Prats (right) with wife Isabel Oli (left) and Korean superstar Kim Soo-hyun
“Right now, I intend to just stay where I feel I’m most needed,” said TV and concert director John Prats when Inquirer Entertainment asked him what it would take for him to return to working in front of the camera again.
John was last seen as an actor in the now-defunct action-adventure series “FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano,” a program which he also directed, particularly during the last period of its seven-year run on television.
“It’s not that I don’t miss it,” he said of acting, “it’s just that I’m super content with being a director, that I have a deeper purpose now with what I’m currently doing. I’m still enjoying it. I guess, eventually, I’d consider acting offers, too.”
John also said he couldn’t imagine himself acting at the moment “because my mindset now, and the projects that have been lined up for me, are now more on directing. If there’s a good acting project, I’m sure I’d agree to it,” he said.
John likewise said he never planned to become a director. However, in 2018, he and best friend Sam Milby decided to help give Moira dela Torre’s then-budding performing career a push. “Moira is Sam’s ‘little sister.’ It was Sam who pushed her to record more songs when she was already thinking of giving up on her music. We talked with Cornerstone Entertainment about this and even said we would be coproducing the show to assure them that we understood what was at stake,” John recalled.
They also thought of making the music video of Moira’s “Malaya,” which Sam eventually edited. John then asked Angelica Panganiban to appear in the video. “I thought that since both Angelica and Sam were failures in their respective love lives at the time, they should be in the video. Wala nang mas sasawi pa sa kanila,” John said, laughing. “We never expected the impact of the video to the song and to Moira. It became viral, and it sort of helped promote the two-night concert, both of which got sold out,” said John.
“What my wife (Isabel Oli) told me after that was so funny but terrifying at the same time. She said, ‘A sold-out concert… Congrats to them! I’m just not sure about you yet.’ I couldn’t sleep for days because I knew that what she said was right—people were expecting to see a good show. But I, as director, still had no idea what to do,” he recalled. “I had the guidance of people from Cornerstone. They gave me a good team to help me execute my vision. I was so thankful it was a successful show.”
Moira’s “Tagpuan” concert, coproduced by Cornerstone and John’s Bright Bulb Productions, was held at the Kia Theater in Cubao. The following year, the group produced another show for Moira, titled “Braver,” but at a much bigger venue, the Araneta Coliseum.
Prats (right) with Moira dela Torre
Succesful singer
Fast-forward to 2023, Moira, now considered the most-streamed female Filipino artist, performed in another sold-out concert last Feb. 3 with John still at the helm. The event was the kickoff of her 2023 World Tour, which will start in Qatar.
More than the sold-out tickets, John claimed he was more focused on pleasing the artists he serves and earning the respect of fellow Filipino concert directors. He then recalled a rare moment he shared with Paolo Valenciano, a musician and accomplished concert director himself, minutes before the “Tagpuan” concert began.
“I was feeling rattled at the time when someone poked me at the back. It was Direk Pao, who told me, ‘You can do this! I’ll watch you at the back.’ That encounter made me feel even more nervous! After the show, he came up to me to say that he was impressed that I used ‘real elements’ in the show, like real trees and dried leaves. He then asked who styled the set for me. He couldn’t believe it when I said it was the same group who did my wedding. I appreciated his gesture because I’ve always admired Direk Pao’s works.”
John said he also learned a lot from Rowell Santiago, an in-demand concert director in the ‘90s, while working with the latter on the set of “Ang Probinsyano.” John recalled: “He said it’s so much fun to do concerts today because of the technology available to us. During his time, they didn’t have LED screens yet, and the VTRs were rewound manually. Hearing those stories from him was awesome. He’s definitely a master.”
John described himself as “a student and a fan forever.” He considered working with the team of South Korean-American artist Jessi, for her concert at the Mall of Asia Arena, an important learning experience.
“I met new friends while working on my first Korean concert. A month ago, they promised to hook me up with some people who could help me learn new techniques and know more about what’s happening in the concert scene abroad. When I worked with them, I observed that they’re all about perfection.” John pointed out.
The said event, titled “Jessi Zoom in Manila,” turned out to be the first Philippine concert of the K-pop hitmaker, who’s behind the viral tracks, “Zoom” and “Nunu Nana.”
John celebrated his 30th year in the business in 2022, one of his busiest. Considered as highlights of his TV directing career were the “Ang Probinsyano” finale and the star-studded 2022 ABS-CBN Christmas special.
On the concert stage, John directed KZ Tandingan and Bamboo Mañalac’s concert, titled “Rock and Soul Supremacy,” and Klarisse de Guzman’s solo show, “Her Time.” He also got to direct the two-leg “Be You 2” concert, featuring K-pop stars TVXQ!, BoA, Chen and Xiumin of EXO; as well as the fan meet of Kim Soo-hyun, considered one of the highest-paid Korean actors today.
When not acting or directing, John is busy advocating for his other passion, dancing, on the noontime program “It’s Showtime!” to participants of the segment “Girl on Fire” as a regular judge and mentor.