Aside from being a trivia show host, KC Montero is taking on bigger responsibilities in Kumu, a livestream and content platform.
He was initially tapped to be a digital strategist and host of Kumu's flagship gameshow, Quiz Mo ko.
He has now been appointed vice president of marketing for the platform that he believes to be the future of live entertainment.
“While viewership growth on Kumu across all demographics is high, it is particularly high among Gen Z and Millennial viewers," KC said.
"This popularity shows the inherent appeal of the platform: Fans and content creators alike enjoy interacting live with one another in a way that is not scripted or filtered like television, but identical to the authenticity and intimacy of a one-on-one conversation between close friends.”
PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) had the chance to interview KC via email, which he answered freely.
As a TV host, are you not threatened by the rise of digital forms of entertainment?
KC: "No! Definitely not. Content is content and a show is a show no matter where it comes out. Whatever you see on TV can easily be put on digital. It's all the same banana, but its just how they consume the content that differs."
Do you think game formats such as these will pose a threat to traditional media such as television?
KC: "Anything that comes out online is always going to be a bit of a threat. But I do believe that TV will stay strong in the Philippines for many years, just because of our quality of internet and all the problems we have there. So TV programming will exist for much longer in the Philippines than in other countries. Now, ads, on the other hand, that's another story."
What advice can you give those who want to make it big in the livestreaming industry? How do you differentiate yourself from similar channels?
KC: "I was actually live streaming today and was asking questions to the viewers. I think what is strong about our app is our community.
"When I asked 'What is your favourite part about Kumu?', the most popular answer was 'friends.'
"In terms of making it big in livestreaming, I think the basic thing is consistency and authenticity. A lot of people start with zero follower or viewers, but over time that grows, because when people livestream on Kumu, it's like having a group chat with your friends."
After winning the MTV VJ hunt in 1999, KC has become the channel’s longest running VJ and a regionally seen television personality and producer.
His acting and hosting has been featured on Celebrity Car Wars, Survivor Philippines, GMA-7, and Fox Sports, and Discovery Channel’s Worst Vacation Ever, a show he created with his brother Troy.
He currently hosts GOOD TIMES on Magic 89.9.
KC's involvement in Kumu is part of a growing worldwide trend of celebrities taking increasingly larger roles in the tech ecosystem.
One of the first was Ashton Kutcher, who built a $250 million portfolio investing in the likes of Uber, Airbnb, Spotify, and Pinterest.
Even post-NBA-retirement Kobe Bryant is setting his sights on Silicon Valley with his venture capital firm, Bryant Stibel.
Still others are becoming founders, such as Jessica Alba, who founded The Honest Company in 2011, and at one point reached a billion-dollar valuation.
With his greater role as vice president of marketing, does KC want to be recognized as the “Ashton Kutcher of Asia”?
He answered, “I’d rather be the ‘first’ than the ‘only.' “It would be great if more local celebrities could take on a larger role at up-and-coming tech companies, and I believe the story of Kumu will convince many of them to do so. In Kumu, they’ll witness a scrappy startup innovate a traditional field that has gone unchanged for far too long.
"They’ll want skin in the game once they see how we democratize the media landscape.”