Ariel Nunez, a Fil-Am creative director at CBSi’s CNET

MANILA, Philippines - This article’s accompanying photo shows the faces behind all the great videos you see on CNET, the trusted source for tech news, gadget reviews and expert insights at CBS Interactive (a division of CBS Corp.), the world’s largest publisher of premium digital content and a perennial Top 10 Internet company.

And Ariel Nunez, or simply Rel, 38, a Fil-American creative director of video production at CNET, is proud to be a part of this team.

“CNET tracks all the latest consumer technology breakthroughs and shows you what is new, what matters and how technology can enrich your life. We give you the information, tools, and advice that will help you decide what to buy and how to get the most out of the tech in your life,” says Rel who oversees the look and feel of all video produced on CNET, a website which is focused on consumer tech news and reviews.

He continues: “I have been with CNET since 2006. The company was acquired in 2008 by CBS Corp., a mass media company that creates and distributes industry-leading content across a variety of platforms to audiences around the world.”

CBS, which has businesses with origins that date back to the dawn of the broadcasting age, owns the most-watched TV network in the US and one of the world’s largest libraries of entertainment content and its operations span virtually every field of media and entertainment, including cable, publishing, radio, local TV, film and interactive and socially responsible media.

Ariel has produced lots of videos, and one of his favorite ones deals with how to stop robocalls. “Automated phone spam is hard to kill, but there are steps you can take to stop these calls on your landline and on your smartphone.”

Rel’s mother is a Filipino. “Yes, my mom is a Filipino though she passed away in 1996 when I was 18 years old.”

His mother, the former Marilou Agarao, is from Cavite. He vividly recalls that the first time he visited his mother’s homeland was in 1988 when he was 10 years old and again in 2007 in his late 20s.

“My first-time visiting (the Philippines) was very eye-opening. I was always told about the poverty in the Philippines, but to see it in person was somewhat of a shock. It really made me appreciate the life I was provided, though not glamorous by any means, in the USA,” he remarks.

He also appreciates the sacrifices that his mother and father (Rafael Polo Nunez, a US Marine who was born in Dominican Republic) made to provide his brother and him with a better life.

He graduated in California’s San Francisco State University where he studied video production. He lived most of his life in San Francisco before transferring to New York City, the city of immigrants’ dreams.

“I, along with my brother Aries (who is his twin), produced a TV show in San Francisco from 2001 to 2010. That is where I really mastered my craft and gained recognition in video production and the local music scene,” he reminisces.

He is now married to Kristine Isip, a graduate of San Jose State University, who works at Marsh and McLennan in New York as a university recruiter. “She travels all over the universities in different states to recruit and hold training classes.”

He admits that his marriage to Kristine is a blessing. “If I didn’t have her, I’d spend all my money on sneakers and eat Popeye’s for every meal. I thank her for making me a better me by being herself.”

Rel, a born romantic, hopes to produce more entertaining and informative videos for CBSi’s CNET.

“Our culture of creativity and collaboration is our foundation; it is present in everything we do... I am currently working on a documentary that focuses on second generation Filipino-Americans that grew up in the hip-hop generation. I hope to release that in early 2018. Also, if there is room to add, my Instagram is @relrelrelrel,” he ends this brief interview with alacrity.