GMA-7 is on a roll. After the news that Bea Alonzo has transferred to the rival Kapuso network, another name big in the entertainment industry is making waves for switching: the iconic Johnny Manahan.
Unlike the actress, Manahan isn’t the face you see onscreen but the one responsible for the talents dominating the industry.
Who is Johnny Manahan?
Johnny Manahan (who goes by his moniker Mr. M) is the founder and former head of Star Magic, ABS-CBN’s training arm for celebrities.
With the goal to hone talents exclusively for the network, he started the company back in April 1992 with former ABS-CBN executive vice president and general manager, Freddie Garcia.
He’s served as the director of ABS-CBN’s variety show ASAP from its 1995 conception until 2020. He has been instrumental for many of the showbiz names we know and love now.
Why did he leave ABS-CBN?
Mr. M left ABS-CBN amid its shutdown order in 2020. He left the network because he claimed that there was a “shadow talent agency” within ABS-CBN that trained talents without the consent of Star Magic.
“There’s a shadow talent center in ABS-CBN, and they have their own managers and they manage their own stars,” Manahan had shared. “[Like] the people from Pinoy Big Brother, we expected to manage these people after they come out of the house [but] no, they set up their own organization. It was like a counter organization.”
Shortly after his departure, Manahan served as a Production Consultant for independent production company Brightlight Productions, where he set up the TV5 variety shows Lunch Out Loud and the now shelved Sunday Noontime Live!
Director Laurenti Dyogi now heads Star Magic.
What’s his new role with GMA?
With decades of experience and connections under his belt, Manahan will now be a part of GMA’s own talent agency, GMA Artist Center. Despite his impact on ABS-CBN, GMA-7 is actually his first network where he worked in the children’s show Uncle Bob’s Lucky 7 Club.
With this momentous network switch, it could serve as a stepping stone for GMA-7 to bring in even bigger names on the table and rival ABS-CBN in catching new talents that would likely choose Manahan. Along with his inside intel on ABS-CBN and TV5, Mr. M proves to be a force to be reckoned with in the industry.
Just this Father’s Day, one of Manahan’s successful showbiz protegees, Piolo Pascual greeted Mr. M and rallied behind making him a national artist.
“He’s not just a manager but more like a Father to most of us… I don’t think I’d have done things in my career without his help and guidance.”
“25 years of star magic… 25 years of security …family, siblings and all… Dad, thank you very much for your unconditional love and for being a true dad to me,” Piolo added with the hashtag #MrMforNationalArtist.
