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In Conversation With Director John Prats

Shows With International Artists, as Directed by John Prats

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1753072025714Dir. John Prats at work - 1 (1).jpeg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Photo courtesy of Cornerstone</div><div> </div>Millennials may know him as Kidlat in the 1995 film Batang-X, Yuan in the teen drama series G-mik, or one-third of the band JCS (with Carlo Aquino and Stefano Mori), who made many girls swoon. Today, John Prats is more than just an artist in front of the camera—he is also working wonders behind it, as Direk Pratty, a title people now affectionately call him. And we’re not exaggerating when we say that he has introduced many Filipinos today to the concept of being a live event producer. While that job has always been around, we think it gained more attention, with John being in charge of the technical booth, from which his ideas and creativity shine. Currently, John is booked and busy, directing TJ Monterde’s “<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DLZGJL6zJNi/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sarili Nating Mundo</a>” World Tour, with upcoming shows in Taiwan and Australia, as well as <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DKb6kMPBZth/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">K Brosas</a>’ 25th anniversary concert this month. He’s also directing the game show Rainbow Rumble, hosted by Luis Manzano and Negi. John’s passion for directing is palpable. It’s infectious the way he talks about his work with so much enthusiasm. Directing gives him a sense of fulfillment, knowing he’s instrumental in an artist’s milestone and the fans’ concert experience.<div> </div><div style="text-align:center"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1753073478621410571701_376360184810434_7220487217302192173_n.jpeg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Photo from @direkpratty</div><div> </div><div> </div><div>A redirection</div>His career as a director can be traced back to 2017 when he directed Moira dela Torre’s “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPJCS3TPQDA" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Malaya</a>” music video. With no formal experience in directing, it was something he did for fun, out of sheer interest in the craft. He was surprised to have won awards for it, and that signaled a shift in his career direction. “Nagulat ako when the ‘Malaya’ music video won so many awards for Best Music Video… Hindi naman sa hindi ko ginalingan at hindi ko kinarir. In-enjoy ko ’yung proseso pero hindi talaga ’yun ’yung intention,” John admitted, still finding it surreal to this day how this all happened for him. Owing to the success of that first directing gig, John went on to take on directing duties for Moira’s “Tagpuan” concert. What followed was something he couldn’t have ever imagined: he was actually getting hired to direct concerts. He couldn’t believe it. “Career na ba ’to?!,” he recalled, laughing. At the time, he was still acting in FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano. As someone who started as a child actor, that passion and excitement for breathing life into characters will always be there. But he also realized how rewarding it is for him to take on the role of a director. He didn’t know it then, but as a kid, he had always been curious about and fascinated by the world of production. He would talk to the cameramen and ask them questions about their work. He would hold the boom mic and tinker with cameras. “Hindi ko alam nu’n e na curious pala ako sa mundo ng production, sa mundo ng mga tao sa likod ng camera,” he reflected. <div> </div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1753072650992Dir. John Prats at Work - 3.jpeg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Photo courtesy of Cornerstone</div><div> </div><div> </div><div>A full circle moment</div>Also a host, singer, and dancer, the stages in ABS-CBN are like his home—he’s at home in them as a performer. But in 2020, he stood on a different platform. That year’s ABS-CBN Christmas Special marked his first directing gig for TV, and it was truly special in more ways than one. “I hadn&#x27;t directed a television show at the time, and to direct the most meaningful Christmas Special of ABS-CBN nu’ng time na ’yun na walang franchise, pandemic, I felt so many emotions that moment. Nasabi ko na iba nga ’yun kasi siyempre tahanan ko ’to. I have never left ABS-CBN since I started up to today. Full-blooded Kapamilya. So parang feeling ko, tahanan ko talaga ’to,” he opened up, adding that the ordeal of the employees and