Marc Abaya, frontman of the rock band Kjwan and host of the talent program ?Pilipinas Got More Talent,? is convinced that he has one of the best jobs in the world.

?I?m having so much fun,? he told Inquirer Entertainment last week. PGMT is the daily spin-off of ?Pilipinas Got Talent,? the show based on the ?Got Talent? franchise?a British TV format created and owned by Simon Cowell?s Syco company.

?Sure there are times when I?m ngarag or pikon, but I feel better when I look at the other members of my production team. They?re as tired as I am, but they never complain,? Marc said. ?Since my inclusion in the show, I got to visit a lot of places in the provinces. Our group has more freedom than the team that goes with (PGT hosts) Luis (Manzano) and Billy (Crawford) because we fly to the provinces a day before the auditions. I?m very happy and satisfied with the process of making the show.?

The judges of ?Pilipinas Got Talent? are Kris Aquino, Ai Ai de las Alas and former ABS-CBN president Freddie Garcia. It airs every Saturday night.

Marc, formerly a VJ on the now-defunct music channel MTV Pilipinas, added: ?I?d like to think of ?Pilipinas Got More Talent? as a band, and the members of the production team as my bandmates. We help each other. I wouldn?t be as effective in what I do without them.?

The son of cinematographer-film editor Manolo Abaya and award-winning director Marilou Diaz-Abaya, Marc broke into the scene in 1998 as vocalist of the band Sandwich. Five years later, he left the group to form his own group, Kjwan, which successfully released its self-titled album in 2004.

He first dabbled in TV acting via the drama series ?Ligaw na Bulaklak? in 2008. He is currently in the cast of the teleserye ?Habang May Buhay? starring Judy Ann Santos. He was also one of the judges of the reality talent program ?Showtime.?

As part of PGMT, what exactly do you do?

My job is to talk to the contestants, make them feel good whether or not they failed in the auditions. I?m the ice breaker. I talk with the contestants before and after their performances.

As host of a talent show, who do you emulate?

It has got to be Adam Sandler. He?s a character that?s wacky, funny and light. I know that some of his skits were written by people from ?Saturday Night Live.? He?s a good peg for sense of humor. I?ve always admired the man.

What provinces have you visited for PGMT and what did you like about them?

Batangas is full of very intense people. They?re very passionate. They?re supportive of each other?s performances. CDO (Cagayan de Oro) is one big happy family. Cebu is the place to be in the South. It reminds me so much of Manila. Baguio folks are calm and steady, maybe because of the cool climate there. It?s so back-to-the-?70s there; very laid-back ang vibe doon.

Has being the PGMT host helped you as an artist?

Through the show I meet a lot of interesting people. I now have a better sense of what they like or dislike. In terms of performing, I?ve realized that the toughest part is waiting for so long to finally do your thing in front of the judges. These contestants are very patient. It?s amazing that a lot of them still manage to give their best, kahit pagod.

Have you personally experienced going to an audition?

All the time. I regularly go to VTRs, try-outs for roles in TV shows and even for ?Pilipinas Got More Talent.? I also did auditions for plays in college, and for the hosting stint on MTV Pilipinas. Of course I understand what these contestants go through.

What?s your advice to those who failed the tryouts?

There?s really no fixed set of guidelines when auditioning for talent shows. Contestants should treat this as a wonderful experience, as part of growing up. They should think of the criticisms they?ve received from the judges as pointers for them to be able to come up with better performances next time. They should also remember to never stop going after what they love.

How do you handle devastated contestants?

I usually try to calm them down. I ask them, ?How do you feel? What did the judges tell you?? I do a debriefing. I let them vent out their frustrations. After that, I tell them, ?Yes you can be angry, but the best way to handle the situation is to laugh about it and at yourself. It?s good to want to win, but failing this audition is not the end of the world for you.?

E-mail marinelcruz@gmail.com