The realities of Direk Lauren Dyogi
In the world of TV viewing, he became a celebrity when he went on cam
as one of the judges on the ABS-CBN talent search, Star Circle Quest.
The show’s viewers became fans not only of the contestants (Sandara Park
was the second placer) but of the director-judge whom teen girls
described as a “hottie.” In the world of TV production, he is known to
be a perfectionist, a good mentor, and it has been said that if you
survive being under him, you will go a long way. Here are 10 things you
should know about director Laurenti Dyogi.
1. He is not Big Brother.
“Big Brother is a composite of people,” Direk Lauren says about the
persona of the famous, faceless Kuya. He has explained season after
season that the voice of Kuya is an announcer’s, not his. “He is
actually a real person, and we made him appear real because you can’t
project a person on television without making people believe that he’s
real.”
Of all the controversies the reality show has been involved in, he
considers those from the first season to be the most difficult to deal
with. “At that time may e-mail na kumalat, claiming that the show was
rigged, that we’d chosen the winners, and that it was Sam (Milby), Cass
(Ponti) and Uma (Khouny),” he recalls. Aside from that, it was also a
controversial intimate kiss on air between Sam and co-housemate Chx
(Alcala) that got the show suspended from airing by the MTRCB. He says,
“During that time we were cursed, we were lambasted to be the most
walang value, walang katuturan show.” But every season, despite all
that, he says that it surprises him how many thousands of people still
line up to audition. “If it’s a useless program, why do people believe
in it?”
2. Direk Lauren worked his way up the ranks from production
assistant to writer to researcher to associate producer to director to
the title he now holds, business unit head.
His TV work was a gag show on Channel 13 called O Sige as an on-cam
talent (he was a former model) and writer, and had a short stint as a
writer for Martin After Dark. When that wrapped up, he applied to a
couple of producers at ABS-CBN but got rejected. It was David Fabros of
Dick and Carmi who gave him his break as a production assistant looking
after Roderick Paulate and Carmi Martin during recordings. He became a
researcher for Cafe Bravo, was given an opportunity by Mr. M (director
Johnny Manahan) to direct, and eventually became producer. He went on to
produce shows like Tatak Pilipino and Mel and Jay, and went on to
direct shows like Ang TV, Gimik, and Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay and movies
like Calvento Files, All My Life, and And I Love You So. It was in 2006
that he headed his own unit, currently handling all reality programs of
the network (among which are Masterchef and Biggest Loser) and a number
of drama series as well. “Inaral ko talaga lahat yan, kailangan mo
mapagdaanan yan,” he declares.
3. He graduated valedictorian from Letran, did not pass the
entrance exam to his dream school, Ateneo, but graduated cum laude in
UP.
During his high school graduation, he was the third highest in terms
of academics, but because he was so active with extra-curricular
activities, he was named valedictorian. “We put up the student council, I
was editor in chief of the school organ, I was in the glee club even if
I couldn’t sing; I just wanted to expose myself,” he shares. He didn’t
get into Ateneo, and so he went on to take up broadcast communication in
UP where he graduated cum laude. “I was meant to go to UP to meet my
wife, that was the reason!”
4. On his wife Liza, daughter Lian, and the demands of his
job: “If your family is not supportive, mabubuang ka. It is important
that they understand.”
He met Liza back in UP when he was a chairman of the membership
committee and she was one of the recruits. It took a long time before
they got together because according to direk Lauren, “Ayaw niya talaga
ako,” and fast-forward to today, they are 19 years happily married. “I
was the first and only boyfriend of my wife,” he says, beaming. How many
girlfriends did he have before that? “Less than 10,” he says laughing.
Direk Lauren shares that 18-year-old Lian once had a phase when she
felt that her friends weren’t authentic enough to be interested in her,
but because she was the daughter of someone in showbiz. She was able to
overcome that, and in fact, at her high school prom, both her parents
were in the parent’s committee. And she was cool with that.
Despite his hectic schedule, he reveals, “kapag anak ko at asawa ko, I
cannot not make time.” Liza’s birthday, Lian’s birthday and their
wedding anniversary are the untouchable dates.
5. Direk Lauren was born out of wedlock, and is the only child in his father’s third family.
“Yung style ng tatay ko, he first introduced all the boys, then when I
was 12, I was introduced to his first family,” he reveals. He says that
there were good times and bad times, and that it was difficult to cope
and to be accepted, as an “outsider” trying to get into their family. “I
really needed to work hard to get attention, acceptance, recognition…
kapag illegitimate child ka, you really feel you have to prove your
worth to a lot of people, to yourself, to your family,” he opens up. It
wasn’t a conscious effort at that time, but he realizes now that it is
probably because of the circumstances he was born in that he worked hard
in school (he was a scholar throughout grade school and high school) so
that his father would not be ashamed of him.
His father passed away in 2010, and both mothers of the first two
families have also passed away. He now remains close to his mom Cely and
has become close to his half siblings, one of whom calls him the
“velcro” of the Dyogi clan because he is the one who is able to get
everyone together. “I do it in honor of my father and the martyr women
who my father fell in love with.”
