Sparkada talents ready to chase their showbiz dreams

After naming its Next Brightest Stars, Sparkle came to introduce GMA 7’s newest barkada known as Sparkada early this year. The STAR featured many of them in past issues.

These new faces are groomed to regale viewers with their knack for acting, dancing, singing and hosting. Also belonging to that circle of talents are Michael Sager, Lauren King and Kim Perez.

“Since I was growing up in Canada, it’s just cool to see artists performing in Vancouver,” said Michael when he, Lauren and Kim were asked how doing show business piqued their interest in a virtual one-on-one. “(I thought) one day, I wanna do that. One time, my dad told me to enter an audition online as a live stream(er). So, I auditioned and luckily got through the process. With that, I continued live streaming. From there, parang nagustuhan ko lang talaga po yung ginagawa ko (it seemed that I learned to like what I was doing).”

Michael, whose family is based in Canada, asked his parents to allow him to try out showbiz in the Philippines for a year. They were supportive of him.

Lauren, for her part started dreaming of making a career out of acting since she was a kid.

“I would always watch the kid show, Hi-5, where the hosts wore nice outfits and (everyone) cheered them,” recalled she. “So, I got inspired by that and I wanted to be in their shoes. You know, being idolized by others.” A talent scout approached and asked her “if I was interested in modeling and I agreed,” added she. “I modeled for different brands (and) I thought of pursuing my dream of becoming an actress. Then, I would go to auditions.”

As for Kim, he described his young self as “the opposite of Lauren and was too shy.” With the help of his former manager, he got started as a talent and did commercials. Those beginnings have made him realize that being an artista is his dream and passion.

One day, Kim got the surprise of his life when the opportunity to be part of Sparkle presented itself to him. It was a privilege for Kim, Michael and Lauren to be handpicked by the veteran starmaker and Sparkle consultant Johnny “Mr. M” Manahan.

As GMA talents, Michael, Lauren and Kim will not only be busy with their mainstream visibility but also with their social media presence. According to them, the team behind their careers has given them workshops to manage their social media accounts on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook and help them boost their digital presence. Posting about career updates on these platforms is part of their daily routines.

“Social media presence is so important because it’s my way to communicate to my fans and to check on how they are doing,” said Michael, who looked at it as a way to build a relationship and “a deeper connection in a sense” with followers.

Asked where fans can find them on TV, Kim and Lauren said that Sparkada is a fixture on All-Out Sundays (AOS). Michael and fellow Sparkada boys Vince Maristela, Raheel Bhyria and Sean Lucas star in the soon-to-premiere TV series, Luv Is: Caught in His Arms, with Allen Ansay and Sofia Pablo in the leading roles.

“We really put in our hard work and effort into our first show together,” said he. “I play Owen, one of the five Ferrell cousins. He excels in what he likes to do, his hobbies and of course, in his academics as well because he wants to impress his parents. He falls in love with a girl. In the story, we’ll see his obstacles, his twists and turns with this girl.”

Also flexing his acting muscles is Kim, who has done a Wish Ko Lang episode and will soon share the screen with Ashley Ortega, Xian Lim and Roxie Smith via a primetime drama, titled Hearts on Ice. He has guested in The Boobay & Tekla show. Lauren, on the other hand, has appeared in shows like I Believe, AHA! and AOS.

“I think more on acting. My priority is acting,” said Kim, who can also sing. “Sa ngayon, I want to be versatile, parang titignan ko muna kung saan ako OK o saan ako malakas (I want to know what genre I’m OK with or I can excel).”

With Lauren, she said that “I enjoy everything, pero mas focus ako sa acting ko. I want to be known as a versatile actress, but I’m G na G (game) if I will have a partner or go solo.”

After attending acting workshops under the tutelage of coach Ana Feleo, Michael, who is into dancing and singing, said, “I really want to do well in this craft. It’s something I have fallen in love with after our series and after all the experiences. I just find it very fun, being in a different character and all that stuff. It’s a good experience, overall. My dream is to become a matinee idol. If I were to be paired up with a love team (mate), I would love that. When it comes to hosting, I love to talk. If given the chance, I would love to host.”

Well, the newbies are foraying into the competitive entertainment world with the guidance of the Kapuso talent arm. Michael, Lauren and Kim will always value the chance to be a Sparkada by giving their best (in every project assigned to them), working hard, being nice to everyone, and staying determined and hungry for new learnings, as they shared with this paper.

With that, Michael, Lauren and Kim are ready to chase their showbiz dreams.