EXCLUSIVE: ‘Love at First Spike’ cast, director ‘manifested’ International Emmy nomination
What began as a goal that director Ivan Payawal shared with his team during the early stages of Love at First Spike has now become a reality, with the iWant original series earning a nomination at the International Emmy Awards.
In an exclusive interview with PUSH ABS-CBN, Direk Ivan recalled how he had already set his sights on the international recognition while pitching the youth-oriented series to ABS-CBN executives.
“We actually, I manifested it in the beginning kasi I remember pitching it to Direk Lauren. I remember it vividly na the last statement ko before I closed my presentation was like, ‘Direk, let’s win an Emmy.’ Tapos sa storycon siyempre hindi namin sinishare kasi nakakahiya noong una pero, I just really wanted everyone to be aligned sa goal,” the director said.
For the director, receiving the nomination was a surreal moment, especially since the cast and crew had already been joking about the possibility of their performances being worthy of an Emmy while filming the series.
“Noong biglang na-nominate, parang, ‘Oh my God, minamanifest lang namin ‘to!’ Tapos, even sa set, alam ko, nag-aasaran kami, if pang-Emmy ba yung performance (nila) and now we’re actually nominated for an Emmy and hopefully, we win it,” he happily said.
For lead star Reign Parani, the recognition was particularly meaningful as Love at First Spike marked her first lead project. She also described the series as a special project because of the strong bond they developed while working together.
“This is my first lead project. But, we entered this project knowing na we’re gonna submit this as an EMMY. Alam namin yan lahat ever since the start,” Reign said.
“At this time, with this role, it was just perfect kasi we all knew that this project was really special to us. It was super heartfelt. Grabe yung energy namin sa set, ‘di kami nauubusan. Until now, we all still see each other very often. Lalo na ngayon kasi nga, yun nga, we’re nominated and we’re hoping to see you in New York. Kasi we want to represent this country as best as we can and we really feel that we have a shot this time in winning it,” she added.
Fellow cast member Andi Abaya also admitted that it took her a few days to fully process the news, expressing pride in the hard work that the entire production put into the series.
“I couldn’t believe that it took me like a few days before I could actually grasp the fact na, oh my God, we’re nominated. And I feel proud kasi alam kong pinaghirapan talaga ng buong production itong Love at First Spike. Kahit last year pa yung show na to, we’re still so, so proud of it until now and all the more na we’ve been nominated. And we can’t wait to win and bring home the trophy. We’re manifesting it and hopefully, this could open for Season 2.” she expressed.
For Jude Hinumdum, the announcement came as an emotional surprise. He recalled discovering the news after coming home from work, prompting him to send a voice message to Reign.
“Galing akong trabaho noon tapos nagising ako nakita ko yung message, paos-paos pa ako noon. Nag-voice message ako kay Reign na nagpapanic attack ako,” Jude said. “I’m super proud of everyone, super proud of Direk and super happy ako na naging bahagi ako ng isang project na makabuluhan. Tapos, naging Emmy nominee pa,” he said.
Dylan Yturralde, meanwhile, remembered how Ivan had already been encouraging the team to aim for an Emmy nomination during their story conference. Despite initially wondering whether they could achieve such a milestone, the Pinoy Big Brother alum said he was proud to see how far the series had reached
“Story con pa lang, sabi nga ni Emilio (Daez) na sinasabi na ‘to ni Direct Ivan sa amin na let’s win an Emmy. So, siyempre ako medyo kaya ba natin ito lalo bago ako eh, kakalabas ko lang ng PBB. And noong natapos yung airing namin, happy naman ako sa nag-i-resulta, kung saan nakaabot, umabot pa nga sa ibang bansa,” Dylan proudly said.
“Hindi ko ma-process, isang buong araw ako umiiyak, pumasok ako sa school, sa school naglalakad ako, naiiyak ako, na para akong ewan. Parang, ito pala yung hinihintay kong resulta,” Dylan added.
Love at First Spike is the Philippines’ sole entry in this year’s International Emmy Awards, earning a nomination in the Kids: Live Action category alongside entries from Chile, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. The awards ceremony is scheduled to take place in New York on November 23 (Monday, US time).
The series follows a former basketball team captain who begins to find his footing again after a violent incident when he joins a boys’ volleyball team composed mainly of proud LGBTQIA+ students. It has received praise for its themes of acceptance and gender equality, as well as its portrayal of the challenges faced by student-athletes.
Love at First Spike episodes are available to stream for free on iWant.