JODI Sta. Maria tries her hand at producing a series.
It was a new experience for the actress, and she got praises for being very conscientious about the production and considerate of all the people involved in “My Single Lady.”
“Very generous siya, sa pagkain, sa merienda,” said one of her leading men, Ian Veneracion.
“Kilala natin si Jodi bilang actor pero I want to take this opportunity to say thank you kasi she really worked hard as a producer,” said writer-director Carlo Enciso Catu. “Nung nag re revise kami ng script, ang rami niyang input. Ang rami rin niyang pa milk tea. May mga araw na tatawagan niya ako, kakamustahin sa mga naging problem kahapon. Ganun siyang klaseng producer. Para sa akin as filmmaker, ang sarap na ganun ang producer na alam mo naka back up sa iyo kung ano ang kailangan mo.”
Jodi said the experience was eye-opening for her.
“Madalas akong magpa milk tea,” she quipped.
“Kasi I want people on the set to feel na na-va-value ang effort na ginagawa nila for the series,” she explained. “Ngayon ko lang na realize na it really takes a village to put up a series or a teleserye. Actors are given credit for the work but there are a lot of unsung heroes na nagpupuyat and make ends meet matuloy lang shoot. Eto ‘yung hindi ko nakita sa ilang taon ko bilang artista.”
Jodi also stars in “My Single Lady” as the hardworking Chona, a devoted single mom to six-year-old Red (Ynigo Delen) and an avid Regine Velasquez fan.
Amid various jobs and PTA meetings, sparks fly when she meets sweet, reliable electrician BG (Zanjoe). The situation becomes complicated, however, as running mayor Chester (Ian), Red’s M.I.A. father, returns to the picture and wants to be involved in his son’s life. Although adamant at first, Chona eventually allows father and son to bond upon seeing how Red really wants to get to know his dad.
“My Single Lady” does not just deal with the romantic life of Chona, cleared Jodi.
“Hindi lang siya about finding love, marami pang layers like about family,” cleared Jodi.
Chona, just like Jodi herself, proves that being a single mom is not a hindrance to reaching your goals.
“There is nothing wrong with being a single mom, a single woman,” the actress said, “You can be your own person, your own individual. You can do all the things na gusto mong gawin, hindi siya curse or taboo na kapag wala kang partner in life. It’s just valuing and prioritizing yourself over everything else.”
Everyone — not only single mothers — can enjoy and find lessons in the series, said writer-director Catu.
“Kapag ‘My Single Mom’ kasi, automatic kay bata ‘yun, pero ‘pag single lady, pwedeng my single lady ni Chester, or my single lady ni BG or nung bata. Pwede rin nung sa audience,” he explained.
The six-part original series features original Regine Velasquez songs and is directed and co-written by Catu, written by Janina Gacosta, and produced by Jodi Sta. Maria, B617, and Dreamscape Digital.
The cast also include Iyah Mina, Brenda Mage, Vitex Paguirigan and Carla Martinez.
“My Single Lady” streams for free on iWant (iOs and Android) or iwant.ph starting January 22.
