The realities of Direk Lauren Dyogi

In the world of TV viewing, he became a celebrity when he went on cam as one of the judges on the ABS-CBN talent search, Star Circle Quest. The show’s viewers became fans not only of the contestants (Sandara Park was the second placer) but of the director-judge whom teen girls described as a “hottie.” In the world of TV production, he is known to be a perfectionist, a good mentor, and it has been said that if you survive being under him, you will go a long way. Here are 10 things you should know about director Laurenti Dyogi.

1. He is not Big Brother.

“Big Brother is a composite of people,” Direk Lauren says about the persona of the famous, faceless Kuya. He has explained season after season that the voice of Kuya is an announcer’s, not his. “He is actually a real person, and we made him appear real because you can’t project a person on television without making people believe that he’s real.”

Of all the controversies the reality show has been involved in, he considers those from the first season to be the most difficult to deal with. “At that time may e-mail na kumalat, claiming that the show was rigged, that we’d chosen the winners, and that it was Sam (Milby), Cass (Ponti) and Uma (Khouny),” he recalls. Aside from that, it was also a controversial intimate kiss on air between Sam and co-housemate Chx (Alcala) that got the show suspended from airing by the MTRCB. He says, “During that time we were cursed, we were lambasted to be the most walang value, walang katuturan show.” But every season, despite all that, he says that it surprises him how many thousands of people still line up to audition. “If it’s a useless program, why do people believe in it?”

The director of Gimik The Reunion with original cast members Diether Ocampo, G Toengi, Bojo Molina, Mylene Dizon, Marvin Agustin, Jolina Magdangal, Dominic Ochoa and Juday Santos

2. Direk Lauren worked his way up the ranks from production assistant to writer to researcher to associate producer to director to the title he now holds, business unit head.

His TV work was a gag show on Channel 13 called O Sige as an on-cam talent (he was a former model) and writer, and had a short stint as a writer for Martin After Dark. When that wrapped up, he applied to a couple of producers at ABS-CBN but got rejected. It was David Fabros of Dick and Carmi who gave him his break as a production assistant looking after Roderick Paulate and Carmi Martin during recordings. He became a researcher for Cafe Bravo, was given an opportunity by Mr. M (director Johnny Manahan) to direct, and eventually became producer. He went on to produce shows like Tatak Pilipino and Mel and Jay, and went on to direct shows like Ang TV, Gimik, and Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay and movies like Calvento Files, All My Life, and And I Love You So. It was in 2006 that he headed his own unit, currently handling all reality programs of the network (among which are Masterchef and Biggest Loser) and a number of drama series as well. “Inaral ko talaga lahat yan, kailangan mo mapagdaanan yan,” he declares.

3. He graduated valedictorian from Letran, did not pass the entrance exam to his dream school, Ateneo, but graduated cum laude in UP.

During his high school graduation, he was the third highest in terms of academics, but because he was so active with extra-curricular activities, he was named valedictorian. “We put up the student council, I was editor in chief of the school organ, I was in the glee club even if I couldn’t sing; I just wanted to expose myself,” he shares. He didn’t get into Ateneo, and so he went on to take up broadcast communication in UP where he graduated cum laude. “I was meant to go to UP to meet my wife, that was the reason!”

4. On his wife Liza, daughter Lian, and the demands of his job: “If your family is not supportive, mabubuang ka. It is important that they understand.”

He met Liza back in UP when he was a chairman of the membership committee and she was one of the recruits. It took a long time before they got together because according to direk Lauren, “Ayaw niya talaga ako,” and fast-forward to today, they are 19 years happily married. “I was the first and only boyfriend of my wife,” he says, beaming. How many girlfriends did he have before that? “Less than 10,” he says laughing.

Direk Lauren shares that 18-year-old Lian once had a phase when she felt that her friends weren’t authentic enough to be interested in her, but because she was the daughter of someone in showbiz. She was able to overcome that, and in fact, at her high school prom, both her parents were in the parent’s committee. And she was cool with that.

Despite his hectic schedule, he reveals, “kapag anak ko at asawa ko, I cannot not make time.” Liza’s birthday, Lian’s birthday and their wedding anniversary are the untouchable dates.

5. Direk Lauren was born out of wedlock, and is the only child in his father’s third family.

“Yung style ng tatay ko, he first introduced all the boys, then when I was 12, I was introduced to his first family,” he reveals. He says that there were good times and bad times, and that it was difficult to cope and to be accepted, as an “outsider” trying to get into their family. “I really needed to work hard to get attention, acceptance, recognition… kapag illegitimate child ka, you really feel you have to prove your worth to a lot of people, to yourself, to your family,” he opens up. It wasn’t a conscious effort at that time, but he realizes now that it is probably because of the circumstances he was born in that he worked hard in school (he was a scholar throughout grade school and high school) so that his father would not be ashamed of him.

With Bea Alonzo whom he directed in Now that I Have You and And I love You So

His father passed away in 2010, and both mothers of the first two families have also passed away. He now remains close to his mom Cely and has become close to his half siblings, one of whom calls him the “velcro” of the Dyogi clan because he is the one who is able to get everyone together. “I do it in honor of my father and the martyr women who my father fell in love with.”

