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GMAAC's commitment

Author: Mario E. Bautista

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

For five years now, GMAAC has been on a mission, 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 that talent development involves so much more than just enhancing and progressing the skills of an artist. Acting on a specific mandate from GMA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Atty. Felipe Gozon, the GMAAC has been on a roll via a series of activities through the years aimed at benefiting not only its more than 100 contracted artists under its stable, but the general public as a whole.

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,"Henares said.

Henares is not alone in this endeavor. Since expanding operations this year, she is ably helped by the 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.

To date, GMAAC's pioneering, effective and most popular activity - the summer public workshops - have generated over a thousand graduates who all 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, boasts of a turn-out of more than 200 enrolees (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 that GMAAC has been getting at the moment.

Right now, the 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 Pena, 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 Munoz, Chariz Solomon, Steph Henares, Vaness del Moral and Kevin Santos.

The worshops 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 likewise expanded to include long-time partners Tanghalang Pilipino in CCP via the "Arts In The City" campaign under Tata Nanding Josef, currently the director of the Phil. High School for The Arts and the National Arts Center in Mount Makiling.

The 2009 summer workshop's formidable 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 the likes of directors Peque Gallaga, Lore Reyes, Carlitos Siguion Reyna, Soxy Topacio, Bodjie Dasig, Mark Reyes, Erik Matti, among many others as speakers and facilitators in the recent past making sure that the students get only the best and most competitive exercise from the workshops.

What sets the GMA summer workshops from the rest is that it also gives the students a chance to feel and be treated like stars. Aside from having respected personalities in the industry for resource speakers and facilitators, the students are joined by GMA artists in the sessions. On top of that, the culminating activity will be the students' very 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 and 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 Cenon and Mike Tan. The latter was even recognized at the New York City 's 1st Indio Bravo Filipino Film Festival.

GMAAC has also struck a deal with the 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 also been finalized to help out the workshop students and the 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 thedisturber@yahoo. com web dialogue for those who have special concerns and needed counseling. Financial management seminars, open both to the artists and their families and their managers, are also being made available to the artists.

There will still be so much more in store for GMAAC's talents as the wheels of reinvention continues to hit the ranks of officers in the center. 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. "

Source: People's Journal