By: Jelyn C. Cerbolles
February 5, 2022 is history in the making. 100 years of
combined experience from the prestigious names in the Philippine dubbing
artistry joined hands this day to hold the first Dubbing Academy Booth Camp in
the country. Directors, translators, and dubbers of the highest caliber have
wholeheartedly decided to open the doors of dubbing excellence to 50
meticulously handpicked scholars.
This historical event is a brainchild of Pocholo
“VoiceMaster” De Leon Gonzales and Danny “Ama, Father of Modern Filipino
Dubbing” Mandia. That idea from 16 years ago finally became a reality this
2022.
It all began when young Pocholo Gonzales started his
career looking through the glass of recording studios, waiting for a chance to
showcase his talent in the industry where greediness, selfishness, and
ungratefulness are widespread. A man named Danny Mandia opened the doors for
him and the rest is history.
The Dubbing Academy Booth Camp (DABC) Orientation Day held on February 5, 2022 was a blast. This historical event is a paradox in the dubbing industry, where decades of monopoly and “padrino” system were rampant. The Philippine dubbing community was transformed to become a fair and accommodating battlefield open to all—a vision created by the “VoiceMaster” and “Ama”. The masters of this craft who shared anecdotes and pieces of wisdom during the orientation day said one common thing: “Visit the studio, guys! Learn from us.” This is a completely contradictory line from what has been normally said during the time when young Pocholo was just starting.
Dubbing
Academy Booth Camp Mentors
The VoiceMaster’s vision to turn the Philippines into the
World’s Voice Over, Voice Acting and Dubbing Center of Excellence by the year
2025 is one leap of faith in today’s era where voice artistry is undervalued
and money-driven.
Pocholo
“VoiceMaster” De Leon Gonzales
This man behind a thousand voices has
moved mountains to create an entirely new culture for the next generation—a
culture with no room for ungratefulness and selfishness—a culture where each
artist has the “heart-set” to sincerely love, give, share, and care; and the
mind-set to be disciplined, excellent, and professional.
The Dubbing Academy Booth Camp, in
scrutiny through the looking glass, is simply just one of the VoiceMaster’s and
Ama’s steps towards building that world class and lifelong dream. With the
strong foundation of the volunteering mentors, the like-minded members of the
CVAP, Voiceworx and other teams under the tutelage of the VoiceMaster, and
aspiring new versions of voice artists, surely that dream is not impossible to
achieve. We all just need to be loyal, committed, and devoted to bring out the
best in our individual craft, uphold the value of gratitude as the best
attitude, and have that mindset of NOW—not tomorrow, not later.
February 5, 2022, Saturday, was the
beginning of the 6-month journey of the 50 pioneers in the program prepared by
the Father of Filipino Dubbing, Danny “Ama” Mandia. Rigorous and in-depth
training is at its bay. The whole team
is excited and everyone is looking forward to the next coming Saturdays of
being honed through the looking glass.