He talks fondly of his father Laurentino, as he remembers him, saying though his father didn’t finish high school, he was extremely madiskarte and was able to produce a diploma to apply to a multi-national company, taught himself how to drive a jeep, and gained knowledge and a command of the English language by constantly reading Reader’s Digest. Direk Lauren says he is still saddened when he meets people who share stories of how their fathers abandoned them. “In fairness to my father, we’re 11, pero wala siyang tinalikuran. Lahat kami pinaaral niya at lahat kami nabibisita niya,” he says.

6. Direk Lauren in numbers:

27: Age when he married his wife Liza, who was then 26.

23: Years he has been with ABS-CBN.

6: Number of movies he has directed. “I said before I’d like to do a hundred movies,” he says with a chuckle. “Now I’d like to support new directors.”

500-plus: Total number of staff members under direk Lauren’s unit.

100,000-plus: Total number of auditioners he has met and screened personally through the four editions of Pinoy Big Brother (PBB). On what makes an auditioner get a call back: “It’s gut feel. It’s very hard to explain. You don’t even have to do anything. You stand there, and if you’re a standout I’ll be able to pick you. It’s that X factor.”

7. He has what he calls a five-year cycle in his career where he feels restless. More than once, he was already all set to leave and work abroad.

“I was tired of production. I was supposed to work for the Singapore Broadcasting Company as a director and producer. I was all set, I had an office, and I flew there to do the ocular,” he reveals. At that time, his wife Liza was having a difficult pregnancy, which made him decide to stay. Still restless, he spoke with bosses Gabby Lopez and Charo Santos-Concio about the possibility of studying again, and they granted it. Just a few years ago, he felt that restlessness all over again and was looking forward to working abroad or moving network. “I didn’t know if I was in the right place. I was tired of doing PBB. Siguro that’s the artist in me. You need to get some validation if you’re still liked, loved and valued.”

8. On artists and creatives transferring networks: “There’s no perfect family. There’s no perfect corporation. I realized I could be part of the solution.”

“Lahat yan may problema. Kung bahay yan, butas butas yan. At kung butas ang bahay mo, sino bang mag-aayos niyan? Tumulong ka na lang sa pag-aayos,” he opens up. He admits that there was a time he thought about an offer to move to another network. But being in the network felt like being in a family, where he would not hesitate to share his problems, and the people he works with would not hesitate to help him as well. If he did move network, he would still do the same job of fixing things, but with people he has no relationship with yet.

“My father-in-law would always say, ‘Money should be your last consideration when getting a job,’” he shares. “As an artist, marami ka lang hinahanap na areas of growth. In the end, novelty lang yung malaking sweldo.”

9. Rundown of stars he helped develop:

1. Sam Milby (housemate from PBB Season 1): “He was not the usual Amboy na mayabang, he was grounded. He is malambing, maamo, mabait, physically fit, and he charmed the public.”

2. Kim Chiu (big winner of PBB Teens Season 1): “Kim was a surprise for me. Kasi nung nag-audition, ang laki ng mukha, nakasalamin, not the type you’d say would be a star. But she was amiable, likable, and she proved that she had that hunger to succeed.”

3. Gerald Anderson (third big placer, PBB Teen Season 2): “He was an obvious choice. He was energetic and full of life. He was Bisayang Kano, meron siyang peculiarity, that was his appeal.”

4. Bea Alonzo (breakout role in Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay): “Be a has the classic features of a movie star. She’s also very talented. She was only 14 at that time.”

5. John Lloyd Cruz (lead role in Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay): “John Lloyd is really a great actor. At that time he already showed potential. He’s guapo, but not the typical hunk. Alam mo naman katawan niya, and he’s proud of it. That’s what makes him endearing. At angst, malaki ang pinanghuhugutan.”

With the contestants of Pinoy Big Brother Photos by Kris A. Aquino

10. He believes reality TV in the Philippines has a bright, long future ahead, and that in time, we may be the ones to sell program formats from Asia to the rest of the world.

Some people may say that local reality TV is on its way out, but direk Lauren disagrees. “We still experiment, we still try to outdo ourselves every season, we still learn, we still fail,” he admits.

He believes the Philippines is a good creative hub for creating new concepts because we have a grasp of the Asian market. And in the years to come, hopefully we can turn the tables and instead of buying franchise programs from Europe and the US, we will be selling our programs. “They transferred to us the technology and knowledge, and now it’s time for us to do original concepts.”

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I’ve been close to direk Lauren for the past six years, but I had no idea how teleserye-like his life is. From his being born out of wedlock to excelling in school, to working himself up the ranks from PA to big boss, to now helping develop the people who work under him to rise up the ranks themselves, his life seems to be perfectly unscripted. “Some people drown in life’s problems, some people get the courage to overcome struggles,” he says. Maybe he was destined to handle the reality shows of the network. He has that gift and knows what it takes to make a reality show work, because I have no doubt that given different circumstances, if he had joined Pinoy Big Brother, he would end up being the big winner.

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E-mail me at askiamsuperbianca@yahoo.com or follow me on twitter @iamsuperbianca.