Happy birthday, Mr. M!

MANILA, Philippines - The name Johnny Manahan (photo) is tantamount to the word star-builder.

This is what Manahan — or Mr. M as he is fondly called — has achieved for more than 20 years as the founder of Star Magic, the talent management and development arm of ABS-CBN.

Modesty aside, Star Magic has produced most of today’s biggest and brightest stars in the entertainment industry, all because of the genius of Mr. M. To name a few, you have Piolo Pascual, Bea Alonzo, Kim Chiu, Gerald Anderson, Julia Montes, Daniel Padilla, Kathryn Bernardo, John Lloyd Cruz and Angelica Panganiban. The list keeps growing as time goes by.

People who don’t know him may see him as a quiet and stern-looking man, but his protegés know better.

He is a father figure, who looks after his “children” to make sure that they get the best opportunities to succeed, and more importantly, they are shielded from the intrigues that are deemed to taint their careers that they have worked hard for.

If you ask Star Magic talents, they are quick to say that some of the most important advice for them to succeed in their careers are given by Mr. M.

Loving your craft, doing your best, being professional, enjoying your work — these are just some of the words Star Magic stars always hear from Mr. M. They say he’s a man of few words, but he gives the best advice.

For more than three decades in the industry, Mr. M has made success out of directing TV programs, and like the King Midas with the golden touch, he extends this gift of turning things into gold into building and making stars. 

But Mr. M puts a lot of hard work in bringing out the star in a showbiz hopeful. Treating it like a precious stone, the process begins with him seeing the potential in an aspiring star, and then he proceeds to polish with great care and conscientiousness for the talent to reach its full potential to shine.

He is also very hands-on when it comes to planning and executing each of the steps an aspirant will have to take towards a successful career.

And as he turned a year older yesterday, expect Mr. M’s exploits to continue.