ABS-CBN platforms keep heads above water by ‘thinking out of the box’

From left: Kathryn Bernardo, Daniel Padilla and filmmaker Olivia Lamasan

It’s such a small world; and it turns. One day, they will come back and we will be able to work again,” said acclaimed filmmaker Olivia Lamasan, who added that while she was grateful to Kapamilya talents who offered their influence to help ABS-CBN get back on its feet, she also respected the decision of those who left to find work elsewhere.

“We’re all human beings; and we all have needs. We have our preferences and choices. I respect their choices. It doesn’t mean they’ve forgotten ABS-CBN—I don’t look at things in that lens,” Lamasan said of Kapamilya celebrities who sought work in other networks or agencies when ABS-CBN closed down after its failed bid to renew its broadcas­ting franchise.

“Whatever it was that we’ve shared with them, the lessons we’ve instilled in them, I hope they will be able to bring to where they’re going. I also hope that they become assets to whatever projects they will be part of,” said Lamasan, who is also ABS-CBN film production managing director. “As their director/producer, I will always take pride in the fact that they became better with their craft because they came from us.”

Lamasan then said the current health crisis has shown “the generosity of the artists who grew up with us and whom we served.” She added that she would “salute those who looked beyond money and embraced the company’s objective: to remain connected to its audience.”

The director also said there were a lot of things to be thankful for and celebrate. “I would cry whenever I recall how some celebrities showed their utang na loob to ABS-CBN. Out of the blue, we’d get a call from them saying, ‘If it’s something that will help Star Cinema, we will do it, Inang. We’re ready,’” she recalled.

Lamasan was referring to superstars Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla (KathNiel), who agreed to shoot the Kapamilya network’s first-ever digi-movie series, “The House Arrest of Us,” even while most of Luzon was still following strict quarantine orders from the government.

Lamasan recalled during a virtual media conference how they received a call from Kathryn’s mom Min: “She said, ‘The two are asking how they could be of help to Star Cinema.’ I cried over that news. At the time, our parent company was still trying to recover from the blow [of having to go off the air]. Also, theaters were ordered to shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Their generosity inspired my team to create something new for them. It gave birth to the digi-movie series.”

Lamasan also shared that, while they were just starting to make their presence felt online, actress-TV host Toni Gonzaga agreed to anchor the online talk show “I Feel You,” with little talent fee.

“We told her, ‘Anak, we can’t afford your talent fee.’ Toni said, ‘Let’s not even talk about it.’ So, I will not bother to tell you how much we gave Toni. It’s so embarrassing for us,” Lamasan told reporters.

“Also, we begged people to be her guests, like Charo [Santos-Concio] and Angel [Locsin]. They didn’t get any talent fee for that. We’re really like family, it’s true. Natuto kaming bumaluktot at hilahin ang kumot,” she recalled. “This program is a miracle for us. In the beginning, we didn’t have commercials. We would sell to clients. Today, I can say that we are able to recover from all our digital executions.”

The relative success of “I Feel You” was followed by “Listen to Love,” which is a lovecast (love + podcast) series that streamed on Spotify and other Kapamilya channels. “Star Magic (ABS-CBN Corp.’s training and management subsidiary) agreed to lend us Maymay Entrata to be the host of the show,” Lamasan said.

Shortly after, the BL (Boys’ Love) series “Hello Stranger,” starring Tony Labrusca and JC Alcantara, was released. “We didn’t hear complaints from our actors, even though they were the ones who set up their own cameras at home. It’s funny because when we needed exterior shots, we didn’t know from whose ATM account to get the money from,” Lamasan said.

Recently, “Ask Angelica” was launched, featuring Angelica Panganiban in a vlog-type program. “Bagsak presyo rin si Angelica,” Lamasan quipped. “The pandemic has indeed allowed us to take on risks. We couldn’t believe how Angelica willingly embraced this offer. But yes, it happened. The show was able to stand on its own.”

Meanwhile, Lamasan reminded her coworkers to “find joy in small victories, especially because we’re starting over again. I’m so happy with my team. I realized that if you allow them to think out of the box, they’ll come back to you with a bucketful of creative ideas.” INQ