Hyku Desesto (Hyku) is a renowned photographer, videographer, director and an entrepreneur based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The early stages of Hyku’s life in the UAE were mostly characterized with tenacity. She worked hard to refine her skills in photography, connect with the city’s who’s who and build her capital for what’s about to be the biggest decision she would eventually make: put up her own business. As a business owner, Hyku has to wear many hats day in and day out, and her biggest weapon now is not a camera, but her charisma. More than talent, her business relies on a lot of people skills, and Hyku’s upbringing has molded her charm to cut through a multicultural environment of people from different walks of life. Working in production was a dream for Hyku, whose father was a journalist for a time. Following in his footsteps, Hyku now runs her own well-established production company that rings a loud bell in exclusive lifestyle and corporate circles and has worked with legendary personalities like Gigi Hadid, Ciara, Naomi Campbell, Lindsay Lohan, Tom Jones and Mariah Carey, and brands from Vogue, Louis Vuitton and Prada to Tommy Hilfiger. Her sustainable business has not only turned her visions to reality, but has also become an instrument of hope for other Filipinos in Dubai.
Regional and international award-giving bodies have taken notice of Hyku’s pre-eminence, both as a photographer and an entrepreneur. Her success has also been told numerous times in esteemed international publications such as Harper's Bazaar, Emirates Woman and Cosmopolitan, and in other media engagements.
Hyku was awarded The Filipino Times UAE Photographer of the Year 2019. She was also
nominated for Entrepreneur of the Year 2019, the first time that the awarding panel had
nominated an entity for two awards in one year. Hyku was also commissioned by Netflix
Amsterdam to both produce and feature personally in the brand’s first Ramadan campaign ever, the She Rules #Girlbosses Campaign. She was the only Filipino to be featured in this campaign among Arab talent. Netflix took this step to exhibit these leading, powerful women who break the Hollywood stereotypes and are considered as heroes, revealing women as fearless, brave, strong, and relentless in their own individual way despite the struggles they go through both in the workplace and at home, characteristics that are truly embodied by the legendary Hyku.
