So, Big Ben, what made you decide to reimage MarsMag? Wasn't it doing alright before?
It was. But 'alright' is not enough.

Ah, yes. We heard MarsMag was only coming up second to the Adam Magazine.
Not for long.

What's going to be different with MarsMag this time around?
We've got a new team behind the magazine. We retained a few people like our Fashion Editor, Tala Liwanag. And we've taken on Keryl Johannes, as a full-time Entertainment Writer and Editor this time. But most are new.

People are curious about the Big Man behind the desk. Tell us, Big Ben, are you still single?
I am not looking.

Aww, the girls will be disappointed.
That's not my problem. I have enough of my own.

Right. What kind of problems?
The usual. Late articles. Diva models. Photographers who have to be "in the zone" before they can function. If these people don't start working, I'm going to have an even newer team by the time we relaunch.

Haha! You're funny, Big Ben.
I wasn't joking.

Uh, anyway. Thank you for your time. And we look forward to seeing the new MarsMag.
You're welcome. Now get back to work.

Ah. Yes, Big Ben.

Keryl, what can you tell us about the new MarsMag?
I'd say watch out for it. It's edgier, more sophisticated, and a lot more interesting.

Nice. Let's talk about you.
Me is good.

How do you like working with MarsMag full-time?
It's wonderful! I have more control on the outcome of the magazine this time.

You're such a happy-go-lucky guy, we never thought we'd find you tied to a full-time job.
I don't find myself tied.

You mean, you're not in the office most of the time, or you don't feel tied down?
Haha! Well, I don't stay from nine to five. But I love writing. I don't find it a chore to write.

That's great to hear. So, we'll be expecting more articles on the rich and famous from you?
Absolutely. Along with my usual editorials on parties and other events.

Looking forward to them! We're so glad you're writing for MarsMag, Keryl.
I know.

So, you didn't graduate a writing-related course, right? How'd you get into the magazine business?
I finished Fashion Design. I was working as an intern one summer for the designer, Luna. Tori Luna. I met Big Ben then when he was trying to convince Tori to advertise in MarsMag.

So Big Ben got you because of your eye for fashion, eh?
No, actually. As an intern, you hardly get to do any designing. He got me because I practically ran Tori's office.

He got you...as an office manager?
Yeah. Weird, I know. Not related to my course at all. But aside from fashion, my other passion is writing. And when he offered me a part-time job at MarsMag, I thought it was a chance to get my foot in the door. I took it. Basically, my job was making sure the office ran smoothly.

How did you become Fashion Editor?
I kept a journal back when I was studying. I usually wrote my views on current trends there. Big Ben read some of my entries, and he thought I had promise. He published some of my works. And eventually made me editor.

That's good to hear. Many people say you're not in very good terms with most of the MarsMag models.
So?

They say Big Ben's fond of his models. Aren't you afraid he might fire you?
He likes one in particular, but she doesn't work for MarsMag anymore. And the other one he's fond of, I'm also fond of. Big Ben won't fire me. The models can't run his office.

Wow. So, most of the MarsMag writers and editors are below thirty, huh?
Yeah. And artists and photographers, too. Some of the support staff are older. But in creatives, I'm probably the oldest. Big Ben prefers to hire creative people who are younger than him, as much as possible. He said, "Artists are egotistical creatures. Give them a little bit of age over you, and they think they know better than everyone." He said that if this pride, this bullheadedness is what's brought about by experience, then he'd take idealism over experience anytime.

And you agree with Big Ben?
I'm not sure if I agree with that. I mean, yeah, there are those what Big Ben would call "primadonas." One of them wouldn't even listen to Big Ben. He probably forgot who pays his salary. But the rest of us, we're just artists, you know. We think differently. And you know, our weirdness increases over time. But so does our skill. I think Big Ben should have a few experienced people in the team.

So why are you the exception?
Coz I'm great! Can't you tell?

Do you really have to be in a sort of altered state of consciousness for you to be able to work? Do you have to be "in the zone," as they say?
Yeah. Like I said, I'm an artist. I have to feel the scene. I have to feel where my muse wants me to shoot.

And Big Ben is okay with that?
Well, I'm still here, right? Big Ben may seem the impatient type. But uh...deep inside he's quite tolerant of our shortcomings. Don't tell him I said that.

Well, thanks for sharing, Zee.
Hey, anytime.

Hey, Ryan! So, you're one of the new guys. How are you getting on?
Alright. Most of us are new anyway. I'm not buddy-buddy-close with anyone in particular. But I get along fine with just about everyone.

Is it difficult working at MarsMag?
In the beginning, yes. Big Ben is a pretty demanding boss. Do you know he would sometimes have me picked up at midnight to fix a certain layout?! But once I understood how Big Ben worked, it was not too difficult anymore.

We've heard you have fanatical tendencies. Is it true?
Ah, hehe. Every now and then, yeah. I guess you could call them addictions. When I was in high school, I was a fanatic of anime. I spent all my allowance buying anime DVDs and artbooks. Then in college, I was into online games. I spent all my available free time online! But I grew out of them eventually. I'm fine now.

Until the next interesting thing comes along, eh?
Hehe. I guess

So you do the layout of the magazine, right?
Yeah. And I do some of the photoretouching, too. Nothing major. Just taking off pimples, whitening underarms...things like that.

So you like what you're doing?
Heck, yeah! I mean models everywhere, how can you not love it?! That is, of course, as long as nobody asks me anything as bad as making someone in a photo face front.

How'd you end up writing for MarsMag?
I've always wanted my own column in a magazine. And when MarsMag announced that they had an opening, I applied.

That easy, huh?
Oh, no. Not at all. Big Ben is not an easy guy to work with. He's very demanding. My work, they're just tech reviews, right? But that goes through about ten revisions before it gets approved.

If it's that much work, why bother?
Once Big Ben finally approves your work, and it takes forever before that happens, it makes you feel very...accomplished. Then when people start reading my articles, I'll be like, "I made that." And that just makes me feel good.

How's working with the other people at MarsMag?
Great! Great! You're always surrounded by pretty models and famous people. And if you're not, your surrounded by creative and intelligent people. Just wonderful. I'm not at the office everyday. But whenever I am, I usually hang-out with Ryan and Zee. We talk tech a lot.

What can you tell us about the new MarsMag?
With me around, the mag's definitely much more fun.

People say you talk too much. Is that true?
I'm just...opinionated.

Tony, Tony. How did you end up with MarsMag?
Really curious, really. I had my practicum at MarsMag when I was in college. But as an office manager. I was Tala's assistant. But I was always in Tala's way that Big Ben made me write articles on just about anything just to keep me out of the way.

Like what articles?
Anything, really. Cooking. Tennis. Wine-tasting. I liked trying out stuff. And Big Ben saw that. So he had me write about all those stuff I tried.

And he found you were a good writer?
Well, he said I was a decent writer. Trainable. So he had me trained.

Who trained you?
I'm...not allowed to tell you.

Big Ben's orders?
No. My trainer's, actually. He said his reputation is at stake. Hey, did you know that on average, 100 people choke to death on ballpens every year?

No, I didn't know that. Was your trainer the one who suggested you work for other magazines?
Yeah. And did you know that the electric chair was invented by a dentist?

No, but Tony, your trainer--
And did you know that curiosity killed the cat?

...Fine. I'll shut up now.