The sudden rise of the male pop group, SB19, in the music charts, dance showdowns, in bigger and wider media outlets like free TV, FM stations, concerts, and the like, not to mention social media, has proven that popularizing stars isn't the monopoly of privately-owned talent management agencies, giant movie outfits, individual discoverers, talent scouts and managers, or television networks' stable of stars, etc.
Industry Pygmalions and their Galateas, who were born like peacocks, might find it more competitive and tough so they shouldn't sleep on the job.
Government institutions can also shoot up stars.
Traditional handling of talents is still at it, though. ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation aside from its Star Magic which has extended to its ally pool of talents (Rise Artists Studio) has now and then launched newbies in the reality search show "Pinoy Big Brother" and the station's singing contests or various star quests like Star Circle.
GMA Network has Sparkle which used to be GMA Artists while TV5 has its own Artista Discovery.
Handling talents
After Sampaguita Pictures, Premiere Productions, LVN Pictures, Lebran Films, and their successor Lea Productions, it's been Regal Films leading the way in grooming new stars.
Unfortunately, it hasn't launched its Regal Babies yet for decades after Gretchen Barretto, Nadia Montenegro, and Benedict Aquino, among others, in their ‘90s batch.
In the recent past, Mother Lily Monteverde, Regal Entertainment’s matriarch, has given breaks to wannabes like Ricardo Cepeda, Lorenzo Mara, Raymond Keannu, Mike Magat, Giorgia Ortega in action and bold genres, and in the millennium, Angelika de la Cruz, Katrina Halili, Carla Abellana, Tom Rodriguez, etc. — although the second mentioned actress is a graduate of Channel 7’s talent search “StarStruck” and the last two are identified with GMA Network.
SB19 might have its own talent agency, initially Show BT—an affiliate of a Korean company—but the Philippine government has a vital role in shooting the teen idols’ stars.
K-Pop Culture
Personally, I hadn’t heard of SB19 in my showbiz writing career, particularly before the invasion of the COVID-19 pandemic, even when it was already organized as lab talents creating distinct Filipino song and dance pin-ups akin to the K-pop culture or the Hallyu.
As a matter of fact, SB19 started training under Korean mentors but according to reports, the young singing and dancing group has opted to shift to another management company.
SB19 is supposed to be the answer to the dream identity of Filipino talents to get to the international stage as K-pop.
Until I attended an online presscon of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) where SB19 was formally introduced. During the occasion, SB19 was announced as the NCCA Youth and Sentro Rizal Ambassador.
NCCA might have seen potential youth influence and empowerment from the boys so the chance to represent the government program on arts and culture. It might also notice SB19 as the blueprint for developing and nurturing Filipino stars as rigorously as K-pop. Thus, in most artistic and cultural events of the Commission, SB19 is around.
Word of mouth
From that time on, SB19 was a fixture in many public domain or government performances like the “Binurda” program of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) which showed the intricate embroidery and design of Philippine weaving, thus, the title of the gig.
CCP as a public estate also launches and stages pop singers but they are wards, i.e., Poppert Bernadas, Gab Pangilinan, Arman Ferrer of managers and mentors like Ryan Cayabyab, Noel Ferrer, etc.
SB 19, namely Pablo, Josh, Stell, Ken, and Justin are under 1Z Entertainment these days but it cannot be denied that government offices like NCCA and CCP are instrumental in their attainment of popularity.
SB19's formal intro to showbiz is already a fact and a credibility but being associated with NCCA is also a factor to reckon with in search of a place under the entertainment sun.
They have the talents and the looks, surely, but media exposure is also an important thing to consider in their climb to fame. At the moment, they have been invading shows on giant TV networks. Surveys and word of mouth don’t tell lies that the group has throngs of followers so the world is rooting for them.
As a matter of course, SB19 has been performing here and abroad but it cannot be denied that the universal appeal of the group is also harnessed by its affiliation with government institutions that promote Philippine indigenous traditions and see a modern, global participation.
Shorts: At the latest birthday party of Ramon “Bong” Revilla, Jr. and also his fiftieth year in show business, many glamorous stars were around like Iza Calzado, Lani Mercado, Alma Moreno, Charlene Gonzales, Gladys Reyes, Angelu de Leon, Mikee Cojuangco, Ara Mina, Dawn Zulueta, Ruffa Gutierrez, Ina Alegre, Jillian Ward, Lorna Tolentino, Aga Muhlach, Christopher de Leon, Tirso Cruz III, Phillip Salvador, Ricky Davao, Robin Padilla, Lito Lapid, among others. Show business unsung hero Rey Bustria Martin David, a masseur of stars witnessed the descending of stars from heaven when Bong celebrated his milestones… Meanwhile, another glitz and glam affair in showbiz is the 2023 ABS-CBN Grand Ball, also known as the Star Magic Ball where most of ABS-CBN’s contract artists were present like Piolo Pascual, Judy Ann Santos, Kim Chiu, Robi Domingo, Coco Martin, Lito Lapid, Mark Lapid, Vice Ganda, Amy Perez, Jhong Hilario, Vhong Navarro, Ryan Bang, etc. This time, since the collaboration between ABS-CBN and GMA Network has sufficed, executives and bigwigs of the latter were also around to add dimension to the event. Even TV5's top brass didn’t mince words to join the glamorous congregation of stars and creatives… Queen of All Media Kris Aquino has once more emphasized that “I am not in a relationship.” Obviously, it is attributed to Batangas Vice Governor Mark Leviste whom she has time and again called off and on their boyfriend-girlfriend bond… The 22nd Spanish Film Festival is on from October 5 to 15, 2023 with an impressive line-up of Spanish and other Iberian-American films.
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