Meet Alexander Mel Estrella Catedral

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alexander Mel Estrella Catedral and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alexander Mel Estrella, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
In 2011, I started a community of artists called Persevering Destiny (PD) with over 30 artists. We wrote, recorded, and produced our own music and videos, handled marketing, and designed album covers. We raised money on Kickstarter and organized events. Through this, I learned that collaboration and community are key to growth and success, both as artists and people.

Being Filipino, we were often expected to enter the medical field, but seeing Filipino artists like AJ Rafael, Passion, and the Jabbawockeez gain popularity on YouTube inspired me. I believed that if we could make our art sustainable, we could inspire others to do the same.

I always encouraged my friends to pursue their dreams and realized I had to lead by example. This began my 15-year journey to make our dreams a reality. It was about originality, authenticity, relationships, and representation. We wanted to be known for our original music and to build a supportive community where everyone could shine.

Almost 15 years later, those experiences have evolved into Catedral Collective, a video production company. A few of the people I started with are now part of the team. We’re living out the dream, though there’s still a long way to go.

When, 13 years later, I can film a founder’s story for someone I once collaborated with, and it helps bring vulnerability and opens up a new part of the story, I consider that a win. When a close friend calls 10 years later to thank me for creating PD, sharing that they are in a suite in NYC about to meet with a label after making a beat for Lil Yachty, it makes it all worth it. When an artist we supported lives in Hong Kong, uses music to connect with migrant workers, and fights for human rights through a documentary, it’s incredibly fulfilling.

We don’t know how far our impact goes until we start sharing stories and sharing our journeys. We’re all in this together.

So that’s our mission: helping others find where they belong, inspiring them to embrace who they are, and fighting for authentic, vulnerable, and genuine connections every day.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?

It’s crucial who tells the story. My grandpa helped create the literacy program “each one teach one,” teaching millions to read, but no one knows who he is. Learning about this family story made me realize the importance of cherishing and sharing the stories that shape who I am today and helping others do the same.

I believe our lives are shaped by the stories we tell ourselves. There’s a Filipino proverb: “You don’t know where you’re going until you know where you came from.” Understanding my family’s stories gave me a roadmap to change the narrative. I want to give what my family didn’t have to them and others—a space to be heard, seen, understood, and the power of story given back.

At Catedral Collective, we believe you can’t hold another person’s story sacred until you’ve told your own. One of the projects that kick-started this process for us was sharing my parents’ love story and their immigration journey through a documentary short film “Love Like Pearls.” Asking hard questions and helping my parents feel comfortable shifted relationships and perspectives.

We want to offer what we’ve learned through our experience as a gift to others, for their families and companies. Our work isn’t just about the end result but about the process and who you become along the way. It’s about reflections and connections of past, present, and future. This process invites gratitude, inspiration, and hope, especially when it feels lonely or scary. We know it can be difficult to tell your story, so we walk alongside you through the vulnerability of being on camera and sharing your voice. We want to give people the power to tell their own stories.

Our mission is to bring humanity back to business through a convergence of documentary-style filmmaking and commercial style – telling real, authentic, and vulnerable stories of founders, entrepreneurs, and business owners, focusing on why they do what they do. We are designers and architects of stories – helping to draw out and identify stories when it’s hard for people to know where to start. We aim to create transformational relationships, not transactional ones. The ROI goes beyond financial; it’s about building authentic connections and understanding that everyone’s story matters. Right now that is getting expressed in what we call “founders videos”.

Getting here wasn’t easy. We’ve faced challenges but stuck to our values of collaboration, authenticity, and perseverance. The lessons learned showed us the importance of sharing our stories to inspire others. The power of story changes us by giving us the power to change the story we tell ourselves. The power of change is for us a collective one – one person and one story at a time.
One practical way that we value stories and give back the power to people is through “room tone.” At the end of each interview, we record “room tone” – where we ask everyone to be quiet, so we can record the ambient noise in the room for 90 seconds. This is a practical step for editing audio later, but it also creates space for reflection and peace. We don’t tell people to intentionally take this quiet time, but we use room tone as an invisible gift they don’t know we are giving. Growing up, I was inspired by how Mr. Rogers gave me the gift of silence through his TV show, showing that small actions can make a big difference.

In daily life, we move constantly and never stop. So making space for recording room tone offers people a chance to stop, reflect, and be grateful, especially after telling their story.

After reading this, I hope you give space for room tone in your life. It’s important because you’re important. Room tone allows us time for gratitude and reflection on our journey. Let gratitude shape our stories and influence the stories we tell ourselves.

Room Tone —

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Honestly, there are so many people to thank.

First and foremost, my wife, who sees me in my highs and lows and still loves, supports, and believes in me no matter what. She holds it down at home, doing all the hard work of taking care of our amazing kiddo and raising such an incredible little man.

Next, I want to acknowledge the crew and the collective. This year has been tough, but the community, the collective, the team, and the crew have supported me in countless ways and consistently show up. Each one of them is a miracle every day. A big shoutout to Paulo, Kent, Ethan, Justine, Steven, Taylor, Gwen, Darre’el, Vin, and Meggs! There are not enough words to express my gratitude for these amazing people.

Also, a big shoutout to some new members of the crew and collective who have helped us reach new heights in different ways: Lydia-Grace and Angelo! Thank you for believing in the vision!

I am really looking forward to what is to come!

I am thankful for each person who believes in the vision and mission and lives it out every day. We wouldn’t be who we are without each one of them, old and new.

I will always be grateful for my family—my parents, my brother, and my sister-in-law.

Each of these people are the real ones.

Website: https://www.catedralcollective.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catedral_collective/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandercatedral/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CatedralCollective/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/justaplanekid

Image Credits
1. Paulo Jacobe 2. Justine Grace Photography 3. Alexander Catedral