the bosses at the time motivated him to push the creative envelope as his own way of giving back to the company that nurtured him for decades. It was also a full circle moment for him because the Christmas Special was held in the same studio and on the same stage where he used to dance every Sunday for ASAP. John narrated, recalling how he had an emotional moment onstage before the show began, “Nu’ng day ng first live namin nu’n, kinausap ko ’yung stage. I went to the studio early in the morning nu’ng wala pang tao du’n. Studio 10. Tapos nandu’n ako sa backstage. Sabi ko du’n sa stage, ‘Nu’ng nagsasayaw ako dito, ’di mo ako pinabayaan. Ngayong magdi-direct ako dito, stay with me. Suportahan mo ako.’” Bringing to that stage his experience in music video and concert production, John finished the job with flying colors. <div> </div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1753095270445133136220_3339393786161595_4239955753287861217_n.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Photo from @direkpratty</div><div style="text-align:center"> </div><div> </div><div>The spirit of collaboration</div>From directing ABS-CBN’s Christmas Special, he took a leap of faith when Coco Martin pitched the idea of John directing the last year of FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano. What John knows now, he learned from experience. The production sets were his school, and as a curious student of life, he navigated the field intuitively. Despite lacking experience in TV production, John accepted the challenge, eager to gain more experience as a director. “It was a different experience also for me to direct a narrative, pero it was easier for me because I&#x27;ve been in Probinsyano for six years, so I know all the characters. I know the story, I know how people work, and I know how we work. So when I directed it, walang hirap ’yun. Alam ko kung saan ko dadalhin—how we shoot, paano kami mag-shoot, ano ’yung proseso,” he said. John’s confidence stems not only from his technical skills and the emotional instincts to guide his creative decisions, but also from his willingness to learn and collaborate. “I always believe that a director, meron siyang vision pero hindi niya kayang mag-isa. I am not just a director, I&#x27;m a collaborator—not just a collaborator for the artist, I’m a collaborator with my lighting director, with my camera director, with my stage design staff. Lahat ’yan. Dapat ’yung community ninyo collaborative,” John explained. <div> </div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1753073505379503043354_18506726764053593_5197793804683985464_n.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Photo from @direkpratty</div><div> </div>John remembered a time when, as an artist, he wanted to be more collaborative, but people wouldn’t listen to him. John shared, “’Yung baon-baon ko na ’pag ako naging director, ’yun ang hindi-hindi ko gagawin. I will always listen because mainly vision ng artists ’yan. Sila ’yung nasa stage. They envision things. They imagine things. Artist ’yan, and ang sarap pasukin ’yun, at ang sarap nu’n na i-visualize with them, and you help them.”Since he knows the process behind the scenes and every element that contributes to putting together a show, John values the crew more and makes sure each member gets the acknowledgment they deserve. “Hindi naman lalabas ang show kung wala ang bawat isa sa’tin e, ’di ba? Doon ako nabibilib kasi ang obvious lang sa mga tao is the artist, their performances,” he emphasized. “’Yun ’yung isang goal ko rin na I want to represent those people na when they see me as a celebrity director, I show them that in every concert that I do, I show them that ‘Hey, this is our side.’ That’s why I want every show ko, lagi ako may end credits because I want people to see them and I want to acknowledge the people who work so hard to produce and to make a very special moment.” <div> </div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1753073909778472731849_1916834072053433_2237125738799629364_n.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Photo from @direkpratty</div><div> </div><div> </div><div>A director’s mindset</div>Live events are stressful. No matter how much a team plans a show, there are unavoidable circumstances that they must adapt to quickly.How does John resolve conflicts? “You cannot bring back time once na nag-start ’yan. Kung ano mangyayari d’yan sa isang oras, dalawang oras na show na ’yan, 80% dasal ’yan, 20% skills,” he revealed. When he was starting as a director, he would get rattled when things didn’t go as planned. But through the years, he has learned the art of letting go, leaving no room for him to wallow in mistakes and imperfections. “You just have to learn how to think fast, resolve things fast, and accept failures and mistakes,” the director said. As the captain of the ship, the mood and energy of the whole team partly fall under his responsibility as well, so he makes it a point to embrace a positive mindset at work.