SPARKLE Artist Center Stars at the PBB Celebrity Collab Edition x GMA Grand Mediacon

Having met the ABSCBN artists a couple days ago, I felt it was high time to see the GMA Sparkle Artist Center side of the collab. Yes, it's an opportunity I wouldn't want to pass because you know, PBB has changed the lives of Mika Salamanca, the gorgeous Ashley Ortega, good looking Will Ashley, Dustin Yu, Josh Ford, Michael Sager, Charlie Fleming, AZ Martinez, Vince Maristela and the playful Shuvee Etrata.

Just to give you a picture, there were a lot of trad media and entertainment bloggers covering for this event. Most of them were editors and columnists from your dailies. I guess I was a little hesitant to send questions because it took almost an hour and a half to talk to them because of the sheer number of housemates we had to interview.  

Here's our coverage on video, please enjoy!

Ashley Ortega currently holds the most number of views on my YouTube channel, and I've had the opportunity to interview her a couple of times. She's very eloquent, gorgeous and very talented on ice. She also was able to show a side of her that's not seen on camera. It's why after her short stay in the house, people were all supporting her A LOT. She also got major endorsements because of it and life has been good. 

Charlie Fleming has been able to enjoy the success of the show and was able to still have some parts of her life private. Will Ashley has signified his willingness to work with Dustin Yu, which is actually not the first time because they previously were together in a Regal Entertainment movie. He feels the show was also a venue to introduce themselves, and show things that have not been seen on TV. Dustin laments that he's been waiting for the right time as far as his career is concerned. He didn't really expect to join PBB Celebrity Collab Edition, but he was so glad he did! He may be an introvert, but now that people got to know him, he's going to have more opportunities after the show. 

Josh Ford is so thankful that his trip back to the Philippines was not in vain. It's been years that he has been in the industry but feels this is his biggest break. He also said that even though some people know him, it was only after PBB that he felt seen. He's so thankful to GMA, Sparkle and PBB for the opportunity! I can't wait to see him grab major roles in shows because he's done his homework.

Vince Maristela on the other hand got recognized while he was in Korea for a little R&R, even if he's been in the industry for a while, it's only now that he gets stopped a LOT while out in public. He now is eager to grab opportunities that would come his way. Everyone was so happy for him!

Shuvee was so fun during this interview. I could see how she is also being fancied by GMA execs while telling her story. As you can see, several shows have already got a hold of her, and joking on social media about her availability. She loves the support and promises to love all the brands and people that supports her. She's not just Shuvee the host now, she's everything and more! Still humble! 

Big winner Mika Salamanca knew how much flak she once had because some have already pre-judged her because of previous controversies. She knew that people just didn't know. For Mika it's a big thing to have a platform to let people get to know who she is, change their perspectives and she thanked Sparkle for believing in her. Winning it meant that she can further prove naysayers of how she deserves the spot. She's pretty game about it. 

I'd like to send a huge THANK YOU to SPARKLE GMA Artist Center for letting us get to know these housemates after the show. I'm quite sure they're planning a whole lot for them because by any angle, there's nowhere to go but to stardom! Oh and yes, that COLLAB CONCERT is coming up, make sure you get tickets before they run out!

PS, sub on my YouTube channel called "kumagcow" because I've uploaded some shorts there about this event. You'll love that!

DANIEL PADILLA for Cebu Based Coffee Brand DON MACCHIATOS

It's been a while since I've last seen Daniel Padilla, one of the most sought after actors in the country. Life certainly happened, but we got news that he's going to renew ties with Cebu based coffee brand Don Macchiatos Philippines. Honestly, it's the first time for me to hear about them, but learned how they've managed to thrive as an SME, slowly grown even when the country was battling through the pandemic. They're nothing short of a miracle, and now has more than a thousand branches across the country. 

