DIRECTOR Maryo J. de los Reyes doesn't only have an eye for good camera angles, he also has a knack for spotting talents who deserve a crack at stardom. So, when he's not working on a film, he's busy managing he's stable of talents-all boys, all hunks.

There are three new faces in his stable of talents. Kiro Amareti, Carlos Castelo and Iraz Melchor are no longer boys but not quite men yet-but they're working hard on that. Let's get to know them:

Before deciding that show business is the path he wants to pursue, Kiro already made waves in the advertising front. In 1998, he was named SM Supermodel of the Year, a feat which opened a lot of doors in the modeling business.

He then romped away with the title Cyber Hunk in the same year and made it to the semi-finals of the Mr. Philippines World contest. ''I didn't win that one because I'm not very tall,'' he says, ''but I guess one cannot win everything. It was a very humbling experience, though.''

Born in Germany and endowed with strong Middle Eastern features, Kiro first caught the eye of the director when he appeared as extra in an episode of Rudy Fernandez's TV show, ''Kasangga,'' where De los Reyes is a resident director.

''I sensed that beneath that boyish mestizo look is a deep person.'' Direk Maryo recalls their initial meeting. ''I asked him if he's really bent on taking this business seriously and he said he'd give it a try.''

That initial meeting led to a series of serious conversations which convinced the director that Kiro had the right attitude to make it. ''He told me that he wanted a wholesome image because most of my talents can be daring, as you know.'' Direk Maryo lets out a naughty smile.

Kiro shares, I'd like to concentrate on hosting and a few light drama projects.'' He will soon debut in a new show on Channel 39, where he will be launched with other new discoveries.

Carlos strikes us as a comic-sexy star. He is blessed with tight, lean muscles and a form which will put other sexy stars to shame, plus his angelic chinito features can be quite endearing.

When we spoke to Carlos, we knew our intuition was right-the guy can be funny. ''I'm surprised nga everytime they tell me that, kasi I think I'm pretty serious--but people say otherwise. Maybe I'm just spontaneous and I smile a lot, that's why they think I'm funny,'' he says.

Carlos wouldn't mind if he became the Jim Carrey of the Philippines but he'd like to try as many roles as he can to give him the experience he needs.

''I have to develop my confidence when I'm in front of the camera. I'm new and I have not proven anything yet. All I have at this point is the eagerness to jump into an unfamiliar territory which I've heard so much about!''

Iraz knows that the screen name he chose sounds foreign, and he doesn't exactly know what it means. The young lad from Tarlac wants to become an action star someday and he believes his clean-cut looks will serve him well.

''Masyado na kasing maraming action star na mukhang action stars--you know, yung brusko at laging naka-leather jacket kahit ang init-init dito sa Pilipinas. Hindi siguro imposible na magkaroon ng action stars na mabait ang mukha, di ba?'' he shares his valid opinion.

Iraz first heard good things about himself when he joined a modeling contest on ''Eat Bulaga'' where he won runner-up honors. He then entered the country's first-ever handsome guy contest, where he was part of the winning circle. Deep within, he felt that he was a few steps away from realizing his long-time dream of being in show business.

''Ganoon naman po ang buhay, kapag wala kang direct connections, humanap ka ng paraan mapalapit sa goals mo. Sa kasasali ko sa mga contests, hayun, nakilala ko si Direk Maryo,'' he recalls.

Iraz has just passed the auditions at the CCP's Tanghalang Pilipino, and he might do his first play soon. ''I think na magandang training ang makukuha ko sa teatro kasi ibang klase daw ang disiplina doon,'' he says.

And when he feels he is ready for film or TV, Iraz promises to give it his best shot. ''I want to be a versatile actor, lahat gagawin ko para lang sumikat.''