“Wala naman perfect e,” John stressed. “’Pag nagkamali ka, ’wag ka mag-dwell du’n. ’Pag may isang tao na nagkamali, kunwari hindi napatay ’yung ilaw, ’wag mong pagalitan ’yun. ’Wag mong tutukan ’yun kasi umaandar pa rin ’yung show. So when you dwell on that problem, naaapektuhan ’yung buong show. Instead of getting mad, laging bawi, ’di ba? Laging moving forward… I always choose my battle. You learn to let go because you cannot control everything.”<div> </div><div style="text-align:center"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1753084227132Dir. John Prats at Work - 2.jpeg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Photo courtesy of Cornerstone</div><div> </div><div> </div><div>His purpose as a director</div>John turns emotional whenever he looks back on his journey as a director, from when he first drew his idea for a stage design on a tissue paper to seeing his vision continuously come to life. “Passionate talaga ako, pagka tumugtog na ’yung musika, pati ako sumasayaw. Basta masaya siya. For me, that&#x27;s why tumagal din ako hanggang ngayon sa concert because it gives me so much joy, gives me so much emotion,” he described. The energy he brings to the set rubs off on his shows. His goal is to translate the artists’ vision into a well-executed concert, with thoughtful consideration for fan service. “At this point in my life, I don&#x27;t think about myself anymore,” John mused. “I think more of the artist who shines in front of me, and para maging instrument ako to do that, masayang-masaya ako du’n. And most of all, when I get so many reviews that feeling ng mga audience, lugi ang production when they experience a show, ’yung parang sobrang sulit ’yung pera nila.”He knows that concertgoers spend tons of money to watch their idols perform, so he makes sure they get the best experience possible. “Hindi naman mura ang concert. Minsan pupunta tayo d’yan, bumibili tayo ng ticket, pikit-mata,” John pointed out. “That&#x27;s the number one obligation for me, na parang lagi, ’pag Araneta, kung sino’ng nasa Gen Ad kailangan ma-please ko ’yun. Kasi ’yung Gen Ad na ’yun, kahit 200 pesos lang ’yung ticket na ’yun, pinaghirapan nila ’yan, so I still want to give them the best experience.”A concert that impressed him recently was Coldplay’s “Music of the Spheres” concert in Manila. John described the experience as “mind-blowing,” and he enjoyed it so much that he kept listening to their songs for months. In a way, that’s the kind of effect he wants to have on audiences. “’Yun ang gusto ko maramdaman ng mga concertgoers, ’pag nanood sila ng concert ko, ’yung hindi sila maka-move on. May hangover. ’Yung pag-uwi gusto ko pinagkukwentuhan nila ’yung concert,” gushed John, who also had the privilege of working with Korean artists like Baekhyun, B.I., Jeon Somi, Bang Yedam, 10CM, Hyoyeon, Taemin, Yugyeom, and 2NE1’s Minzy and Park Bom.After all, a concert is never just a one-day thing. Fans anticipate it for months. It takes months to pull off. And with a show so beautiful, it becomes a memory that the artists, fans, and production crew cherish for a long time. That is the lasting effect a director like John Prats aims for. The steady stream of projects is proof that John is accomplishing his mission. Lights, camera, action—the show goes on. One down, many more to go!<div> </div><div style="text-align:center"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1753085325925402176973_1746590549175712_8595411875207307674_n.jpeg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Photo from @direkpratty</div><div> </div><div>Scroll through the gallery for posters of some of the concerts John Prats directed:</div><div>[[PHOTO ALBUM]] </div><div> </div>Lead photo courtesy of Cornerstone

In this exclusive, we celebrate the craft and artistry of Direk Pratty, the man behind many of local showbiz’s buzzworthy concerts and live events.

In this exclusive, we celebrate the craft and artistry of Direk Pratty, the man behind many of local showbiz’s buzzworthy concerts and live events.

The Wonders of Redirection: A Deeper Look at John Prats’ Transition Into Directing

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The Wonders of Redirection: A Deeper Look at John Prats’ Transition Into Directing

Grace Libero

Published Jul 21, 2025 04:00 PM PHT

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Updated Jul 21, 2025 07:18 PM PHT

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