Follow Your Dreams

Through their travel show Dreamcatchers, Phil Estiot and Iva Agüero do not only show amazing places but share inspiring stories, real treasures of which many they found in the Philippines

- Anton San Diego

Ten years ago, the French Phil Estiot and the Argentinian Iva Agüero both left their corporate jobs in Malaysia to embark on a sailing adventure together around Asia on their beloved sailboat, Dali. They documented their travels in video footage which not only regaled family and friends but was good enough to be turned into a travel/adventure television show called Dreamcatchers. It first showed in the Philippines at the end of 2016, and easily zoomed up the chart of travel shows. For Dreamcatchers is not the usual travelogue; it tells heart-warming stories of people and their unique experiences amid a backdrop of amazing sceneries. Here are Estiot and Agüero as they tell us more.

Anton San Diego: How did it all start?

Phil Estiot: “We started sailing in 2015. After a year around Indonesia, we came back with a lot of footage and partnered with a production company in Kuala Lumpur, who really liked what we did. In 2016, we launched our first season. We got a lot of interests very quickly from travel channels around Southeast Asia, Brazil and Europe but the first to air Dreamcatchers was ABS-CBN on its Metro Channel, formerly Lifestyle.

Iva Agüero: When we began filming, we had an idea, a message. But we didn’t have much experience (in the film production business). In the beginning, we would do research online. I had direct access to a lot of people in the TV industry, contacted a lot of people using LinkedIn and said, “We are independent producers, we have this series.”

ASD: Did you know about the Philippines before coming here?