Francis Rey Pana-Finstad is a 36-year-old Filipino from Mindanao in the Philippines. A dreamer at heart, he began his journey while trying to finish his degree in Commerce at University of Mindanao. He worked as a dance instructor and was also singing in local bands. On his third year in university, he decided he had to help his family, and earn some more money so he could send his sister through college. It was then he decided to work abroad.

Francis left his native land in 1999. He had a goal and he wanted to follow his passion of helping others by giving them inspiration through entertainment. This he fulfilled when he went to Bahrain for a singing career at Holiday Inn for a year. Nihal Hotel in Dubai came next but he was summoned back to Bahrain again. His Middle East experience lasted three years, and soon he was heading for Shanghai, China.

We all know fashion plays a big part in performances, and all this time Francis was already keen on creating his own style for the public. His interest in fashion design was evident.

Love of his life

In 2003, Francis moved to Shanghai, China, where he established himself as a true entertainer in two major bars, The Narcissus and The Blue Angels, for the next 10 years. This is where he met the love of his life, Thomas Finstad, a counselor for the Norwegian Embassy. They married in Norway in 2010.

He also performed for the Norwegian community, the Philippine Consulate in China, international boxing matches and numerous road shows for Samsung. None of this would have happened had it not been for his best friend and co-performer, Ailyn Ursabia, who supported him all the way.

Francis’ career as a singer thrived until their move to Jakarta, Indonesia, in 2013. This is where he concentrated more on his passion for fashion styling. He found himself in the circle of designers, beauty titlists and top models. He met Whulandary Herman, a former Miss Indonesia Universe 2013, one of the top 16 finalists and third-place winner for Best in National Costume, at a lunch gathering hosted by a friend, Maria “Girlie” Hines. Francis began to guide and help style Herman’s wardrobe in various catwalk and entertainment shows.

Later he was introduced to Barli Asmara, an Indonesian A-list fashion designer, who showed him the fashion scene of Indonesia.

By this time, he had already achieved majority of his dreams. He was able to help with the education of his brothers and sisters in the Philippines, buy his own house and car, and acquire investments.

This, he says, he owes to his sole inspiration, his grandmother, Lydia Elesterio, a professional singer during her time. Her faith in Francis and nonstop encouragement pushed him to follow his dreams and passions.

I asked Francis what he plans to achieve in the future, and he said, “I want to inspire people through my work. I would like to have my own styling company one day so I can advise people to look good and be comfortable with what they wear. Playing with colors, modification and alteration are the key ingredients in defining one’s personality.”