GMA’s talent management arm is getting bigger. What’s next for Sparkle?
This is an excerpt from MEGA Entertainment’s July 2023 Issue.
“The artists are a reflection of the management.”
This is what Sparkle GMA Artist Center’s prized talent Alden Richards tells MEGA Entertainment. We also think this is the reason why they are the premiere talent-honing agency in the Philippines today. The statement could not be more right, as evidenced by our shoot, which witnessed in the Sparkle artists the common tenets of lasting celebrities: humility and authenticity.
From billboards along EDSA and big projects in film, TV, and streaming apps to international events, the Sparkle artists dominate the entertainment sphere of today. It has definitely grown a lot since it was launched in 2022.
THE ARTISTS
Sparkle has many talents, both established and rising stars, but for this shoot, the list was narrowed down to three stars: homegrown talents Alden Richards and Gabbi Garcia and international fashion icon and actress Heart Evangelista. With perceptible camaraderie, they all caught up with one another and engaged in fun conversations with Atty. Annette Gozon-Valdes, GMA senior vice president and Sparkle head, and Johnny “Mr. M” Manahan, Sparkle consultant and star maker, in between shoots.
Heart was well-loved in the TV shows My Korean Jagiya and I Left My Heart in Sorsogon, all while having a successful career in the international fashion scene and hanging out with executives from top luxury brands. Alden has starred in the box-office hit Hello, Love, Goodbye and the Filipino adaptation of the K-drama series Start-Up PH. Gabbi is being touted as the network’s “it” girl, having done the popular series Encantadia and Unbreak My Heart.
While they have different things to offer their fans, MEGA Entertainment noticed how similar they are in person. They stick to their guns, they are authentic in their words and actions, and they don’t let fame get to their head.
“GMA and Sparkle, especially, they’ve seen me grow,” Gabbi tells us. “Ever since I was 15, I was with them already, since 2014, and to be part of this shoot means a lot to me because they are my second family. They saw everything, through the ups the downs, the heartaches, the issues and the wins, as well.” She adds that GMA has given her the freedom to be who she is and to not be deterred by society’s beauty standards. When she started, being a morena in showbiz wasn’t as “accepted” as it is now.
Gabbi recalls, “Rejections aren’t new to me, mainly because they were looking for someone else or they’re looking for another kind of beauty. It was hard way for me to enter the business when I was younger, but I told myself that I wouldn’t change anything about me how the way I look. I want to represent all the young ladies out there who are so insecure and who are always questioning themselves, ‘Is this beautiful enough?’ It is a rewarding feeling when girls approach me and they tell me they get inspired.”
Alden is also proud of being a homegrown Kapuso, and is now even prouder of how far Sparkle has come. “This is our first cover shoot with the bosses and alongside my co-actors from Sparkle,” he says. “We’re very happy now that we can see the evolution of the talent agency, from GMA Artist Center to Sparkle. We’re very grateful to Ms. Annette for spearheading this. We can all see how the plans of the agency are really going well. There’s nowhere to go but up for Sparkle.”
What cements Alden’s loyalty to Sparkle, he says, is the culture of care and the genuine love and vision they have for their talents, may they be a newbie or a veteran artist. “Iba iyong priority sa amin since the rebranding,” Alden explains. “In terms of plans, from the pillars of GMA artists down to the new artists, no one is left behind. We’re all in this together. And it feels good that the management has plans for us and they are really doing something for us to be successful in our careers.”
Read more about GMA Sparkle’s vision for their artists in MEGA Entertainment’s July 2023 issue, now available on Readly, Magzter, Press Reader and Zinio
Photography JOSH TOLENTINO. Creative Direction JONES PALTENG. Fashion Direction RYUJI SHIOMITSU. Beauty Direction MIA CASTRO. Makeup GERY PEÑASO (Manahan and Gozon-Valdes), JUSTIN SORIANO (Evangelista), STEVEN DOLOSO (Richards), (Garcia). Hair JAYMAR LAJAYLAJAY (Manahan), VALERIE CORPUZ (Gozon-Valdes), JECK AGUILAR (Evangelista), NELSON CRUZ (Richards), (Garcia). Styling MIGUEL QUILANG (Manahan), MELVILLE SY (Gozon-Valdes and Richards), IZA SIM (Evangelista), (Garcia). Fashion Assistant BITHIA REYES. Intern RAYA AÑASCO. Video Production REGINA ACERON. Videography OMAR VILLANUEVA. Shoot Coordination KZ FRANCISCO.
