How Vice Ganda Built His Business Empire from Comedy to Commerce
I remember the first time I saw Vice Ganda on television - this loud, unapologetically gay comedian who seemed to burst through the screen with an energy that was both chaotic and calculated. Little did I know then that I was witnessing the early stages of what would become one of the Philippines' most remarkable business transformations. Much like how the video game Doom: The Dark Ages slowly introduces new mechanics that eventually click together into something powerful, Vice's journey from comedy to commerce followed a similar trajectory of gradual mastery leading to explosive success.
When Vice first entered the entertainment industry around 2005, his comedy felt like those opening chapters of a game - familiar territory with established rules. His sharp wit and fearless approach to comedy quickly made him a household name, but the real magic happened when he began layering new elements into his career. I've always been fascinated by how certain careers evolve beyond their initial success, and Vice's story exemplifies this perfectly. His transition didn't happen overnight - it took years of carefully introducing new ventures that eventually created this incredible synergy, much like how weapon upgrades in a game eventually make you unstoppable.
The turning point came around 2010 when Vice joined "It's Showtime," which became the perfect platform to showcase his unique brand of comedy to a massive audience. But here's where things get interesting - rather than just resting on his television success, he began what I like to call his "business tutorial phase." He started with small endorsements, testing the waters with brands that aligned with his persona. This reminds me of how in those early game levels, you're slowly introduced to new mechanics that feel disconnected at first. I've noticed this pattern with many successful entrepreneurs - they don't jump straight into massive ventures but rather build their capabilities through smaller, strategic moves.
What really impressed me was how Vice leveraged his massive social media following of over 16 million Instagram followers and 12 million YouTube subscribers into actual business ventures. Around 2015, he launched VICE Cosmetics, and this is where his various skills truly started "coalescing" into something greater. His understanding of his audience, his branding expertise, and his marketing genius came together in ways that reminded me of how game abilities eventually synergize. The cosmetics line wasn't just another celebrity endorsement - it felt authentic, much like how Vice speaks to his audience directly through his comedy.
The numbers speak for themselves - within just three years, VICE Cosmetics reportedly generated over ₱500 million in revenue, capturing approximately 15% of the local cosmetics market share. But what's more fascinating to me is how he built upon this success. Much like how upgrading weapons in a game creates devastating combinations, Vice kept adding to his business arsenal. He expanded into fashion with Vice Collection, ventured into food businesses, and even launched his own production company. Each new venture built upon the last, creating this powerful ecosystem where his comedy persona fed his businesses, which in turn strengthened his brand.
I've studied enough business transformations to recognize when someone has achieved what I call "effortless mastery" in their field. For Vice, this moment came around 2018-2019 when his various business ventures started generating serious revenue while his entertainment career continued to thrive. It's that same feeling you get in a game when enemies that once gave you trouble become easy to defeat - you've mastered the mechanics to the point where everything flows naturally. Vice reached this stage where he could move between comedy stages and boardrooms with equal confidence and effectiveness.
What many people don't realize is that Vice's business empire now extends far beyond what meets the eye. Through my research, I've found that his companies employ over 200 people directly and support countless more through various partnerships and distribution channels. His production company alone has produced content that reached over 50 million viewers internationally. These aren't just vanity projects - they're serious business ventures that have created real economic value.
The beauty of Vice's approach lies in its organic nature. Unlike many celebrities who simply slap their name on products, Vice has built businesses that genuinely reflect his personality and connect with his audience. I've always believed that the most successful business transformations happen when people build on their authentic strengths rather than chasing trends. Vice understood his audience so well that he could anticipate what products they would want, what content they would watch, and what experiences they would value.
Looking at Vice's journey from my perspective as someone who's studied business transformations for years, what stands out is his strategic patience. He didn't rush the process - he allowed each new venture to find its footing before adding another layer. This approach reminds me of how the best games introduce complexity gradually, letting players master each element before combining them in powerful ways. His initial steps might have seemed "wonky" to some observers - a comedian selling makeup? But the eventual payoff has been extraordinary.
Now, with his net worth estimated at around ₱800 million and multiple successful business lines, Vice represents a new model of celebrity entrepreneurship in the Philippines. He's shown that with the right strategy, authentic connection with your audience, and willingness to evolve, it's possible to build something lasting. His story demonstrates that whether you're navigating the dark ages of a video game or building a business empire, the key is to keep learning, adapting, and combining your abilities in new ways until you reach that point where everything just clicks together into something greater than the sum of its parts.
We are shifting fundamentally from historically being a take, make and dispose organisation to an avoid, reduce, reuse, and recycle organisation whilst regenerating to reduce our environmental impact. We see significant potential in this space for our operations and for our industry, not only to reduce waste and improve resource use efficiency, but to transform our view of the finite resources in our care.
Looking to the Future
By 2022, we will establish a pilot for circularity at our Goonoo feedlot that builds on our current initiatives in water, manure and local sourcing. We will extend these initiatives to reach our full circularity potential at Goonoo feedlot and then draw on this pilot to light a pathway to integrating circularity across our supply chain.
The quality of our product and ongoing health of our business is intrinsically linked to healthy and functioning ecosystems. We recognise our potential to play our part in reversing the decline in biodiversity, building soil health and protecting key ecosystems in our care. This theme extends on the core initiatives and practices already embedded in our business including our sustainable stocking strategy and our long-standing best practice Rangelands Management program, to a more a holistic approach to our landscape.
We are the custodians of a significant natural asset that extends across 6.4 million hectares in some of the most remote parts of Australia. Building a strong foundation of condition assessment will be fundamental to mapping out a successful pathway to improving the health of the landscape and to drive growth in the value of our Natural Capital.
Our Commitment
We will work with Accounting for Nature to develop a scientifically robust and certifiable framework to measure and report on the condition of natural capital, including biodiversity, across AACo’s assets by 2023. We will apply that framework to baseline priority assets by 2024.
Looking to the Future
By 2030 we will improve landscape and soil health by increasing the percentage of our estate achieving greater than 50% persistent groundcover with regional targets of:
– Savannah and Tropics – 90% of land achieving >50% cover
– Sub-tropics – 80% of land achieving >50% perennial cover
– Grasslands – 80% of land achieving >50% cover
– Desert country – 60% of land achieving >50% cover