Show promoter to movie producer

MARVIN Agustin spends days off with twin sons Santiago and Sebastian.

Marvin Agustin may have been dedicated to running his restaurant and multimedia businesses for the past several years, but that doesn’t mean his passion for acting has dwindled.

“I miss acting,” he told the Inquirer. “Nothing can take away my passion for the craft. I’m always open to a good role.”

The actor-turned-entrepreneur, last seen in the TV5 series “Obsession,” said he sorely missed heavy drama projects and would love to be in a soap opera this year. “I don’t have preferences when it comes to networks. What’s important is the story and concept,” he said.

While waiting for the right TV project, Marvin hopes to fulfill another lifelong dream: producing a movie. Although he couldn’t divulge much about the undertaking for now, Marvin said it would be a horror-comedy directed by Joyce Bernal.

“I’ve been looking for a good material that’s also commercial,” added Marvin, who likewise owns Futuretainment, a multimedia company that produces concerts, TV shows and corporate events.

Risky business

“If things go according to plan, the movie will be shot and released later this year,” Marvin said, adding that he might tie up with another production outfit.

The script, penned by Palanca-winning writer Aloy Adlawan, is from Marvin’s own story and concept. “The script is still being tightened,” he said. “I recently sat down with Direk Joyce to streamline the budget.”

Marvin, who rose to fame in the late 1990s as Jolina Magdangal’s perennial leading man, acknowledged that producing movies was a risky endeavor, especially if one didn’t have the same machinery as major movie studios.

Yes, the dreadful prospect of flopping at the tills has crossed his mind. “That’s why we’re trying to keep the budget as low as possible,” he said. “It’s a tough and challenging business to get into; it involves a lot of planning and research.”

High profile

Meanwhile, after almost three years of not producing concerts, Marvin has returned to the music scene with two high-profile projects: Jessie J’s show last Monday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum and (as coproducer) British pop boy group One Direction’s two-night Manila stop on March 21 and 22, 2015, at the SM Mall of Asia concert grounds.

“These are artists I personally like,” admitted Marvin, who previously brought to the country such acts as The Black Eyed Peas, Maroon 5, Bruno Mars and Miley Cyrus. “We stopped mounting concerts for a while because we focused on producing TV shows for TV5 like ‘Kanta Pilipinas’ and ‘Karinderya Wars.’”

Marketability

Asked about his main consideration in producing concerts, Marvin said it was choosing music artists worth watching live. “There are many great artists whose music you can listen to all day but not all of them suit a concert setting. There are some singers who can’t move the audience to shell out extra money to watch them. Marketability is important. This is a business.”

Case in point: One Direction’s coming concert had not a few young female fans bawling over VIP tickets. “We didn’t expect that. The clamor for a second concert was strong,” said Marvin.

Full plate

Of course, he said, mounting such widely anticipated concerts presents lots of challenges. “We have to satisfy both the artists and the audience,” he said. “We make sure all requirements are taken care of and we have backup plans should anything go wrong.”

Marvin has a full plate—concerts, shows and a film to produce, and over 50 restaurants to oversee. Plus, he is joining the cast of Viva Films’ “Moron Five” sequel. How does he juggle all of these?

“I’m very hands-on with everything but I’m blessed to have great teams that are effective and competitive. I can’t do it all by myself,” he said, adding that his days off were usually spent with his twin boys with Tetet Dy, Santiago and Sebastian. “I’m a naturally energetic and eager person.”

More importantly, Marvin makes it a point to venture only into fields that are close to his heart. “I believe that you won’t be successful if you don’t love what you do,” he said.

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