It was considered to be one of
the biggest TV network coups in recent history, when the news broke last week.
Having a significant figure in talent management from a major network (broadcast
inactivity notwithstanding), and pioneer in said network’s in-house talent
center to boot, suddenly appearing as a “consultant” in a rival network,
certainly triggers a lot of showbiz conversation. Several days have passed
since GMA7 confirmed that former ABS-CBN Star Magic head Johnny Manahan has
become a consultant in their own GMA Artist Center. But what exactly is he
doing with them now? A peek at Artist Center’s official website might offer hints.
As The Manila Bulletin tells it, former Kapamilya talent guru Johnny “Mr.
M” Manahan has started his duties as a new GMA Artist Center consultant with
the Kapuso network. That work, of course, lies in the discovery of fresh new
talent that might get a shot at breaking into showbiz with GMA7. Artist Center
of course is a rival of ABS-CBN’s Star Magic in talent discovery and
management, and it fields its own formidable stable of actors, recording
artists and commercial endorsers on television nationwide. And the best way to
find those new stars of tomorrow is by holding auditions.
There is a catch however. The
COVID pandemic makes face-to-face talent auditions risky, so since March of
last year GMA Artist Center’s website has been facilitating online auditions,
where Kapuso executives, directors, talent managers, trainers, and recruitment
teams watch aspirants do their thing on teleconferencing. Now, Manahan is part
of the wall of faces in a shared Artist Center Zoom call, with the telltale Mr.
M nickname at the bottom border of his video feed. He will be seeing the
would-be Kapusos auditioning online alongside the Artist Center veterans, and
will have a say on who gets to go further.
Regarding his preferred choice in
the online auditions, Manahan would say, “We want to work with the younger
ones. That’s our goal.” He also has ideas on improving styling, imaging and
marketing for all existing talents under the GMA Artist Center umbrella. The
agency’s existing organization all pay close attention to what Mr. M says, for
even though he is new with them he has been in the business for long enough
that he originally considered retirement. Furthermore, he did freelance
production work with the network in the 1970s, so many just feel Manahan’s
becoming Artist Center consultant was just going full circle at last.
Image courtesy of Inquirer.net
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