Sparkle (formerly GMA Artist Center, also known as Sparkle GMA Artist Center and GMA Talent Management and Development Department) is the

talent agency Talent has two principal meanings: * Talent (measurement), an ancient unit of mass and value * Talent (skill), a group of aptitudes useful for some activities; talents may refer to aptitudes themselves or to possessors of those talents Talent may ...

owned by

GMA Network Inc. GMA Network, Inc., commonly known as GMA, is a Philippine media company based in Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines. It is primarily involved in radio and television broadcasting, with subsidiaries dealing in various media related businesses. ...

based in

Quezon City, Metro Manila Quezon City (, ; fil, Lungsod Quezon ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read in Filipino as Kyusi), is the List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a populatio ...

, Philippines that was founded in 1995.

History

GMA Artist Center conducted several auditions prior to launching its first batch of talents in 1998. It also launched the "Metropop Star Search" from 1996 to 1998 where winners automatically became part of GMAAC. It was originally headed by veteran talent manager

Wyngard Tracy Wyngard Tracy (February 7, 1952 – November 16, 2010)Panaligan, Jojo P. (November 16, 2010)Talent manager Wyngard Tracy passes away ''The Manila Bulletin.'' Retrieved November 20, 2010. was a Filipino talent manager who had represented various a ...

until 2000. When

Felipe Gozon Felipe Enrique "Henry" Lapuz Gozon (born December 8, 1939), is a Filipino lawyer and the chairman and CEO of GMA Network Inc., one of the largest media networks in the Philippines. A lawyer by profession, the Yale-educated Gozon is seen as the n ...

took over as GMA Network's president and CEO in 2000, the Artist Center was placed under the network's Entertainment Division led by

Wilma Galvante Wilma Valle Galvante is the former head of TV5's entertainment division and former GMA Network's senior vice president for entertainment; she is also a producer of numerous TV shows. As the chief of the GMA Network's entertainment block, she ex ...

. In 2003, GMAAC hired Ida Henares as their newest head. Under her leadership, GMAAC launched the reality artista search " Starstruck" which became the main launching pad for most star hopefuls since then. In 2007, GMA Artist Center invoked the exclusivity clause. For 2011, GMA Artist Center's slogan was "Making Stars Shine". In 2013, Henares retired from her position. In 2014, Simoun Ferrer and Gigi Santiago-Lara became the new heads of GMAAC. During their tenure until present day, GMAAC experienced growth and increased popularity, with most of its artists being given recognition here and abroad. On 13 July 2021, former

Star Magic ABS-CBN Center for Communication Arts, Inc., trade name, doing business as Star Magic (formerly known as ABS-CBN Talent Center), is the Talent agency, talent agency owned by ABS-CBN Corporation based in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines t ...

Chairman Emeritus Johnny Manahan signed up as GMAAC consultant. On 5 September 2021 GMAAC organized "Signed for Stardom", a digital multi-platform event where current and new talents were signed up and introduced to the public. GMAAC provides models for various endorsements, actors and directors for film projects of the

Philippine film industry The Cinema of the Philippines ( Filipino: ''Pelikulang Pilipino'' or ''Sine Pilipino'') began with the introduction of the first moving pictures to the country on August 31, 1897, at the ''Salón de Pertierra'' in Manila. The following year, loca ...

, and singers for

GMA Music GMA Music (formerly known as Infiniti Music and GMA Records) is a subsidiary of GMA Network Inc. and is engaged in the production, marketing and distribution of music and concerts. GMA Music is a member of PARI and has the distinction of havin ...

. On 31 December 2021, during GMA Network's New Year's Eve special, it was announced that the agency had been renamed "Sparkle": the rebranding was stated to be an effort to "reinvigorate" the agency. It also launched its theme song, "Let It Spark", which is sung by

Psalms David The first season of the Philippine television reality competition show, ''The Clash (TV series), The Clash'' was broadcast by GMA Network. Hosted by Regine Velasquez, Andre Paras and Joyce Pring, it premiered on July 7, 2018 on the network's Sab ...

, XOXO and

Thea Astley Thea Beatrice May Astley (25 August 1925 – 17 August 2004) was an Australian novelist and short story writer. She was a prolific writer who was published for over 40 years from 1958. At the time of her death, she had won more Miles Franklin ...

, on 8 February 2022.

References

External links

* {{GMA Network Inc. 1995 establishments in the Philippines Talent agencies of the Philippines

History

See also

References

External links