Striving for excellence

MANILA, Philippines – While many think managing talents is only limited to honing the skills of an artist and opening doors of opportunities for him, GMA Artist Center (GMAAC) under Ida Ramos Henares believes in a much broader sense of responsibility.

For five years now, GMAAC has been spearheading a holistic approach to ensure a most effective talent development program to benefit its stable of young artists.

This is because the Center believes talent development involves so much more than just enhancing and progressing an artist’s skills. Acting on a mandate from GMA CEO lawyer Felipe Gozon, GMAAC has held a series of activities through the years aimed at benefiting not only its more than 100 contracted artists, but the public.

Henares says, “We believe that an artist can only be truly excellent if his talent’s fullest potential has been reached even in matters of attitude and character. This is the focus of our talent development programs. We’re very happy that the network has given us its 100 percent support on this endeavor. This makes the job a lot easier and more pleasurable. The results are very encouraging that is why we keep at it,” she happily shares.

Henares is not alone in this endeavor. Since expanding operations this year, she is helped by GMAAC head of Talent Development Division Lou Gopez and the newly-appointed chief of talent management division Arsi Baltazar. For publicity and events, Shirley Pizarro is at the helm of GMAAC.

GMAAC’s pioneering, effective and most popular activity, the summer public workshops have generated over a thousand graduates who have gone through intensive training on film and TV production, acting, dancing and singing workshops, under the country’s best and most competitive speakers, trainers and facilitators.

This year’s edition, ongoing until its culmination activity in July, has a turn-out of more than 200 enrollees (kids, teens and adults) for the first batch, overshooting the initial projected target. The numbers are still expected to rise judging from the inquiry and clamor GMAAC has been getting.

GMAAC talents enrolled in the Basic Acting Workshop are Patani, Kaye Alipio, Joy Velasco, Nikki Dacullo, Rita Iringan, Steph Prescott, Ysa Villar, Princess Violago, Dex Quindoza, Gino dela Peña, Jace Flores, and Ram Revilla. In the Advance Acting Workshop, participants are Mark Herras, Rainier Castillo, Aljur Abrenica, Kris Bernal, Paolo Avelino, Victor Aliwalas, Mike Tan, Dion Ignacio, Prince Estefan, Felix Roco, Dominic Roco, Ryza Cenon, Jewel Mische, Jackie Rice, Isabela de Leon, Rich Asuncion, Isabel Oli, Nadine Samonte, Arci Muñoz, Chariz Solomon, Steph Henares, Vaness del Moral and Kevin Santos.

Workshops are being held at the newly-opened Talent Development Hall at the recently-inaugurated GMA Annex building, now the place GMAAC talent development center calls its very own.

With the opening of the Talent Development Hall, venues for the GMAAC workshops have expanded to include long-time partners Tanghalang Pilipino in CCP via the Arts In The City campaign under Tata Nanding Josef, director of Philippine High School for The Arts and National Arts Center in Mount Makiling.

The 2009 summer workshop’s panel of facilitators and speakers are composed of directors Mel Chionglo and Uro dela Cruz, Carlo Maceda, Bong Gacho, Jeff Tan, Rudy Gonzales, Bembol Roco, Dennis Marasigan, German Moreno, Flor Salanga, Tina Manipis, Fernando Josef, Jay Javier. Jim Libiran, Senedy Que, Marvin Agustin, Chynna Hortaleza, Ryza Cenon, Mike Tan, Nicole Dulalla, Sam Bumatay, and Krystal Reyes.

GMAAC had also tapped directors Peque Gallaga, Lore Reyes, Carlitos Siguion Reyna, Soxy Topacio, Bodjie Dasig, Mark Reyes, Erik Matti, among many others as speakers and facilitators, making sure students get the best, most competitive exercise from the workshops.

GMA summer workshops also gives students a chance to feel and be treated like stars. Aside from having respected personalities in the industry for resource speakers and facilitators, students are joined by GMA artists in the sessions. The culminating activity will be the students’ own concert production and premiere night. The students’ very own productions will compete in the annual Sindie Festival held by GMAAC for every culminating summer event.

Sindie Festival has generated the much-talked about, highly-acclaimed productions Kilig, Pintig, Yanig, La Funeraria Toti, Silip, Mag Kuwentong Kalye, Puso 3, Four Short Films, Bata, Bata, Sa Yo Ano Ang Ginawa? Quatro, On The Beat (1,2,3), Sindie (1,2), and the most recent being Pamaypay, Kutsilyo, Yantok starring Ryza and Mike. The latter was recognized at the New York City ’s First Indio Bravo Filipino Film Festival.

GMAAC has also struck a deal with John Robert Powers for courses on Personality Development for all its artists all year round. Tie-ups with L’Oreal, Shu Uemura, Lancome, Maybelline, and G-Bantolino Salons have been finalized to help workshoppers and GMAAC talents.

But the one closest to the hearts of the GMAAC management and GMA network leadership are the efforts being made to uplift the spiritual aspect of the lives of the talents by strengthening their characters.

In partnership, the Campus Crusade of the Philippines has been giving values formation seminars and follow-up counseling services to the artists. Anthony Pangilinan has opened the lines of communications via [email protected] web dialogue for those with special concerns and needed counseling. Financial management seminars, open to artists, their families and managers, are also being made available to the artists.

Asked why they have been so committed to achieving this end, Henares said, “It is only through this holistic approach where GMAAC could aim to achieve the development of our talents to be the kind of people God ultimately wants them to be. For us, that is the most important,” she concludes.