He talks fondly of his father Laurentino, as he remembers him, saying
though his father didn’t finish high school, he was extremely
madiskarte and was able to produce a diploma to apply to a
multi-national company, taught himself how to drive a jeep, and gained
knowledge and a command of the English language by constantly reading
Reader’s Digest. Direk Lauren says he is still saddened when he meets
people who share stories of how their fathers abandoned them. “In
fairness to my father, we’re 11, pero wala siyang tinalikuran. Lahat
kami pinaaral niya at lahat kami nabibisita niya,” he says.
6. Direk Lauren in numbers:
27: Age when he married his wife Liza, who was then 26.
23: Years he has been with ABS-CBN.
6: Number of movies he has directed. “I said before I’d like to do a
hundred movies,” he says with a chuckle. “Now I’d like to support new
directors.”
500-plus: Total number of staff members under direk Lauren’s unit.
100,000-plus: Total number of auditioners he has met and screened
personally through the four editions of Pinoy Big Brother (PBB). On what
makes an auditioner get a call back: “It’s gut feel. It’s very hard to
explain. You don’t even have to do anything. You stand there, and if
you’re a standout I’ll be able to pick you. It’s that X factor.”
7. He has what he calls a five-year cycle in his career where
he feels restless. More than once, he was already all set to leave and
work abroad.
“I was tired of production. I was supposed to work for the Singapore
Broadcasting Company as a director and producer. I was all set, I had an
office, and I flew there to do the ocular,” he reveals. At that time,
his wife Liza was having a difficult pregnancy, which made him decide to
stay. Still restless, he spoke with bosses Gabby Lopez and Charo
Santos-Concio about the possibility of studying again, and they granted
it. Just a few years ago, he felt that restlessness all over again and
was looking forward to working abroad or moving network. “I didn’t know
if I was in the right place. I was tired of doing PBB. Siguro that’s the
artist in me. You need to get some validation if you’re still liked,
loved and valued.”
8. On artists and creatives transferring networks: “There’s
no perfect family. There’s no perfect corporation. I realized I could be
part of the solution.”
“Lahat yan may problema. Kung bahay yan, butas butas yan. At kung
butas ang bahay mo, sino bang mag-aayos niyan? Tumulong ka na lang sa
pag-aayos,” he opens up. He admits that there was a time he thought
about an offer to move to another network. But being in the network felt
like being in a family, where he would not hesitate to share his
problems, and the people he works with would not hesitate to help him as
well. If he did move network, he would still do the same job of fixing
things, but with people he has no relationship with yet.
“My father-in-law would always say, ‘Money should be your last
consideration when getting a job,’” he shares. “As an artist, marami ka
lang hinahanap na areas of growth. In the end, novelty lang yung
malaking sweldo.”
9. Rundown of stars he helped develop:
1. Sam Milby (housemate from PBB Season 1): “He was not the usual
Amboy na mayabang, he was grounded. He is malambing, maamo, mabait,
physically fit, and he charmed the public.”
2. Kim Chiu (big winner of PBB Teens Season 1): “Kim was a surprise
for me. Kasi nung nag-audition, ang laki ng mukha, nakasalamin, not the
type you’d say would be a star. But she was amiable, likable, and she
proved that she had that hunger to succeed.”
3. Gerald Anderson (third big placer, PBB Teen Season 2): “He was an
obvious choice. He was energetic and full of life. He was Bisayang Kano,
meron siyang peculiarity, that was his appeal.”
4. Bea Alonzo (breakout role in Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay): “Be a has
the classic features of a movie star. She’s also very talented. She was
only 14 at that time.”
5. John Lloyd Cruz (lead role in Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay): “John
Lloyd is really a great actor. At that time he already showed potential.
He’s guapo, but not the typical hunk. Alam mo naman katawan niya, and
he’s proud of it. That’s what makes him endearing. At angst, malaki ang
pinanghuhugutan.”
10. He believes reality TV in the Philippines has a bright,
long future ahead, and that in time, we may be the ones to sell program
formats from Asia to the rest of the world.
Some people may say that local reality TV is on its way out, but
direk Lauren disagrees. “We still experiment, we still try to outdo
ourselves every season, we still learn, we still fail,” he admits.
He believes the Philippines is a good creative hub for creating new
concepts because we have a grasp of the Asian market. And in the years
to come, hopefully we can turn the tables and instead of buying
franchise programs from Europe and the US, we will be selling our
programs. “They transferred to us the technology and knowledge, and now
it’s time for us to do original concepts.”
* * *
I’ve been close to direk Lauren for the past six years, but I had no
idea how teleserye-like his life is. From his being born out of wedlock
to excelling in school, to working himself up the ranks from PA to big
boss, to now helping develop the people who work under him to rise up
the ranks themselves, his life seems to be perfectly unscripted. “Some
people drown in life’s problems, some people get the courage to overcome
struggles,” he says. Maybe he was destined to handle the reality shows
of the network. He has that gift and knows what it takes to make a
reality show work, because I have no doubt that given different
circumstances, if he had joined Pinoy Big Brother, he would end up being
the big winner.
