Slowly carving a name for himself as one of the country’s most talented concert directors, John Prats said he has not forgotten his start in showbiz as a child actor in the '90s where he got his start as part of ABS-CBN’s iconic youth-oriented variety show Ang TV. Last year, he went all over the world with TJ Monterde and KZ Tandingan as they staged their highly successful ‘Sarili Nating Mundo’ 40-show tour. This year, the 41-year-old kapamilya artist starts off 2026 with another exciting event as he takes on the helm of the Champions of the Heart concert on Valentine’s day.
During the concert presscon held last January 15, John shared how his journey from acting to directing initially got off to a slow start in his teenage years. “Yung journey ko as a director nag-start siya nung si director Manny Gilbert Perez, sumalangit nawa siya, siya yung naging director namin for Jologs and Trip, yung ginagawa naming pelikula, lagi niya sinasabi na manuod kami ng monitor, tingnan mo kung paano mag-direct. Siyempre nung time na yun, I was like 17, 16, so wala akong interes talaga,” he admitted.
READ: John Prats shares discovery while working with KZ Tandingan and TJ Monterde: ‘Mga walang ere’
John said he had never planned to get into directing, which is why he had the most unexpected reaction after being offered a new career path by one of his mentors in showbiz, Lauren Dyogi. “in 2016, when I was about to renew my contract with ABS-CBN at that time, si direk Lauren offered me to be a director. At first I got really offended. I felt na parang, bakit i-no-offer sa akin ni direk Lauren ang pagiging director, wala na bang may gusto makakita sa akin on cam? They just want to give me work pero behind the camera. Pero fast forward, natapos yung meeting na yun, I did Probinsyano,” he shared.
Later that same year, John got an unexpected kind of inspiration after attending a concert from an international artist which opened him up to the possibility of going behind the camera. “One time I watched the concert of Coldplay in 2016, yun yung first concert ng Coldplay dito. When I watched the concert, I felt something really different. It was more than the visuals. And I wanted to use that feeling na parang teka nga, parang gusto ko maging director. Lumapit na ako kay direk Lauren, ‘You know what direk Lauren? Can I just take that offer again?’
"So pina-train niya ako with direk Arnel (Natividad) for TV nung time na yun. And then in 2017, si Moira (del Torre), lumapit, kasi kaibigan namin siya, gusto niya gawin yung music video niya. Yung hit pa lang niya at that time was ‘Malaya.’ Sabi ko, ‘Alam mo, sige try ko nga mag-direct. Ako na mag-di-direct ng music video mo for fun.’ So I did the 'Malaya' music video and then in-offer na din na sakin na why don’t I do her concert. Sabi ko wala akong alam. I really don’t know anything, technicals, wala. Cornerstone surrounded me with the right people to guide me, para yung vision ko maging reality. And then from there, nagsimula na siya,” he recalled.
READ: John Prats debuts as a lighting director: ‘Bagong unlock na kaligayahan!’
It was in 2018 when John found himself being drawn to directing music artists. Which is why he looks forward to working with kapamilya singing champions in the Champions of the Heart concert.
“In 2018, I fell in love with OPM. Kaya sabi ko until now, hanggang ngayon nangyayari pa rin na I still get kilig. Kinikilig ako kasi yung mundo nila Jona (Viray), nila Jed (Madela), sir Martin (Nievera), nila Sof (Vasquez), is a different world from my world before. Like my world is bilang artista for the longest time. And now, nasa mundo nila ako. And ang sarap ng feeling na yun na pag dinala ka ng Panginoon sa isang bagay na para sa ‘yo, para ihain, yung walang effort, ibibigay Niya. And pag sinasabi ni Jona na bakit ang bilis ng mga ideas ko, this is weird but this is true, I always come to a meeting empty. Like always empty. I don’t plan things. Even if I have a project in December, I don’t plan things. I let God use me. Kumbaga ako yung extension niya. Yung creativity hindi lahat ito ako. Lahat po Siya. Kasi ako, lagi akong bagsak nung bata ako eh. Hindi ko alam saan ko nakukuha yung mga ideas but it’s all from Him,” he admitted.
READ: John Prats greets wife Isabel Oli on her birthday: ‘I love you wifey’
When asked if he still has any interest to pursue acting, John revealed that he thinks he has found his purpose in life already.
“May nagtatanong nga lagi sa akin kung hindi na ba ako mag-aartista, ayoko na ba umarte, in a conversation I had with Coco (Martin) a few weeks ago kung gusto ko ba bumalik, I said na happy ako kung nasaan ako because ang saya saya ng puso ko sa purpose na meron ako ngayon. It’s so selfless because it’s not about me. It’s always about them. About them, it’s about the audience, sa lahat ng nagbayad. Yun yung napakasarap na feeling pag nakikita ko yung artists ko sobrang umaangat. Ang sarap ng pakiramdam pag naririnig ko lahat ng palakpak pag may naiiyak, pag may natatawa. Parang glory ng buong show lahat yun, honoring Him and yun yung pinakamasarap. That’s why, sorry sa term but it’s really addictive that feeling. And that’s why pag may nagtatanong sa akin grabe, ang dami mong raket, I always tell them it’s not my raket. This is my life. Kasi once na yun ang mentality natin, na raket lang ‘to, pera lang ’to,” he said.
The Champions of the Heart concert director also trusts in the path that his faith has laid out for him in his career, which is to be a good director for his performers, his producers, and the concert goers.
“For me, this is my life, this is my purpose. That’s why walang maliit, walang malaki. Lahat ng shows really special. There’s always a purpose for everything, for this show, for TV shows, sa lahat ng shows, lahat yan may purpose, just to glorify God and do the best for the artist and for the audience na nagbayad. Lalo na sa Pilipinas ngayon, hindi madali kumita ng pera. And I want to give that feeling na parang pag nanuod ako ng concert na ‘to, parang kumita yung producer kasi sobra sobra yung nanuod. Kasi sulit na sulit,” he added.
Watch Sofronio Vasquez, Martin Nievera, Jed Madela, Jona Viray, and Klarisse de Guzman perform live at the Champions of the Heart concert along with. The one-night only show is happening on February 14, 8 p.m. at the Marriott Grand Ballroom, Newport World Resorts. Directed by John Prats and musical direction by Marvin Querido.
Champions of the Heart concert is produced by Full House Theater Company in association with Starmedia Entertainment. Tickets are now available at all Ticketworld outlets and Newport World Resorts Box Office: ₱13,500 (SVIP), ₱11,000 (VIP), ₱8,500 (GOLD), ₱5,800 (SILVER), and ₱3,800 (BRONZE). For inquiries, contact Customer Care at 7908-8888 or info@fhtcentertainment.com.