Would you imagine, they all started from a small street side kiosk that had one goal, to provide quality but affordable coffee and beverages for the common folk. I entered the event area seeing one of their kiosks on the side of the venue where they were serving some of their top drinks. One thing caught my attention, the price posted said 39 PESOS on it. The event was graced by Don Macchiatos Don Macchiatos CEO Nickie San Juan, their COO Marc Anthony Abangan and their General Manager Ariel Alegado. We asked them about the business and reasons why Daniel Padilla gets top choice for their brand ambassador.  

Ms. Nickie says "We are really excited to renew our partnership with him because he's been with us since day 1. When we planned to cover Luzon to expand, Deej is someone who really had it in him. He really helped us big time in brand awareness while we were expanding here in Luzon. 

GM Ariel Alegado adds "DJ is very talented, very humble, just like Don Macchiatos, we came from very humble beginnings, but now we are available nationwide. Aside from that, Daniel's team was such a breeze to work with. He's also very approachable so we didn't have problems working with him. No other endorser would be able to do that but him."

Mr. Abangan says "You will expect an even bigger campaign with Daniel, more collaborations, and even more product innovations. We are also announcing our efforts to go GLOBAL. Our first project is to reach UAE/Dubai, the city of gold. Please wait as we reveal more of our plans in the coming months."

Daniel was very excited about this partnership and says "I wasn't much of a coffee drinker in the past but only learned while doing INCOGNITO because we start shooting at 4am in the morning. We live a soldier's life out there and I'm not used to sleeping early and waking up at that time. Tito Ian and the rest of the cast really influenced me to appreciate coffee then. I also drink a lot of water and get so much energy from it. I'm more of a mocha person or prefer the classic Americano."

He adds "Sir Marc and Ms. Nickie was such a breeze to work with. That's what I look for these days, it's the relationships that becomes important for me. The time we've spent together, we've become really good friends rather than me just being an endorser for their products. That's what's important for me these days. They trust me and I'm very thankful for that. I'm happy to be part of this family."

Here's the press conference on video:

Asked how they were able to make the prices low, COO Marc Anthony Abangan explained they only purchase much of their products locally and even do it by bulk which gives them a lot of room to sell their drinks at a really affordable price. Their model is certainly unusual, but so far, they've managed to do it and replicate their practices wherever they put branches. They're still looking for more franchisees, so if you're interested just message their social channels so they could hook you up with DON MACCHIATOS. Daniel is even quite excited because he believes in the business so much that he also has opened branches of his own (lest not divulge where!). He's also excited how he would be able to continue helping them grow, and is optimistic to help local businesses like theirs be even bigger in the coming years. 

 

I'd like to say congratulations and here's to more branches to DON MACCHIATOS, I hope to see more of you in Manila because those that I've tried at the event that afternoon were really nice.

MAKI Hints Full Album Release at BUGHAW Single and MV Launch

One of the nicest songs of this generation I heard was from this artist named Maki. He's gotten a huge following, not surprised because of the quality of the song, but it did have a notion of it being a one hit wonder, til I head the rest of the songs he came out with.

Speaking of which, he just recently released a song called BUGHAW. He also directed the music video, sort of his directorial debut too. This is under Tarsier Records which is under Star Music. They had a launch a few days ago at Matrix in Quezon City. It was quite intimate, with not just his fans in tow because his fellow artists and his whole family went there to support the very talented boy. Angela Ken, his brother Haro and ethereal sounding Dani Zam also performed before him, it was quite a revelation of songs that I haven't heard yet. I felt music in the Philippines had a very bright future after seeing that, no joke.

Here's the part where he got to talk to his fans that evening:

The Zushis, his fan group, all went in throngs to support him. All I heard from them and his family is how he remained humble, down to earth despite the remarkable success he's had for quite a while. He also hinted a full blown album which he plans to release soon, so stay tuned for that. He also wants to create his own short film, preferably Anime themed because he's quite fond of doing the art form. Here's why people adore him, check out the performances that evening on this video:

 

 

Make sure you stream his new single, and wait for the full album he plans to release this year.