that will talk to the younger generation in the way that they talk, in a way that shapes the message according to how they could perceive it best. And that’s where Republic Asia comes in. It is the future platform of news media,” Reluao said.
He gathered a mix breed of old hats in journalism who insist on following journalism ethics and standards, and the fresh batch of writers and multi-media artists who can relate better with the millennial and Gen Z market.
Heading the editorial board is Gerry Lirio, an award-winning journalist whose portfolio includes more than 40 years as reporter and editor of the Philippine Daily Inquirer and ABS-CBN News. He said having a Gen Z boss is both “humbling” and “exciting.”
“I, for one, was once upon a time aloof from the online media. Having been a newsman for the past 40 years, I, we, at the Philippine Daily Inquirer, where I came from, looked at it as our poor cousin, once-upon-a-time lacking in gravitas. I wanted all my stories published in the paper. First,” Lirio said.
“Times have changed. Digital Media is now taking the lead, taking us all by storm, and we can no longer ignore it. Thanks, but no thanks, the pandemic hastened it all.”
Reluao said he presented the business model and crunched the numbers to potential angel investors. “Just make sure community journalism will be the core of Republic Asia,” he said, quoting one of the company’s investors.
Thus, Republic Asia Media was born. The verdict is not yet out. But a cultural revolution has begun.
