So what’s the plan of TV5 for him for his new contract?
“Tuloy ang ‘Mac & Chiz’ and ‘Extreme Series’ in their second seasons,” says Ms. Galvante. “We’re happy with his work in ‘Extreme’ where he does very dangerous stunts like going on top of a crane 230 feet above the ground. But we’ll also give him a noontime show on weekends and we’ll produce a movie for him.”
What will the movie be about? “We’ll have to sit down and plan it together,” says Derek. “The nice thing about TV5 is they always ask for my opinion in the projects I do with them. We work hand in hand and they don’t just tell me, ‘gawin mo yan.’ They also don’t hold me down but allow me to grow as an artist by letting me work with other movie companies. Sa dami ng work ko ngayon, ako na talaga ang lalaking walang pahinga. But I really enjoy working hard. The dangerous stunts I do in ‘Extreme’ give me the adrenalin rush I need and working with comedians like Empoy, John Lapuz and Jojo Alejar is helping me hone my own comedic skills.”
They didn’t renew the contract of several big stars who have worked with them. How come they renewed that of Derek? TV5 president. Lorenzana says: “He’s really the best personality to represent TV5. He’s a great guy, easy to work with, advertisers support his shows, so he’s the one best suited to be our ambassador.”