Finally, a Diet that really works

Sorry, folks, I know my title is quite deceiving, but if you’re here to read about the latest twist on the South Beach Diet, you’re better off waiting for the Health & Family section tomorrow. This piece has nothing to do with managing your food intake. But it is all about Diet – actor Diether Ocampo, that is – who is popularly known by his showbiz nickname, "Diet."

I first encountered Diet around 10 years ago, way before he became one of "The Hunks," and way before he became a household name. I won’t get into the nitty-gritty of it, but in a nutshell, his then talent manager (who was a friend of mine) asked for my legal assistance because his "prized talent" Diether was leaving him to become one of the new talents of a big TV network. Upon my friend’s request, I went to the big network to try to negotiate an amicable settlement, which I did. All throughout the negotiations, the name Diether kept popping up – after all, he was the subject of the conversation. I remember telling myself back then, "What a unique name. With a name like that, this guy will surely be big someday."

Fast forward to 2002. I was in Boracay for an event of my friend, Keren Pascual. On my way home, I shared a banca with a familiar-looking guy – it was Diether. We engaged in some small talk. He was very friendly; no airs at all. And we got to talking about "men’s stuff": para-sailing, catamarans, jet skis and water sports. At that time, he was pretty much into that. He also told me about his band Blow, and that information was of particular interest to me because I was then with MTV. He also told me that he was part of a start-up magazine, Uno (which, as we know now, is a very successful local men’s glossy magazine).

Fast forward again to 2006. During Igan D’Bayan’s recent art exhibit at Megamall, I chanced upon Diether again. We got to talk briefly and exchanged phone numbers. The nature of my job sometimes gives me a chance to talk to celebrities. But whenever I talk to Diether, it’s different. There’s a certain shyness, a certain humility in the way he conducts himself. I somehow knew that there was more to this young man than just being a matinee idol.

Recently, Diether became a guest of mine in "The Jab Fair," a lifestyle boxing event that my company Crush put up at the Ayala Malls. As I welcomed him in Market! Market!, I noticed the reaction of the crowd. There was a "buzz" all over and people were calling him. While he took it all in stride, I noticed that he was somewhat uneasy about the attention. He was almost embarrassed that he was causing a ruckus. After the event, he and I had a chance to sit down at a nearby Starbucks and we had a nice quiet chat about life in general. And it was in this conversation that I really got to confirm my initial thoughts about Diether – that there is more to this guy than being a hunk.

"I’m really a shy person by nature," he said. "I didn’t really plan to be in showbiz or be in the limelight and all that."

I asked Diether about his first job. "Ten years ago, I was just a bum in Cavite, not knowing what to do with my life. But pretty soon, I needed money, so that’s what made me move. I tried applying as a room attendant in Victoria Court. I applied with a friend. I got hired, but unfortunately, my friend didn’t. So I decided not to accept the offer because I didn’t want to take the job without my friend. We were sort of a package deal."

"A room attendant in Victoria Court?!" I exclaimed. "So how did you get into showbiz?"

"Through some friends, I met some people from Quezon City. One of them owned a bar and he asked me if I wanted to be a bartender. I told him I didn’t know anything about bartending, but he said I could easily learn it. As I needed the money, I agreed. One of the regulars in that bar was a guy from ABS-CBN, and that person asked me to audition at the station. So I did. I managed to land a job – I was an extra in one of the shows."

"And that’s how it all began?" I asked.

"Not quite," Diether replied. "I went to get my paycheck for my ‘extra’ job. I remember it was P500. When I was getting it, I got introduced to Johnny Manahan. He asked me to audition for the first batch of Star Circle Quest. So I tried out. And believe it or not, I was rejected in the first batch. It was only in the next year, when a second batch was asked to audition, that I finally got in. So I had my share of failures in the beginning."

"Well, obviously, things turned out well for you; you’re one of the biggest stars of ABS-CBN now," I said.

"Well, it hasn’t been a walk in the park," Diether replied. "You know there are a lot of people out there who want to be in showbiz. It’s extremely competitive in this industry. Once you’re in it, you have to prove your worth. It’s not all about looks. In the end, it’s really hard work. Real, honest-to-goodness hard work. I’ve worked very hard to be where I am now. It’s really not all glitz and glamour."

Having been able to crack showbiz and create a name for himself, it didn’t take long before Diether got besieged with business opportunities and offers. "People came up to me left and right asking me to invest in this and that. Since I was new to it, I invested in almost everything that was presented to me. I didn’t know better," said Diether. Diether invested in two restaurant ventures, Cilantro and Oregano, which both closed down before they could really take off. "To me, failures are accomplishments. I learned a lot in those ventures."

It didn’t take long before Diether finally got into a successful business venture. With some partners like Tanya Medina, Martin Favis and Atticus King (who incidentally is the son of Archie King, the owner of Victoria Court) and some other partners, he put up Uno magazine, the now very popular ultimate-man’s-guide magazine. "Uno’s doing great, more than what my partners and I expected. It’s been awarded as the best men’s magazine. And business-wise, it’s doing very well. And what’s funny is I ended up being partners with the son of the owner of Victoria Court. Isn’t that surreal? I applied to be a room boy for their motels, and now we are partners in a business. Life can sometimes be funny."

That successful venture inspired Diether to venture into other businesses. He is a co-owner of One Spa and Gym in Quezon City and he owns the Bench Fix Salon franchise in Libis. "But I’m taking it one step at a time now. I don’t want to spread myself too thin."

Recently, Diether and two of his Uno partners (Martin and Tanya) decided to come up with another magazine. But they all agreed that it had to be a different magazine – "different" in the sense that it would try to penetrate a whole new market altogether. After one and a half years of planning, they came up with Baby Couture magazine.

"Baby Couture is a lifestyle, fashion and beauty magazine that provides a fun and fresh outlook on parenting," says Diether. "It’s basically a fashion magazine for kids, with the parents as the target market." He encouraged me to check out the website, www.babycouture.com, and I did. And I must say that I was pretty impressed. It looked like a foreign website.

"What makes this magazine unique is that it was conceptualized entirely by Filipinos and run by Filipinos, but the market we are targeting is the US. So all my partners are actually there, working on this magazine. I’m here to help out on the marketing and the PR. And, as editor-at-large, I also give my two cents’ worth on the content and the look."

Diether said that he got into this business to prove to himself and to the world that Filipinos can compete. "We Filipinos have great ideas. And we work hard. With this magazine, I hope to be able to inspire more Filipinos to dream – and to live their dreams. We have something to offer to the world. I truly believe that."

Diether certainly has come a long way from his teenybopper days. Here is a man who clearly knows his purpose in life, and is living life to the fullest. He said he is constantly searching for things to do and to accomplish. "I haven’t done anything substantial yet; I know there’s a lot more to be done," he says.

Recently, Diether put up a foundation called K.I.D.S. "It’s a foundation that helps encourage kids to dream, and the foundation helps these young ones to fulfill those dreams," he says. "I think it’s important for kids to know that people listen to them and that grown-ups are ready to support them."

There are a lot of diets out there. I’m not sure if any of them work. But one Diet I know that really works is a young man named Diether Ocampo.

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Thanks for your letters! You may e-mail me at rodnepo@yahoo.com