MANILA, Philippines - As I make my way through the heart of west Hollywood, memories of nostalgia flood my senses of the time when I used to frequent the area. As I zip through the hustle and bustle of Beverly Boulevard, the crisp December air of sunny Los Angeles is intoxicating with an energy all its own. Yes, this is Hollywood, where the geographical location has become synonymous with a state of mind that the whole world wishes to experience. I have a much-anticipated and long-overdue meeting with Rembrandt Flores. I have known Rem for over two years now, when a mutual friend, Mark Azurin, introduced us via e-mail. Since then, we have yet to really sit down and talk. I took this evening to get to know the publicist that everyone who’s who in Hollywood knows. Interestingly enough, the quintessential man who is making a name for himself in the entertainment capital of the universe also happens to be Filipino.
Rembrandt was born in the Philippines and raised in Almaden valley, an exclusive enclave in southern San Jose. After he switched majors from accounting to communications, he graduated from the prestigious University of California, Berkeley. He always knew that he had a calling to be in entertainment, so instead of going to New York, he packed his bags and hit the klieg lights of tinseltown’s brightest city, Los Angeles. He dishes out his climb to the top, the intricacies of being a Hollywood publicist for celebrities, generously gives advice to aspiring publicists and shares his hopes to eventually find himself retired in the next five years. Rembrandt is ambitious yet charming, without the snobbery associated with key players in the entertainment industry. Here he divulges his inspiring and equally candid thoughts with the readers of Supreme.
He worked his way up in this town, starting at one of the top agencies for talent in Los Angeles, the Abrams Artist Agency in their agent in training program. After a couple of months, he moved to E! Entertainment, where he was an executive assistant to the executive producer of E! True Hollywood Story. His boss, sensing his stagnating creative energy, recommended he switch gears. Wanting to do more hands on production for other E! shows, he finds himself working on FYE, where we got to travel all around the world. Eventually, he went into PR and is now working at the Entertainment Fusion Group with offices in LA and NY, which in US lingo is called bi-coastal. His office is in a familiar building as I had been here countless of times before since the first floor houses one of the biggest casting studios for commercials. As I enter his office, his pup Diesel greets me with a friendly yelp.
SUPREME: What exactly is it that you do, Rembrandt? What role does the publicist play in the entertainment industry?
REMBRANDT FLORES: I am basically the direct liaison between the client, either an actor or product, and the press. Whether it be The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Vogue magazine, People magazine or Us Weekly, Kiss FM or The Ryan Seacrest Show. The publicist is the one who books them, makes sure they are protected, making sure that the story is always positive. I also arrange red carpet appearances for my clients, like getting them into movie premieres or events and of course the fun stuff as well, like pulling out dresses for Monique Lhuillier and the like. Anything to do with one’s the public image is what a PR specialist does. With regard to corporate PR, it’s very, very different. Now, I am basically taking care of a brand — let’s say Oakley sunglasses — so they want to be affiliated with whoever is hot and cool and what not, so I make sure that those sunglasses are on the likes of the cast of Glee or on George Clooney when he’s up in the air the film. Whatever it maybe, we always make sure it’s positive press for the brand.
(At this point, it is clear to me that Rembrandt doesn’t operate with the mentality that even bad press is still good press, which for some reason I have heard countless times in the Philippines. He is very enthusiastic about what he does and it shows; his energy is infectious and his is the personality that one naturally gravitates to.)
When did you get to the point in your career when you felt that you’d made a name for yourself in this industry, an industry that obviously for many reasons can seem impenetrable to many?
I don’t think, I will ever feel that because I am and always will be very hard on myself. I have never really felt that I have or will get to that point yet. However, how I do know that I am in a position of power rather than not is by how other people treat me. Now when I go around town, I say my name and I get the response of, “Oh, Rembrandt Flores!” So that’s how I know that things are different. Or let’s say I am at an event and I get approached by someone who introduces his or herself saying they heard of me through so and so, that’s the only reason I know that I have made a name for myself. It’s sort of validation that people are finally taking notice.
Absolutely! What does it mean to you to be a Filipino that has achieved this status in this industry?
