The Manila nightlife holds infinite creative possibilities. Just ask Myc Priestley.

To describe Myc Priestley as a multimedia artist is correct, but it also flattens the depth and scope of his work. An art director in publishing and fashion and a DJ whose earliest creative forays involved photography, videography, and graphic design, he has learned how to integrate his many creative interests into his work through curiosity, constant practice, and connection-building. 

“I was basically the designated camera guy in my family,” the Philippine-born and Australia-raised Priestley recalls. “My mom would give me her digicam during family trips, and I’d take photos and videos—what we now call B-roll.” It became a more serious hobby in high school, to the point that he took a multimedia course that allowed him to explore other forms of what he calls static media. But with a saturated job market for artists looking to build their careers in graphic design, he decided to get into the food and beverage industry, first by offering his creative skills to help restaurants with their marketing, and then getting a crash course on customer service by working as a staff member. 

That unusual path turned out to be a worthwhile one to take. “That experience basically helped me build my confidence in establishing relationships and making connections—resources that have helped me understand what a person needs,” Priestley reflects. “I can comfortably say that I’m able to work with anyone now: I can adapt my visual aesthetic to what they want to express in terms of their social media, their marketing campaigns, or through a photo shoot or a video.” 

Currently, he applies all of his creative know-how into livening up the Manila nightlife and music scene as a founder of Outside The Line Asia (OTL), an agency dedicated to bringing live music acts to Asia, specifically the Philippines, and as one of the proprietors of White Rabbit, a multi-concept building in Poblacion that houses three distinct venues: the rooftop bar and restaurant Ugly Duck; the speakeasy-themed cocktail bar Cheshire; and the techno bar Apotheka, which also hosts drag shows. For him, “the nightlife scene has a lot of stories that need to be told,” starting from the way each venue is designed to the people who make these places come alive each night. “I hope that through my skills and those whom I work with, we can help portray these visions and ideas to the general public.”

CREATEPhilippines paid Priestley a visit at the Ugly Duck to learn more about the creative possibilities that the nighttime holds and his interdisciplinary approach to storytelling. While he admits he isn’t the first or the only one to do what he does, Priestley understands that many young artists need only the right push to take on a broader view of what they can achieve. “I think I’m a good example [of someone integrating all of their skills into what they do professionally]. I have been able to make a career out of it, and now, I want to help other people within the industry. That’s my dream.”

Your career can be seen as having two sides: an art director by day, and a DJ and urban scene supporter by night. What exactly drew you toward diving into Manila’s nightlife, on top of everything you already do? 

When I moved back to the Philippines to try and make my career here in 2022, I also got to experience the nightlife here for the first time. It was quite memorable: I went to a venue here in Poblacion, and I still remember the DJs who were playing that night: Marco Pedro, Arthur Tan, Roy de Borja—they’re now my close friends. Anyway, that was also the first time I heard baile funk, garage music, and jersey music. You see, the clubs back in Australia tend to play commercial music, like stuff you’d hear on Spotify. So, being introduced to these new sounds while also being introduced to the Manila nightlife was very much an eye-opener for me. That’s how I got very interested in it and started engaging with it. I want other people to experience the same impact.

If you could compare that first evening to now, how has the scene evolved in the past few years? 

Right now, there’s a huge surge in the push for social media and digital presence in the nightlife scene. Just to shout out some well-respected productions, we have Boiler Room, Cyber EXP from my friends back in Perth, Noise Complaints, and Apartment Life. The scene is much more elevated now, and that’s giving DJs and live musicians a lot more opportunities to perform. It’s nice to keep the nightlife scene still authentic to its community while giving it the right amount of spotlight. 

It’s also cool to see that there is still more for people to discover than what they can listen to solely through streaming apps. The underground scene, the rap scene, the indie scene… there are so many bands and musical acts left to discover, and they’re all super talented. On the production side, we also have artists elevating electronic music and other experimental sounds. There’s still so much more to discover musically through Manila’s—and the Philippines’—nightlife scene, and I want to help do that. I want to do what my peers are doing: After the Noon, Orange Juice Asia, all these DJ collectives. They’re really representing the diversity of the Philippines right now through their sounds and live performances. 

Given that Manila doesn’t lack in music talent and local collectives working to keep the scene vibrant and running, where does it need help, in your opinion? 

