By MARIE KITAWA
UPNG Journalism Student
IT all started in 2019 in high school when a young talented science student began to develop a passion for videography.
With just a smart phone, Boruan Renagi who was a year 12 student at the time at St Charles Lwanga Secondary School was able to capture beautiful moments just as a professional camera would have done.
“It was during every school event that I would see students bring along their cameras which also made me to have one for myself. However, at that time I didn’t have a proper professional camera,” Boruan expressed.
“All I had was my phone, so once in a while I would take short videos with the aid of my gimble that helped me a lot in getting those smooth cinematic shots. I would then edit them on my phone and post them on Instagram.
It was then when I heard about a guy named Jerry Albaniel who produces amazing videos and upon seeing his work, that inspired me to create more videos as well,” he said.
Boruan is the youngest in a family of four and hails from a mixed parentage of Manus and Central provinces.
He started his early education at the Port Moresby Christian Academy, where he did prep to Grade 4.
From there he proceeded to complete his Grades 5 to 8 at Carr Memorial Seventh-Day Adventist School.
In 2016, he was fortunate to be selected to do his grade 9 to 10 at St Charles Lwanga Secondary School.
He continued on to complete his Grade 11 and 12 at St Charles Lwanga Secondary School in 2018.
After much hard work and determination, the young man made it into the University of Papua New Guinea to undergo his Science Foundation Year in 2020, and it was there also that he continued to master his talent.
“I continued to do a lot of passion projects in university with my friends and at that time I didn’t have any actual clients yet. By the time I had a new phone, which was a Redmi Note 8, I was able to shoot in 4K. I also kept investing my time in getting my skills right and learning new things,” he said.
In the following year, Boruan was chosen to study for a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physics.
“Prior to the beginning of the 2021 academic year, I entered a video advert competition in February for Akaka Bar and Grill in which I used my elder brother’s iPhone to produce my video for the competition and surprisingly I won. That was a humble and proud moment for me,” he said.
“From then on, it was just passion projects until I eventually got my first client in May of 2021, all thanks to Jerry Albaniel.
He recommended me to the Mineral Resources Lihir Capital Limited (MRL Capital) to produce their scholarship video for Lihir students studying in tertiary institutions within Papua New Guinea. However, during that time my belongings got stolen and that was stressful. Despite the misfortune, I was able to purchase a camera that helped me to complete the video for the client.”
Like all business minded individuals, there is always a form of sacrifice that is done in order to achieve success in their business and Boruan also had to make one for himself. It was during the midst of his second year of studies that the passion driven young man made a serious decision to withdraw from school to pursue a carrier in videography.
“I was faced with the dilemma of whether to pursue my passion in videography or to continue my studies. It took me a week to think about it thoroughly and I finally made the decision to follow my passion and make it a full-time job. I’ve never looked back ever since and I am proud of how far I have come,” he said.
He had the support of his mum and brothers, which gave him the added motivation and drive to keep on pursuing his dream in videography.
Now 21 years of age, the young led is the owner and a full-time videographer of 22ND FILMS which is a small videography business that is registered under the Investment Promotion Authority (IPA).
“I must admit, I didn’t have much knowledge on the business side of things when it came to registering my business, but I eventually managed to register 22ND FILMS with IPA through the PNG SME,” he added.
“I established a lot of good relationships with other creatives in the industry who have given me valuable business advice which have proven to be very helpful for my business.”
When asked what was the idea behind his business name, the enthusiastic creative young man explained that it was a special day that ignited the passion within him to create more happy moments that are similar to what he had encountered during the 22nd of June in 2018.
Currently, Boruan is operating his small business at his residence at Gerehu Stage 2 and basically provides videography services that ranges from video shooting to video editing for interested clients at an affordable rate.
“When a client needs a video, I tell them what my business is all about. It’s all about understanding the client’s need and to be able to assist them in achieving results that best suit their target audience. Afterwards, we may discuss further in terms of location scouting, set designs and so on. Basically, communication is key,” he added.
“For this year I have signed a retainer with Kova Creative Agency, which gave me the opportunity to engage with well-known brands such as Flame and Skel Rice and as well as organisations such as the United Nations.”
Boruan is very fond of cinematography and anything movie-like. Thus, he uses every opportunity to incorporate a little or if not a lot of this filming technique into every video he films.
“It is a style of film making that I have been very much interested in and would love to do often in all my projects. Everything that I’ve learnt from lighting compositions to sound design were all from watching YouTube videos and as well as from other content creators that have been in the industry longer than I,” he added.
Apart from being a small business owner, Boruan enjoys playing the guitar during his free time or after a long day of filming.
He also does a little bit of photography; DIY projects and he also uses his spare time to learn as much as he can about the creative and advertising industry here in PNG. On top of that, he loves watching creative videos on YouTube from which he gets his inspiration from.
Like other entrepreneurs, Boruan has also faced a few obstacles in his journey but has always been determined and optimistic.
“Being a creative is sometimes a challenge. I would sometimes come up with an idea and then doubt myself again if it’s good enough or if it’s worth the time to film and edit but I have always managed to pull through, improve and learn from my mistakes,” he said.
“In addition, meeting the requirements of clients can sometimes be difficult at times. I tend to work overtime and it can get stressful at times trying to do quick turn arounds. Other than that, it’s a challenge for me and being able to show others what I visualize in my head and being able to see their reactions, motivates me to do more.”
“One of my greatest accomplishments was being able to work alongside Jerry Albaniel. The arrangement was given at a short notice and was totally unexpected but I couldn’t say no to work with one of the best in the business. I was also fortunate enough to film social media advertisements for Flame PNG, Skel Rice and a television commercial for Flame Oil. They all fall right into the niche’ that I’m very much interested in.”
Passion has always been Boruan’s motivation and that has brought him this far. He admits that he has a lot to accomplish but it would be a dream come true to work with major local and international brands to create amazing content for their business, not just visually stunning but with an intriguing story line to resonate with their target audience whether it may be for social media or television.
Boruan encourages other aspiring creative young men and women out there to be focused in what they believe in and to gain as much knowledge as they can and to grow from there.
“Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Let go of the negative things that may hinder your success and if you encounter any setbacks, there’s always a major comeback. Trust and have faith in God.”
