At MQuest, Mr. M begins new chapter of star-making
MANILA, Philippines — Seeing stars like Piolo Pascual, Claudine Barretto and Jericho Rosales today makes noted director and star-maker, Johnny “Mr. M” Manahan, feel proud of the talents whom he helped shape and develop early on in their careers.
“I call them barkada,” Mr. M told The Philippine STAR. “In the early years of ABS-CBN Talent Center, they called me ‘coach.’ We did everything. Parang tropa, barkada. Over the years, you saw those actors fly in their respective careers. That is a great satisfaction for me. Great fun for me. We are good friends. I am also humbled by their achievements. I hope to do that here in MediaQuest.”
Mr. M officially signed recently with MQuest Ventures and MQuest Artists Agency (MQAA), marking a new creative partnership under the MediaQuest Group — one that brings together decades of industry mastery and a shared vision for developing world-class Filipino talent.
The contract signing held at the TV5 Media Center saw Mr. M joined by MediaQuest Holdings chairman Manny V. Pangilinan (MVP), MediaQuest Holdings and Cignal TV president and chief executive officer (CEO) Jane Jimenez-Basas, Cignal TV Inc. first vice president Sienna Olazo and MediaQuest Artist Agency (MQAA) head Jeffrey Remigio.
“This partnership feels like a natural fit for me,” Mr. M shared. “MQuest Ventures shares the same passion I’ve always had in discovering, developing and celebrating great Filipino talent. I’m excited to collaborate with this incredible team and help create opportunities that inspire. I hope to make good friends here also.”
MVP expressed his full support for the collaboration, noting how MediaQuest’s partnership with Mr. M represents a powerful union of creativity and purpose.
“We’ve always believed in investing in Filipino talent, their stories, their artistry and their dreams,” said the MediaQuest chairman. “Having Mr. M on board strengthens that mission. Together, we aim to bring out the best in our people and elevate the industry to new heights.”
According to Jimenez-Basas, the partnership of Cignal and TV5 with the renowned star maker is set to redefine the future of Filipino entertainment.
“We’re honored to welcome Mr. M to MQuest Ventures and MQuest Artists Agency,” Jimenez-Basas added. “His legacy in building talent and shaping the Philippine entertainment landscape perfectly aligns with our vision to create a nurturing, world-class home for artists.”
Mr. M’s story is one of passion, artistry and leadership. He began his career in the early 1970s as a television director and writer, eventually becoming one of the most influential figures in Philippine entertainment. Throughout his illustrious career, he has discovered, guided and built the careers of many of the country’s biggest stars.
His signature approach to mentorship — combining discipline, artistry and heart — has earned him the title of “The Master of Star-Making.” With this new partnership with MQuest Ventures and MQuest Artists Agency, Mr. M continues his lifelong mission to discover and nurture the next generation of Filipino performers.
“Mr. M has always represented excellence in storytelling and performance. We look forward to letting his genius mind develop and inspire our artists into becoming the stars they are meant to be,” shared Remigio.
With Mr. M on board MQuest Ventures and MQuest Artists Agency, the MediaQuest Group ushers in a new era of creative growth and collaboration — strengthening its place as a driving force in Philippine entertainment.
The secret to creating lasting stars and not just one-hit wonders is the “work,” according to Mr. M. “Coming over, Mr. MVP has given me the mandate and the permission to change the name of the talent center here. We were thinking of the name Star Works. So that’s the secret, work and you become a star.”
Admittedly, Mr. M, along with MVP, has aged in the industry. “But I think we’ve grown a little smarter,” Mr. M insisted. “We need to (have) less mistakes now. The challenge is to do here what we did at ABS-CBN. That took a while. At the start, we really didn’t know what we were doing.
“We had huge crowds outside the walls of the network. They nearly crushed the gate. One of the lessons we learned was to have a strong gate,” he quipped.
Now that Mr. M has joined the Kapatid Network, MVP expects nothing less. He provides the infrastructure and Mr. M. takes care of the software. “In any organization, the talent is the most valuable asset,” the TV5 big boss said.
“The talents can be the best to create freedom of expression, the content, the scriptwriters, storytellers. So we need that experience to give what the viewers want.”
“We don’t see MediaQuest, Cignal or TV5 as a stand-alone institution. They’re part of a bigger family and we see them working with the other companies, the bigger families, especially PLDT and Smart and even Meralco and the hospitals, so we can reach out to the community. So we can present a kinder face to our people.”
The “very first quality” that Mr. M is looking for is working with “nice people.” Recently, Mr. M had dinner with former ABS-CBN president Freddie Garcia, who asked Mr. M. how he was. “I told him I’m now with TV5,” he said. “He said, ‘You know Manny is one of the nicest people to work for. So, I give you my blessing.’
“It’s hard to work with people. It’s hard to do the job. If you work with difficult people, you can hardly do anything. Ang hirap kapag mga kasama mo masusungit. Ang hirap ng trabaho. ‘Pag kasama mo ganung tao, wala kang magagawa. Nothing will happen. So far, ang babait ng mga kasama ko, like sina Jeff (Remigio). I like working with young people, as young as seven or 10 years old. I guess what drives me is the energy,” he added.
Mr. M admitted he is preparing a number of exciting projects with MQuest Ventures. “Marami, so abangan niyo na lang ‘yun,” he teased. “But I can tell you they are very substantial projects, with stars like Piolo (Pascual) and Enrique (Gil). They have expressed their interest in doing projects with us.”
Mr. M’s “supreme” mandate is to create a “tougher, leaner and more exciting center for artists” for TV5.
When it comes to artists, mortal sin for him is arriving late for any appointment. “Late-comers are not welcome,” Mr. M declared. “You should get to the set on time and you have to be ready for the work. I also don’t like people who smoke. When I’m around, nobody smokes.”
Andrea Brillantes recently signed a movie and endorsement deal with MQuest. They are still working on something for her. “We look out for artists who are just around and we offer them the best of contracts,” Mr. M said. “They can work on a per project basis. Dapat wala ng bakod.”
In the years that he handled stars in other networks over the years, Mr. M has apparently learned a lot of things that remain in his stock knowledge.
“Hopefully, we can fiddle around with the machine and make it more competitive, more in your face, less mistakes.”
Mr. M. has seen “Vibe,” the new musical-variety program of TV5, hosted by Ana Ramsey, Kych Minemoto, Ryle Santiago, Elijah Canlas, Paulo Angeles, Queenay Mercado, Joao Constancia, Dylan Menor and Maxie Andrelson. “Vibe” has already made its presence felt in the OPM (Original Pilipino Music) scene.
“‘Vibe’ is a project of Jane (Jimenez-Basas), Sienna (Olazo) and Pete (Dizon). They’ve done a good job,” said Mr. M of “Vibe,” which premiered last August. “But I think we can make ‘Vibe’ showcase young artists so that will be the driving force in the coming months and the coming years.”
Meanwhile, he does not want to foretell what will happen to mainstream media in the next few years. “(Aside from) TV and radio, now we have social media which provides access to even one person to contact people from all over the world,” Mr. M said.
“People will always demand content — drama, comedy. I think there will always be room for that.”
“Some people say TV is a sunset industry. I think it will still be a long sunset for TV. We will still be there in the following years and we hope to create stars and that will be the content-making factor (for TV).”
- Latest
- Trending
