BUSINESS BITS

Through the prism
DIVINE ENYA MESINA

Former child stars and now married couple Romnick Samenta and Harlene Bautista like to think of Prism Work Productions as a party of five that include friends Roy San Luis, Marc de Rosario, and Gayle Albania. They share a single passion: creating and presenting good shows as if coaxing colors from a prism. It didn’t cost them much to put it up. “Puro diskarte lang,” says San Luis, adding someone else had bankrolled the whole thing. They plan eventually to manage talents, produce movies, do corporate events, handle public relations, oversee special events and private parties, and stage concerts for name artists, but for now, they’re quite happy to plan small shows and acting workshops in a bar in Tomas Morato or at their tiny office on J.P. Rizal, both in Quezon City.

They staged their first major show, Macho Gwapito, Matamis na Bao at Iba Pa Oct. 13 last year at the Metro Bar on West Avenue, Quezon City, which starred Rico J. Puno and comedienne Erthel Booba. They were ecstatic to see the venue to fill the rafters. “Yung iba nakatayo na lang sa hagdan dahil wala na talagang malugaran,” says Sanrmenta. The funny part was, the three-hour gig produced not A hitch even If Puno and Booba had not rehearsed together. “Impromptu lahat ‘yun,” says Sarmenta.

“Kasi nga hindi sila nagkakasabay sa rehearsals. Batuhan at saluhan lang ng linya ang nangyayari.” The gig cost P686,000 to produce, but the group netted P145,000 from it when ticket sales and sponsor contributions reached P841,750. “It was the first time that Rico J. and Ethel Booba had worked together, but people noticed na okay pala ang chemistry nila, says del Rosario, the group’s corporate secretary and scriptwriter. “After that show, may mga ibang producers nang kumuha sa kanila para pagsamahin sila sa isang show. So somewhow, parang meron kaming sense of ownership sa team-up nila na ‘yon.”

The group decided to do a post-Valentine show next. they figured that February was always a good month for concerts, so they planned King of Hearts and again tapped Puno – But this time with fellow veterans Marco Sison and Rey Valera – and staged it on Feb. 16 at the Casino Filipino in Angeles, Pampanga, where they made a little over P190,000. they deposited all their earnings in a bank account to cover their expenses – around P60,000 a month – and were happy that they’d paid what they owed their financiers even if they had very little left for themselves. “Walang labis, walang kulang,” says group treasurer Bautista.

PrismWork is now screening some 50 acting and singing talents: men, women, teenagers, and children of whom some have been booked as guests in television shows – including a boy band that it plans to launch as the next big thing in the music business. “We’re not after replacing the major studios’ stars,” says Sarmenta, the group director. “We’re here to supply them with supporting talents.” Sarmenta, who has been acting since he was a kid – he played the role of Peping in the popular soap Gulong ng Palad in the ‘70s – says bit players doing a good acting job make it easier for the lead stars to speed up tapings and shootings. “At saka magastos sa film ‘pay ‘yung mga background characters hind tama ang kilos or facial expressions,” he says. “The director will should cut! And shoot the scene all over again.”

The partners consider Boy Abunda’s Backroom, Ronnie Henaresj’ Primeline,and other established talent manager firms such as Maximedia as competitors, but they’re game. “Andun kasi ‘yung passion talaga eh,” says Bautista. “Kaya malakas ang loob namin.” They intend to equal their competitors’ business and creative savvy in a few years, and to get good directors, set designers, and other production people for their shows. Their big challenge right now is convincing people and companies to sponsor their shows because they’re still relatively unknown, but they’re sanguine about prospects, says vice president Albania.

Youth is their one big advantage. “We’re young!” hollers Romnick, and everybody burst out laughing. Adds San Luis: “Ang edge namin? Ang masasabi ko, sa ibang grupoi ilan lang ang really creative. Sa case namin, lahat kami are creative.