The reluctant artista who used to sell encyclopedias and "smuggled" high-grade Police and Ray Bans is now known as the Astig award-wining director GB Sampedro.

In an intimate sit-down dinner one rainy summer night in an Eastwood Mall resto, Giuseppe Bede Sampedro (GB's real name) took time to share with PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) some snippets of his colorful journey.

The story begins with his "raket" days, which go as far back as selling yema to his classmates. Most of his life, he says, "self-supporting ako."  And believe it or not, he was already a businessman at the age of 13, and a sales guy for an encyclopedia at the age of 17.

Smiling, he recounts, "Ang uso noon Police at Ray Ban [shades]. Bibilhin ko yun ng 350 [pesos] sa Quiapo. Pinapasa ko ng 700. Kumikita na ako doon.

"Bumabiyahe pa ako sa Divisoria, namimili ako doon ng mga T-shirts. Sasabihin ko galing Hong Kong. Bibilhin ko ng 100 sa Divisoria, ibebenta ko ng 300, 350.

"May kapitbahay ako sa Bulacan na mag-aalahas, kumukuha rin ako ng alahas doon, hulugan. Kapag nakakaipon ako ng konting puhunan, mamimili naman ako sa mga subasta sa Villarica [pawnshop] doon sa may Gotesco. Nagbebenta ako ng subasta, sasabihin ko brand new, kasama nung mga binebenta ko galing doon sa Bulacan."

He had business savvy, surely, and a charmer's good humor. "Ang dami ko naloko nun, pero nagpapaikot lang ako hanggang makaipon," he adds.

ACCIDENTAL ARTISTA. But showbiz must have been written in his stars. In 1994, he was included, only by chance, in the popular Thursday group of German Moreno's That's Entertainment.

He narrates: "Nung sinamahan ko yung kaibigan ko na mag-audition sa Ang TV, may lalaking lumapit sa akin. Sabi niya, 'Gusto mong mag-artista? Punta ka sa Broadway Centrum.' Wala naman iyon sa plano ko, yung pag-aartista, pero pumunta ako. Naloko pa nga ako nun kasi, pinagbabayad ako para makapasok raw.

"Siyempre, hindi ako nagbayad dahil wala naman akong pera. Nung pauwi na ako, nakita ako ng crew ng That's. '[Sabi nila] Mag-o-audition ka?' Kinuwento ko yung nangyari sa akin 'tapos pinapasok nila ako. Ayun, napakilala ako kay Kuya Germs at tinanong niya 'ko kung kelan magsisimula."

Acting or performing, however, was not his cup of tea. "Hindi mo ako makikitang kumakanta o sumasayaw. Ang role ko noon, clapper...Pero kahit wala akong talent, grinab ko na. Ang allowance ko noon was 3,000 pesos 0 3,500 a month. Ikumpara mo naman sa 1,200 pesos kong kinikita sa pagbebenta ng encyclopedia."

Despite our prodding, GB chooses not to reveal his screen name in the show that eventually said "that's it, the end" two years after he joined.

He just underlines, "Para sa akin, it was something lang na makaipon. Kasi siguro, kung ikaw [ay] medyo tatanga-tanga, maloloko ka roon, lalo na yung mga gusto mag-artista, yung gagawin lahat kesehodang gumastos para maging artista. E, ako sanay ako sa hirap."

GB grins and laughs wholeheartedly as he tells us his crazy antics just to earn a buck. He sobers up though and remarks, "Sana huwag na natin sabihin sa kanila na niloko ko sila. Nakokonsensya ako ngayon. Ngayon ko lang nare-realize yun, a."

FROM ODD JOBS TO TRUE LOVE. Where Direk GB is today he probably could never have imagined as a student of Accountancy at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran, his high school and college Alma Mater.