I’ve realized that the Philippines still has a bit of a gap in terms of opportunities to bring global artists here. Although there are record labels, production houses, promoters, and event agencies who have been working on that, like Cyberland Asia, I think the cause still needs a lot of help. Why do [music festivals like] S20 Songkran, Wonderfruit, Summer Sonic, Ultra, and Rolling Loud have stops in neighboring countries but not here? Why do artists make tour stops in Japan, Thailand, and Singapore but not here? All of these cool artists are always touring around Asia, yet they always skip Manila. It’d be great to bring them here so that more Filipinos can get to experience all of these great artists that they haven’t even heard of or just probably see in digital spaces all the time. 

And that’s what OTL has been doing, helping bring in more artists to come play on our shores. 

Yes. The company is also not genre-specific. It very much caters to everyone’s tastes. That’s because another formative experience for me here in Manila was learning, as a DJ, that specific clubs don’t allow certain sounds to be played. Of course, different venues and crowds have different tastes, and DJs and musicians must respect these businesses’ decisions. But that experience clarified to me that I want to curate events where DJs can play whatever genre they want: Specific genres for specific communities who actually like that type of sound, so they can be free to enjoy it. 

For OTL’s first monthly event, our guest was Jovynn, a Malaysian DJ who spins hard techno. She has been a good friend of mine from way back, and we’ve had this exact same conversation. She’d always say that she’s had three Asian tours for the past three, four years, yet she hadn’t been able to play here because there was never any opportunity to do so. Being able to provide that type of experience to artists as well is my way of giving back to them. 

So having a place like White Rabbit helps in broadening the musical scope that the public can hear during their nights out. 

Yes, definitely. One of the reasons why this place was created, especially Apotheka, is to have a community hub where anyone can play. We can have Emo Nights here, Techno Nights… LGBTQ Nights happen here a lot as well. There are just so many opportunities for communities to use our space to just be themselves and, as cliché as it sounds, be who they want to be, even if it’s just for one night or for a few hours with whomever they’re with. We hope to basically be a space that offers openness. 

I want to create more events here at White Rabbit where people can connect with those from different parts of the world, from local and international DJs from Malaysia, Indonesia, Spain, Japan, and Korea, to other audiences. Forging these connections also creates opportunities for Filipino DJs because I know a lot of them haven’t even had the chance to play regionally, like in Cebu, Iloilo, and Boracay—and vice versa—or outside of the Philippines.

That’s another one of your skills: bridging different communities through work.

I could say I’m a very resourceful guy in the sense that I try to make the most of any opportunity, not just for myself but also for my peers and for anyone I feel would grow from it. For me, collaboration is a big thing. When there are more people to do the work with, the better, because then there’ll be all these unique tastes and perspectives working together. Each person has their own creative capabilities and limitations, so being exposed to different tastes and skill levels can help anyone realize their creative vision.

You’re still in your 20s, but what can you tell other young creatives about letting their skills lead them to career possibilities? What can they do in order to not only grow in one industry but also branch out into other interesting areas, as you have?

The biggest advice I can give them is not to hesitate to use their creative abilities. People should just put themselves out there because their skills can be put to use for so many other things. It’s just a matter of finding the right people, of being seen by the right group that would appreciate your creative capabilities. 

I believe everything you do basically becomes a part of your portfolio, whether you did it as part of your own community, as a part-time job, as volunteer work, as a way to assist someone. I think that’s where people get stuck: the need to curate their image or what they present to future employers or collaborators. They want it to be so perfect to the point where they feel they should prioritize only with the biggest brands, the biggest artists, the biggest projects. With me, I show everything I’ve been able to do, from my cashier job back in Australia to when I got to work with a global sports brand here in the Philippines. There are so many avenues where we can use each of our experiences, even the smallest ones, to be able to create opportunities for ourselves. You never know whom you might meet.

That’s actually the beauty of the nightlife. Nightlife is for basically everyone: athletes, artists, lawyers, doctors… The people that you meet and the connections you establish during a random night out can basically bloom into something so beautiful. 

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To learn more about Myc Priestley’s work, follow him on Instagram. 

Want to connect with Myc? Get in touch by filling out the Connect with a Creative form. Want to be part of our creative community and have the chance to be featured on CREATEPhilippines? Sign up and register for our Directory of Creatives here. Join our Viber community, too, and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, X, and LinkedIn to be updated on the creative events that we’re promoting.

Photos by Camille Dellosa.