The equipment always came first. Heavy cases had to be hauled onto set, lights positioned and repositioned, cables run and checked, all before a single frame was captured. When the long shoot day finally wrapped, there was no time to rest, because college classes were waiting.
That was the routine for Glenn Morrison in the early years of a career that now spans more than 19 years in advertising and digital media. Today, the 35-year-old is Creative Director at Huawei Consumer Business Group for the Middle East and Africa, a company he has been with for nearly nine years out of his 14 years abroad. The distance between that lighting crew and the director’s chair is long, but Glenn has never tried to forget any part of it.
Learning on set
His first job was at Vignette Photography in the Philippines, where he worked as a camera assistant and lightman. There was no shortcut. “I learned by being on set every day, watching closely, asking questions, and taking every chance to get hands-on with the equipment,” he shares with TGFM.
The veterans around him shared what they knew, and the young assistant absorbed camera operation, lighting, and composition. On his own time, he taught himself video editing, which let him follow a project “from the first shot to the final cut.” That self-study moved him up to videographer and video editor.
The pressure outside the studio was just as heavy. Glenn was studying in college while serving as his family’s breadwinner, and some days meant going from long hours on set straight to class with very little rest.
“It wasn’t easy, but my family gave me a reason to keep going,” the former lightman recalls.
Those years, Glenn says, taught him patience, discipline, and humility. They also shaped the kind of leader he became. “It’s the reason I understand and respect every role on a production today,” he adds.
A place that invests in talent
When it came time to work overseas, he chose the UAE, a country he describes as “full of opportunity” and one that “truly invests in nurturing and developing talent.” For someone always looking for room to grow, the fit was clear.
Working abroad, the Filipino creative says, pushed him out of his comfort zone. Exposure to different cultures and perspectives made him a stronger creative and a better leader. It also opened the door to Huawei and allowed him to support his family while continuing to invest in himself.
At Huawei, Glenn gets to combine what he loves most: big ideas for a global brand, a talented team, and a culture of innovation that keeps him learning. His campaigns, product launches, and projects have boosted brand visibility and engagement. Still, the part of the job that means the most to him traces back to where he started.
“Having grown from a camera assistant myself, helping others grow is especially meaningful to me,” the creative director says.
Paying the opportunity forward
Glenn is not finished learning. He is pursuing an MBA in Marketing at Wrexham University to strengthen the business side of his creative leadership, a natural extension of the mantra he lives by: “Every day is a draft, keep refining.”
Beyond his own growth, he wants to become an advocate for creatives and mentor young talent, the way experienced hands once guided him on set. “I believe talent is everywhere, but opportunity isn’t, and I want to help give others the chance I was given,” the Huawei creative lead says.
His message to fellow overseas Filipinos carries the same grit that carried him through those days of set work and school.
“Laban lang, kabayan. We didn’t come here for nothing,” Glenn says. “Remember why you started, be proud of how far you’ve come, and never stop learning and improving yourself.”
He knows the journey has its hard stretches. “The road isn’t always easy, but our strength as Filipinos is that we don’t give up. We lift each other up, and we keep going.”
