GMA-7’s talent-management arm, Sparkle (formerly GMA Artist Center), has launched 17 new faces who will be groomed as the network’s next leading stars.
The group, called “Sparkada,” is composed of nine boys and eight girls who were all personally handpicked by renowned star builder, Johnny “Mr. M” Manahan.
Mr. M, the former head of Star Magic, now acts as consultant for Sparkle.
READ ALSO: Johnny "Mr. M" Manahan explains how Sparkle banner artists were chosen
The eight girls of Sparkada are Roxie Smith, Cheska Fausto, Vanessa Pena, Kirsten Gonzales, Caitlyn Stave, Dilek Montemayor, Tanya Ramos, and Lauren King.
Sparkada is also composed of nine boys, namely Saviour Ramos, Jeff Moses, Anjay Anson, Michael Sager, Kim Perez, Vince Maristela, Raheel Bhyria, Larkin Castor, and Sean Lucas.
(L-R top row) Vince Maristela, Raheel Bhyria, Larkin Castor, Jeff Moses, Sean Lucas, Saviour Ramos, Kim Perez, Anjay Anson, and Michael Sager. (L-R bottom row) Caitlyn Stave, Vanessa Pena, Roxie Smith, Dilek Montemayor, Kirsten Gonzales, Cheska Fausto, Lauren King, and Tanya Ramos
The members of Sparkada were formally introduced to the press on April 19, 2022 through a media conference.
During the press conference, PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) asked Mr. M about the process of choosing the 17 newbies who made it to the final cut.
He said, “Of course, meron iyang mga auditions, dumaan sila sa tatlo o apat na go-sees.
“Little by little, siyempre, makikita mo, ma-appreciate mo yung mga special qualities nila, lalo na yung sinasabi kong 'it,' yung x-factor.
“’Tapos dumaan din sa isang quorum of judges and sila rin merong participation sa process.
“With these people, parang nahalata ko kaagad, e. Nakita ko kaagad, e.
“And they are representatives of their generation kasi media-savvy sila, they are not shy at all.”
Aside from having a strong social media following even before joining Sparkada, each artist went through different intense workshops to prepare for their entry to showbiz.
Here are the 17 members of Sparkada:
ROXIE SMITH, 22
CHESKA FAUSTO, 21
VANESSA PENA, 17
KIRSTEN GONZALES, 18
CAITLYN STAVE, 17
DILEK MONTEMAYOR, 23
TANYA RAMOS, 15
LAUREN KING, 14
SAVIOUR RAMOS, 22
JEFF MOSES, 22
ANJAY ANSON, 19
MICHAEL SAGER, 19
KIM PEREZ, 23
VINCE MARISTELA, 21
RAHEEL BHYRIA, 20
LARKIN CASTOR, 20
SEAN LUCAS, 18
