John Guanzon did not even have a speech prepared.
When he entered the 2025 Mediaweek Next of the Best Awards, he made no assumptions that it would lead to anything beyond attending a sensational awards night and enjoying a terrific dinner.
But winning in the Publishing Innovator category proved transformative. The recognition shifted how the industry perceived the value of his work, opened unexpected doors, and gave him the confidence to step into much bigger conversations.
Rewarding the infrastructure
At the time of his win, Guanzon served as the head of creative and production at Man of Many. He took home the trophy for building smarter, scalable content systems and social-first video models.
“What made the recognition particularly meaningful was that it acknowledged not just standout campaigns, but the thinking, structure, and infrastructure behind them,” Guanzon says.
This is the exact operational layer the Next of the Best Awards celebrate. We want to recognise the people building the engine, not just the people standing on the stage when the campaign goes live.
Leadership in motion
Since his win, Guanzon has accelerated his career trajectory. He recently stepped into a new role at Amplify as Head of Production, APAC, heading up all of the organisation’s social-first production across the region.
Sitting at the intersection of creative, production, and strategy at the social-first agency, he now leads multidisciplinary teams across the region. Guanzon shapes how content gets made at a global scale, designing frameworks built around first-frame behaviour, scroll fatigue, and platform nuance.
He also oversees a central production and post-production engine in South East Asia. His focus remains on building strong workflows and talent models so teams across different regions can move quickly without flattening cultural nuance or creative intent.
Back yourself earlier than you think
For those operational leaders driving the commercial core of the industry right now, Guanzon offers one clear piece of advice: back yourself earlier than you think you are ready.
“Awards won’t define your talent or professional capabilities, but they can accelerate your trajectory if you let them,” he says.
Guanzon points out that the real value often lies in the submission process itself. Collating your achievements forces you to articulate your thinking, reflect on your commercial impact, and take ownership of your contribution.
Even before the executive judges review your work, that clarity remains incredibly powerful.
“Sometimes, the opportunity you’re waiting for only appears once you put your hand up,” Guanzon says.
We evolved the 2026 Mediaweek Next of the Best Awards for exactly this reason.
And the streamlined entry process across 16 industry relevant categories will make taking your place quick and easy.
It is time to put up your hand.
Feature image- John Guanzon, Head of Production, APAC, Amplify: file