I feel that being Filipino sets me apart because, honestly, there aren’t a lot of Filipinos that I see in that world around me. I always feel like I have to represent our culture in a way and so whenever I can, when appropriate, I try to bring it up, in whatever shape or form that Filipinos are doing great things in this industry. I am very proud of Nicole Scherzinger, Apl.de.Ap, Vannesa Hudgens and Vanessa Minillo or whoever else is in the industry that’s Filipino, those who are doing what they love and making a difference. I think I am more forthright about being Filipino than some are, but without a doubt, I know that they are proud because it is a part of them. I wouldn’t be who I am if I weren’t Filipino.
Why do you think there aren’t as many Filipinos in this industry than any other minorities out there?
It’s the same reason why Asian, Latinos and African Americans as a whole don’t have a lot of presence. Even in 2009, I still think that the majority of people who they want to see in the industry or onscreen at least are Caucasians. It’s just been that way for so long and I think it’s just going to take more time and we can’t expect this industry to have an influx of Filipinos just because we want them to. It has to be the industry as a whole that embraces it.
Yes, it’s going to be slow because it has been this way since the beginning of time and it might even take a couple more years. Although I hope that’s not the case.
(Rembrandt is candid but speaks the truth. Hollywood has just started developing diversity branches within the corporations of their networks. Fox, NBC, and the Screen Actors Guild now have their own diversity divisions that specifically tries to break down the barriers of unrepresented minorities in Hollywood.)
Ultimately, it is what it is and we just have to put as much as we can onscreen, and people are trying to break through and it’s not like there haven’t been any on the silver screen or the small screen (referring to TV). In music, obviously it’s very different. We (Filipinos) are very respected that way in the music industry with Charise and the Pussycat Dolls and Black Eyed Peas — especially in the dance department, when you see You Think You Can Dance or America’s Next Dance Crew.
Yes, with Jabawookeez and the Quest...
Right! That’s great that we have presence as opposed to no presence at all.
What would you say is one of your qualities that is most Filipino about you? Besides your last name, Flores.
I don’t know. I am not sure I really know how to answer that question because I am Filipino and this is what I am, perhaps it’s because I understand the language.
Marunong kang mag Tagalog?
Oo naman. But maybe it’s the love for the Filipino food and I have the morals and values instilled in me by my Filipino parents.
What was the turning point that made you decide to frequent your motherland more?
Well, I have fond memories of the Philippines, I left when I was one and when I went back, I was in high school, I just remember having the best time of my life, those summers, those two summers or whatever and so Philipp (his partner) agreed and said yes, why not. So we went to the Philippines and we just fell in love with it. So it’s going to be a yearly thing, where we go for the holidays.
Ingit ako! Instead of the holidays I go during the summer! Anyway, switching gears, can you give advice to anybody who wants to pursue a career in the same profession as you?
If someone wants to be a publicist, you need an internship! I didn’t have that and I think I would have gotten further in my career if I had the experience before actually getting into it. Getting an internship then working your way up in the PR world is the only way to get in it because PR is all about relationships. That’s it! My database is the only thing that separates me and someone else from being a good publicist. I happen to have good contacts with the magazines, the TV world and the brands. That’s the only thing again that separates me from any Joe Shmoe out there who wants to be in PR. And the only way you can do that is through going out, meeting new people and networking, networking, networking! Networking is the number one way to get anywhere in life, regardless if you want to be a publicist or manager or agent or even actor. You need to know people who will help you get to the next level.
There seems to be a key to networking, where one can network the wrong way, too.
You have to network in a way where people actually think that you aren’t networking. In that sense, I guess I am a really good actor because I am sincere in that I want to get to know someone. In that way, when I do ask for a favor, they tend to say yes versus, “Oh, whatever, I am not helping him.” I am very fortunate that people do like me and have been able to help me, which is why I have gotten to where I am.
Let’s get to the juicy part of your job. Publicists see a lot about the celebrities lives that the public does not know about. Obviously, it’s a matter of confidentiality. Out of all the celebrities you do get to work with, who is your favorite?
There’s too many to name.
(At this point, I expected him to name names and he never does. This is what I really find admirable in Rembrandt. I, for one can’t stand people that name-drop left, right and center and for some reason, I was always under the impression that publicists tend to do this a lot. Yet, he is fair and respectful of his clients and their privacy.)
