Marcelo Santos III: The Next Internet Celebrity on YouTube

By Maiqui Rome Francis M. Sta. Ana



A 20-year old college student from Novaliches has taken the hearts of the Filipino youth through his emotional Love Story on Video (LSOV) which can be seen at the video sharing site, YouTube.

Marcelo Santos III, a 4th year Advertising and Public Relations student from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) located at Sta. Mesa, Manila, started his video making career as nothing more than a hobby for his friends.

“At first it was just nothing but an attempt to do something that I have never done before. Originally I did all of that for my friends and just to have fun. I attached my email address at the end of the video so that more people would add me up as their friend. I never thought that it would become such a hit,” Marcelo said in an interview.

He started making his videos last December 2009. His debut story is the three-part video “Bag at Folder”, a story about two people who are about to confess their true feelings for each other when a sudden accident befalls the guy named Ryan. In the end, the characters said that the ending of their love story rests on what the viewers think is the appropriate ending. These first three videos already received almost 400,000 hits on YouTube.

“My first videos are about the concept of ‘it’s too late’ and there are a lot of ‘what ifs’ in the stories. Some characters disappear or die because of the realization that not all love stories have a happy ending,” Marcelo expressed in Filipino.

All of Marcelo’s videos are accompanied by solemn and sometimes melancholic love songs that served as a mood-setter in order to unify the feeling of the viewer that the video they are watching is a unique story of life and love. Some of the music he chose to include in his videos are “Hiling” by Silent Sanctuary, “Kung Wala Ka” by Hale, and the MYMP rendition of “Only Reminds Me of You.”

“Whenever I write my stories I listen to the music to acquire the necessary emotions for me to start writing. After that, I’ll start writing on the spot whatever’s on my mind that time.”

The video that received the most number of views on Marcelo’s channel is the viral video entitled “DOTA vs. Girlfriend.” The story of a girl named Shiela and her boyfriend Rafael who always plays DOTA, a highly addictive role-playing game that is currently capturing the attention of many teenagers today. Rafael’s addiction to the game made him forget about Shiela calling his cellphone a number of times, asking him to accompany her to celebrate their 9th monthsary together. Darkness fell and Shiela was attacked by armed men who tried to rob her, eventually leading to her death. This story received almost 970,000 hits on YouTube because of its melancholic theme accompanied by a soulful background of the worldwide hit “Fall For You” by Secondhand Serenade.

Marcelo’s inspiration for his stories comes from his own personal experiences and also the support of all the fans and the viewers of his videos who keep on demanding more of his love stories. He also gets most of the material that he writes from his friends and the people around him.

“If I write horror then only a handful of people will be interested in my stories. If I write comedies then people would think that all of it is just a joke and nothing more than a waste of time. Not all of us have our own horror stories or funny stories; but all of us have our own love stories to tell that everyone can relate to.”

Pocketbooks and radio/TV dramas are all part of the typical afternoon pastime of Filipinos especially before they lie down and have their refreshing siestas beneath the scorching heat of the sun. But just like any other leisure activity that withstood the test of time, technology steps in and reinvents these traditional forms of recreation into new media. Marcelo took advantage of this and created his very own series of love stories on video that will surely capture the hearts of everyone.

“I chose to write love stories because of the fact that Filipinos are more dramatic. And when it comes to love stories, whether the old or the young, all of us are considered equals.”