One day before the official Santa Monica launch, TFCN Global introduced Culturally Intelligent Storytelling for Southeast Asian Creators to Filipino audiences around the world.
On November 3, 2025, TFCN Global published a pre-event feature announcing the launch of my first book, Culturally Intelligent Storytelling for Southeast Asian Creators, in Santa Monica, California.
The article appeared one day before the November 4 launch at the Shore Hotel, where the book was presented as part of the CQ Fellows International Book Launch 2025.
Introducing the Book Before the Launch
The TFCN Global article introduced the book as a practical exploration of cultural intelligence and storytelling for Southeast Asian creators. It highlighted the central question behind the work: how can creators reach global audiences without losing the cultural identity that gives their stories meaning?
It also introduced the CIS Bamboo Framework, the model at the center of the book. The framework uses bamboo as a metaphor for cultural grounding, resilience, growth, and the ability to travel across contexts without abandoning one’s roots.
The book was entering the public conversation not simply as a publication, but as an argument for culturally grounded global storytelling.
A Shared Launch Among Cultural Intelligence Fellows
The Santa Monica event brought together six books written by members of the CQ Fellows program. Each publication examined a different way that cultural intelligence could be applied in real-world settings.
For my own contribution, the focus was storytelling. The book translated ideas from cultural intelligence, Southeast Asian studies, media practice, and education into a framework that creators, teachers, and leaders could use when communicating across cultures.
Why This Pre-Launch Feature Matters
Looking back, the article captured a specific threshold in the journey of the book. The manuscript had become a physical publication, but the public launch had not yet happened. The framework was ready to move from private development into a wider community of readers.
The coverage also helped establish three ideas that would remain central to the book’s positioning:
- Southeast Asian creators do not need to erase cultural specificity to become globally relevant.
- Cultural intelligence is a practical capability, not merely awareness of cultural difference.
- Storytelling can connect across cultures while remaining rooted in the values and perspectives of its origin.
From Launch Announcement to Continuing Journey
The Santa Monica launch marked my debut as an international author, but it was only the beginning of the book’s public life. Since then, the conversation has continued through academic presentations, speaking engagements, reader reflections, institutional visits, and the growing C3 Bamboo Network.
This pre-event article now serves as an early media record of that transition. It documents the moment before readers, communities, and institutions began adding their own chapters to the journey.
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