Inamin ni Johnny Manahan na nataranta ang ABS-CBN executives noong kasagsagan ng kasikatan ng tambalan nina Alden Richards at Maine Mendoza, o mas kilala bilang AlDub.
Si Johnny, o mas kilala bilang Mr. M, ay respetadong starbuilder at batikang direktor. Kapamilya siya ng higit tatlong dekada at ngayon ay consultant sa GMA Artist Center, ang talent management arm ng GMA-7.
July 16, 2015 nang ipinanganak ang accidental teamup nina Alden at Maine na sumikat sa "Kalyeserye" segment ng Eat Bulaga!
Record-breaking ang ratings ng blocktimer noontime show sa GMA-7 dahil sinubaybayan ng fans ang onscreen romance ng karakter ni Alden at pagganap ni Maine bilang Yaya Dub.
Kinuha ng Eat Bulaga! si Maine bilang Dabarkads dahil sa viral dubsmash videos ng dalaga noong panahong iyon.
Sabi ni Mr. M, "I can tell you yung mga executives nataranta sa success ni Maine, ni Alden.
"Nag-panic sila. 'Wala ba tayong ganyan?'"
Base ito sa panayam kay Mr. M ni GMA-7 broadcaster Howie Severino sa October 2 episode ng podcast nitong The Howie Severino Podcast.
Tinanong ni Howie si Mr. M kung nakaramdam ba ito ng matinding pressure na humanap ng pantapat sa phenomenal love team noon ng AlDub.
Nanindigan si Mr. M na tiwala siya sa pool of talents ng Star Magic, ang talent management arm ng ABS-CBN na itinatag nila ni Freddie M. Garcia noong 1992.
Si Mr. M ang namuno rito mula 1992 hanggang 2008, at nanatili siyang chairman emeritus mula 2008 hanggang third quarter of 2020.
Aniya: "Ang sagot ko, 'Meron kaming talent dito. Ang daming may talent pero ayaw niyo gamitin.'
"Ang dami niyan. Nakaano 'yan sa noteboook... really talented people pero hindi pinapansin ng mga executives.
"So, yun ang mistake. They didn't look closely at what we had."
Malaking bagay raw kung mas madaming baguhang artista ang sugalan ng network at bigyan ng shows.
Lahad pa ni Mr. M: "Even then, I already noticed na mas mabilis ang GMA magsalang ng artista kaysa sa ABS.
"I think, GMA, they gambled on it and field newbies all the time.
"The more people you field, may tatama dun, e. Kung ang isinalang mo lang dalawa, 50-50 ang chance mo. Pero kung sampu, the odds are you'll come up with more stars.
"So, ayun, taranta sila, kina Alden at Maine."
ON LOOKING FOR THE X-FACTOR aka "Magic"
Ang topic ng panayam ni Howie ay tungkol sa pagdiskubre at pag-develop ni Mr. M ng mga artista.
Malaking bagay pa rin daw ang X-factor o magic.
Paliwanag ni Mr. M: "Nung una tsamba, e. Even people who didn't sing, who didn't dance, but you kinda figured there is something in them.
"You know, X factor. That's why I call it magic.
"Initially, it's a physical thing. Parang may classification system sa una...
"And then you have a feeling about these people. You look at them, you talk to them, meron silang magic.
"Pero you want to validate it so you send them to the workshops. Send them to the dance instructors.
"After some time, you ask, 'How is that person doing?' They say, 'Direk, may magic 'yan.'
"So, you're validated. Essentially, that's it. It hasn't changed."
Minsan ay kitang-kita raw agad kung may X-factor ang isang potential star.
"Sometimes you look at them, alam mo na agad. Hindi mo na kailangan testingan sa mga workshops.
"You just know that these people have it. I'm happy I was able to spot a lot of them."
SOME missed opportunities
Pero aminado rin si Mr. M na may mga pagkakataong napapalampas niya ang ibang talents na may potential palang maging big star.
"Parang sometimes, di ka nakatingin mabuti.
"There are, like, a hundred people who come in front of you so you have to look at all of these people.
"Most of them you know right away. The others, baka still too young, still too raw, and then you let these people go.
"Mamaya, you will hear andiyan na sa kabila [na istasyon] doing something, and all of a sudden they're a big hit.
"'Paano nakawala 'yan?' Sasabihin nila, 'Direk, nakita mo 'yan. In-audition mo 'yan.'
"'Bakit di ko kinuha 'yan?' Ewan ko. Nagkakamali rin."
Ipinunto rin ni Mr. M na "it takes a village" para magpasikat ng artista. May basbas hindi lang niya kundi pati executives at piling direktor na may say sa desisyon sa love teams o sa bibigyan ng projects.
Sa panayam ng PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) noong Pebrero 2021, una nang idinetalye ni Mr. M ang proseso sa pagpapasikat ng artista at love teams.
Kasama na rito sina Piolo Pascual, Jericho Rosales, Kathryn Bernardo, Daniel Padilla, Liza Soberano, ang bagong Darna na si Jane de Leon, at iba pa.
Use these Klook promo codes when you shop or order online. Marami pang ibang coupons dito.