Newbie producer Alden on losing money, learning things the hard way

Aside from his show biz projects, Alden Richards has been busy expanding his portfolio behind the camera in recent years.

First, Alden got into the food industry, opening his own restaurants and acquiring fast food franchises. Now, he has ventured into production through his own company, Myriad Entertainment Corporation, which bankrolls films and mounts E-sports events and live concerts like the Eraserheads’ reunion concert last December.

While he’s enjoying this new aspect of his career, he admitted that the process can be grueling. He had to learn things the hard way.

“I was already fond of organizing online gaming events even before Myriad was officially formed. And it was a reality check for me. Money was going out, but nothing was coming back in—there was no profit. I didn’t see the potential,” he told the Inquirer in a recent virtual conference.

“I would organize a tournament, gather players and hand out cash prizes: P30,000, P20,000, P10,000. I would raffle off gadgets or a motorcycle,” he related. “All that mattered to me was that I was happy.”

He soon realized that happiness alone doesn’t make a business. If there’s one thing Alden has learned from that experience, it’s that important decisions can’t be made impulsively or with heightened emotions. “You have to stay in neutral mode. If you’re sad, angry, happy—you can’t make that decision. You have to check all sides, the good sides, the repercussions,” he said.

“I wish I could have made some of my earlier ventures profitable. But I’m learning,” he added.

Another indispensable skill, Alden said, is saying “no” … but graciously.

“Production involves money. Right now, opportunities are coming our way. But I’m learning how to say no. I’m grateful for the potential partnerships, but I have to check or make sure if our finances can handle them,” he said of Myriad, which will mount his upcoming concert and coproduce his movie with Julia Montes, “Five Breakups and a Romance.”

“What I have learned is that even if you have the resources, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you should always be open for funding,” he said. “I have been discovering a lot of things. Mounting shows is hard … madugo. But at the end of the day, I want to put in the effort to bring entertainment to the people and make them feel happy, make them feel they got their money’s worth,” he said.

Richards (right) with Sanya Lopez in “A Runner to Remember”

Creative freedom

What Alden loves about producing is that it gives him the creative freedom to pursue or conceptualize projects that truly resonate with him. He didn’t have this kind of privilege early on in his career. But now that he has proven his mettle as an actor, he now has a say about the roles he plays or stories he tackles.

For instance, the monthlong special of the drama anthology “Magpakailanman” (Saturdays, 8:15 p.m.) will have Alden in the spotlight. All four episodes for the month of August feature stories handpicked by the Kapuso star himself. And Alden made sure to choose the ones he thinks would be most challenging for him.

“A Runner to Remember” (Aug. 5) tells of Jirome de Castro, a runner with cervical dystonia; “Epal Dreamboy” (Aug. 12), is of the misunderstood social media influencer Richard Licop; “The Lost Boy” (Aug. 19) is about abusive, deceitful family members; “Sa Puso’t Isipan” (Aug. 16), meanwhile, is about a man who has no choice but take care of his mentally ill parents and siblings.

“I didn’t have that option before. I couldn’t afford to be choosy with my roles because I still needed to prove myself. In my first seven years, I did what was given to me, no questions asked. But the more the people around you and your bosses see your hard work, there will come a time when all your efforts will be reciprocated,” Alden said.

Not resting on laurels

Each role is unique and therefore presents different sets of challenges.

“There’s nothing similar about them. But I’m looking for something unusual. I’m all for reinventing myself. That’s my mindset when it comes to work. I missed acting on television and so I really enjoyed the journey of switching among the characters. There was only a week’s interval between tapings, so I had to study and switch from one character to another in a snap,” he related.

While he’s now one of GMA 7’s top stars, there’s still no room to be complacent.

“I want to test myself, I don’t want to just relax. When you just stick to roles you’re comfortable with, that for me, is the death of an actor. I was given the opportunity to choose the roles and I chose the more difficult ones,” said Alden, who also requested Sanya Lopez to be his costar in “The Runner” episode.

“I haven’t worked with her yet, but I have seen her shows. I wanted to see what it would be like for us to work together,” he said.

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