Diether Ocampo admitted he has been offered to transfer to a different TV network. However, he opted to stay with Star Magic because "Dito po ako lumaki, e."

The actor said the ABS-CBN talent arm helped him a lot to become a better actor.

He remembered that when he was just starting out, he was a little delinquent and lacked perseverance at work.

"Batch 1 pero na-reject po ako," he started narrating to the media during the press conference held recently for the 20^th anniversary of Star Magic.

"Well, Caviteño po tayo, e. Noong sumadsad tayo dito sa city, medyo parang hindi ako aware kung ano 'yong kultura dito.

"Nakilala kong parang surrogate father si Mr. M [Johnny Manahan, Star Magic executive]. Siya 'yong nagpakilala sa akin sa ibang directors and producers.

"Unfortunately, I wasn't prepared."

Good thing it wasn't too late when Diether realized he had to straighten up and be more serious about his job.

He said, "May nakikita sila, e. Kapag nakita nila na, 'A, ito may potensiyal,' they will give you the opportunity.

"Pero kapag walang sa 'yong manggagaling na perseverance or determination, they won't support you."

"I guess that goes for everybody na kailangan meron ka talagang initiative.

"I guess that's one of the things I've learned.

"Pero masaya naman 'yong experience kasi I've learned a lot."

GIVING ADVICE TO YOUNGER ACTORS.  Another reason Diether decided to stay was because he also wanted to pass on the lessons he learned to the younger talents of Star Magic.

Diether was one of the first celebrities introduced as a Star Magic talent in the early '90s. After two decades, he discovered a lot of things about show business from his previous experiences.