I can honestly say that I really do love them all, for all different reasons. Maybe one makes me laugh and another is just so gorgeous that I just want to be around them. Or maybe because they have a great family and it reminds me of how I feel like family when I am with them. There are so many that I really enjoy working with all of them, and that’s not B.S.
As a publicist, how often do you have to do damage control?
I do damage control every week! A lot of people don’t know that I do that but I do, for certain people that I do that for, they don’t even know it.
What is that like?
Stressful! I use my relationships with the press to make sure that they know that I am doing this not only to protect my clients, but to protect both sides, meaning the press. A lot that’s written in the press is not right and so I am just helping the press by saying, “Hey, I am giving you this information so that you know that you are absolutely wrong and this is all heresy and rumor and not fact at all.” So I am actually helping both sides.
You’re basically setting the record straight?
Correct! And you’ve been in the middle of tsismis yourself. So you know what that’s like. You just want to set the record straight and say you have nothing to hide. A lot of my celeb clients don’t want to have those direct relationships with the press which is why they go through someone like me who’s gonna make sure to navigate those waters correctly.
How do you feel when the press overstep their boundaries?
Journalists that I deal with have been really smart not to. The only segment of the industry that does overstep their boundaries are the photographers, specifically the paparrazzi. When they are scaling people’s walls in their backyards or coming out ambushing them out of a club, I don’t really agree with that. Yes, when you are a celebrity, you choose to be in the limelight and have to deal with the fact that you are a public person. But those tactics I think are really wrong.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Retired!
Retired?!
I want to take a break. I am overworked even though I do love my job. If for some reason, this company gets bought out or something or the projects that I do take off and gets me those gazillions of dollars, then I can donate my time to charity and pursue other interests. I really do want to retire in five years. Honestly!
Yes, definitely! My heart will always be in entertainment! Regardless, it has to be where I am still talking to the press, communicating and interacting with my friends who are celebrities. I love that world so much that I don’t think I ever want to be too far away from it, but I just don’t want to do the grit of the day-to-day nine to five, phone calls and e-mails and the nonstop stressing. I can do without that!
Let’s say an opportunity opens up for you in the Philippines, what kind of arena would you see yourself in?
I would love Tim Yap’s job.
I want Tim Yap’s job, too.
No, I’m not kidding, actually I am really serious. I want to be multi-hyphenated.
Yeah, Tim does it all...
If I were able to spend time here (in America) and in the Philippines, because I love being in entertainment, I’d still want to do that, either host a talk show or be a contributing writer for a magazine or a newspaper, I would love it, I would absolutely love it. And the rest of the time, I’d be spending time on my foundation doing charitable work.
You’ll be there by the time this comes out! How do you intend to spend your time there?
I am only in Manila for 13 days so I just hope I am able to meet new people. I always try to meet at least 100 new people every trip I go on. And again, because of my affinity with the entertainment industry here, It would be really interesting for me to see how showbiz works in the Philippines, just because I know the ins and outs of the industry here in America, it would be great to compare and contrast the two.
* * *
We end the interview chatting about the differences between showbiz in Hollywood and Manila and I know by just sitting down with him, I have learned the trade secrets that people wish they could be told when they first move to LA. We then decide to break the LA mold of driving and walk instead a couple blocks down the street to meet up at Oliver Tolentino’s boutique on Melrose. Gal pal Teresa Herrera joins us for dinner across the street at Ciccone, a classic Italian fine-dining restaurant that is ideally situated across the street from Oliver’s boutique.
It’s hard to distinguish the talkers from the actual doers in this town and to see is to really believe. Sure enough after our impeccable dinner, as we are about to leave the restaurant to go our separate ways, Rembrandt is hostaged by an incredibly familiar disarming face. One of those moments where you know you know them but have no idea where from (I hate that!). Yup, like I said, to see is to believe. It was the lead guy in the wildly popular Fox TV show, Glee, Cory Monteith! He was chatting it up with the Rembrandt Flores! And their interaction demonstrated that established relationship we were talking about in our chat. Yes, Rembrandt is, in my book, as credible and legit as they come, with a humbleness that is refreshingly rare. These are the people behind the scenes in Hollywood that make things happen and make you equally proud to be Pinoy!