Across various industries, Erwan Heussaff and Nico Bolzico showcase diverse and creative ways of pursuing their passions while helping others.
This is an excerpt from Lifestyle Asia’s June 2023 cover story.
Erwan Heussaff and Nico Bolzico wear several hats in their professional lives. Collectively, the brothers-in-law dabble in several industries, from creative production, food and beverage, culture, agriculture, construction, and even pet care.
Across their joint ventures and varied personal pursuits, one sees specific business and personal values that Heussaff and Bolzico share—values that allow them to nurture their passions while creating change and impact.
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MEN IN ACTION
As the founder of The Fat Kid Inside Studios (TFKI), creative production takes up much of Heussaff’s time. Focusing on creating TV-caliber digital content, TFKI is the backbone of media platform FEATR, which aims to showcase the Philippines through its places, food, and people, for Filipinos and the world.
“TFKI Studios creates all the content that is distributed under FEATR, but [we also produce] digital content for a wide variety of clients,” the French-Filipino entrepreneur shares. “I oversee the whole operation and actively take part in directing, story producing, accounts, and creatives.”
Meanwhile, Bolzico splits his time among several key positions: he is the creator of Petchola, the first locally-made premium pet food brand in the Philippines; the vice president of VIENOVO Philippines, Inc., an animal feeds manufacturer company; and a director at El Colono, which engages in warehouse and housing firm building within the industrial sector.
These personal ventures present Heussaff’s and Bolzico’s key talents and passions, with the former focusing on creative work, culture, and food; and the latter demonstrating his financial background and penchant for improving agricultural and industrial processes in the Philippines.
But it is in Bolzico Beef, the Argentinian’s namesake brand, that the brothers-in-law join forces and exhibit their respective strengths. The company is a grass-fed Argentinian, Angus-certified meat import and distribution business with an empanada concept, a burger concept, and a deli called Chingolo.
“We supply beef to some of the top restaurants in Manila and also sell straight to retail. Here I’m in charge of product development and creative strategy, whereas Bolzico focuses on finance and the supply chain. We both contribute to business development and marketing,” Heussaff notes.
TREASURING TIME, PRIORITIZING PEOPLE
“My working schedules are never the same. It will depend on which hat I’m wearing for the day,” admits Bolzico.
His work at VIENOVO takes him across provinces in the Philippines, meeting with farmers and suppliers from Bulacan to Cebu; El Colono takes him to site visits to meet locators and prospective business partners for construction; and with Bolzico Beef, he conducts weekly planning meetings with his team to align their business objectives.
“I’m very lucky to have great people across the companies that I manage. It allows me to be flexible and jump from one project to another,” the Argentinian adds.
Busy and varied as his schedules are, Bolzico makes it a point to stop working by 5 P.M.—a rule that he also encourages across his teams. “I believe in short, intense, yet efficient working hours. This way, we can spend our mornings and after-hours at home with the family.”
Carving time for loved ones also ranks highly in Heussaff’s working days—a timeframe that gets quite dynamic depending on their shooting schedules.
“I’m usually up by 4:30 A.M. I work out, spend time with the family, and get to the office by 8:30 A.M. If there is no shoot ongoing, the day is spent talking to current clients, pitching new ones, working with the producers and content teams at the studio to plan and produce our next videos and plans. This usually goes on until a reasonable 5 or 6 P.M.,” he shares.
However, if there is a shooting to be done and Heussaff needs to be part of it, his working day begins much earlier. “This usually starts at 7 A.M., all the way ‘till five. If it’s an outdoor shoot, we start earlier at 5 A.M.—depending on the location and if I’m needed as a host, director, or producer.”
“The production world is known for being quite intense, but we pride ourselves in making sure we don’t work extended hours,” he adds.
The brothers-in-law are ardent believers in empowering and nurturing great people within their teams to succeed in business.
“Whatever company or project you do, it will always be 100% about the people,” Bolzico stresses. “If you have an okay idea executed by great team members, it will always turn out well. Conversely, a great idea with the wrong people will always fail.”
Read the full cover story by purchasing a copy of the Lifestyle Asia June 2023 magazine via SariSari.shopping or select newsstands in National Bookstore and Fully Booked. Subscribe to the E-Magazine via Readly, Magzter, and Press Reader.
Text GABRIEL DEE
Photos JERICK SANCHEZ, Assisted by DAN FUGRAD
Sittings Editor CANDY DIZON
Art Direction MARC YELLOW
Stylist ROKO ARCEO, Asssisted by RUSH ROMANO
Hair MONG AMADO
Shoot Coordination MAE TALAID & MJ ALMERO
Shot on location JUNGLE BASE, TANAY, RIZAL
Special thanks to Land Rover Philippines.
