Hot Jobs: The gift of gab and being nice

Asia is getting a lot of attention these days, and for BBC World anchor Rico Hizon, it’s the best time to be covering 15 Asia-Pacific economies for a television network that is watched by the whole world.

Rico came in jeans and T-shirt for the interview, not his usual get-up when he goes to the BBC studio in Singapore, but I bet most of the bloggers who were in Kape Isla that afternoon could identify the Rico smile. Besides, a number of them probably watched Rico when he was still reporting live from the stock market trading floor for GMA7 in the 1990s.

We talked about investing in art, being a gatekeeper of information, the stories he wants to work on given more time, his son who played the trumpet, jumping from one topic to another. He shared why it’s exciting to be in Asia right now where the action is.

“Finally, it’s about Asia. Asia is the place to be in now and it will be this way for the next two decades. After all, Southeast Asia is a $500-million strong economy,” he said.

Rico can be seen daily on BBC reporting in the Asia Business Report and World Business Report. BBC has been adding more economic reports in its programming in response to changes in the global economic front and that means more air time for Rico.

I used to think networks like BBC had a whole army of researchers and assistants to churn out those reports. Rico says there are only three of them in his studio and they decide which stories to report on, who to interview, and what to talk about.

“I decide what goes on air. I write what I am going to discuss. For us to be in this job at this level, we have to know what we are talking about,” Rico says.

To a great degree, Rico also needs to make sure that his interviewees know what they are talking about. Since his viewers are not just financial people, he needs to simplify jargon and break it up to into understandable and relevant information for the average guy.

“We have to bring economics into the grassroots. Your economist or your strategist will give you motherhood statements. But we have to ask them if they know what these things really mean,” Rico says.

“And do they?” I ask.

“Sometimes they are at a loss. All they can rattle off are numbers,” he says.

Journalists are known for being pessimists, being critical and for the half-empty versus half-full mentality, but Rico showed no such inclination. Just look at his pet project Good News Pilipinas, a website solely dedicated to publishing good news about the Philippines. Now get this. After broadcasting, he would like to be a diplomat and sell the Philippines, turning down such juicy offers as fund management and corporate communications.

“Yes, your salary is doubled and tripled (when you accept those jobs) but you don’t have the same high of being a journalist. For me it’s really the passion that’s important in choosing a career,” Rico says.

I can imagine how easy it would be to get eaten up by demands of being in a fast-paced, multi-cultural work environment and keep one’s sanity.

Imagine having to tell a story while the whole world watches. Decide which people can tell their stories. Play economic dot-to-dot and find the connections that make the world economy tick. Keep the gate of information open and shut based on your analysis. Ask questions and get answers — from presidents, prime ministers, CEOs, fund managers and all sorts of decision makers.

Rico has proven that Filipinos are tough, excellent workers who can keep their head while everyone around them may be losing theirs. (Thanks, Desiderata ).

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