Meeting Ian

I have never been a fan of vampire stories. Pale, ice cold skinned bloodsuckers do not interest me, at all. But ever since I watched The Vampire Diaries one day while channel surfing, I thought I was compelled. Not by the story, but by one hot vampire in the name of Damon Salvatore. Thanks to Google, I started to stalk him online. So when Joyce Ramirez, Head PR of Penshoppe, mentioned to me about the possibility of bringing him here in the Philippines to endorse the brand, I got so excited. When she successfully closed the deal and sent me a big smiley face on BBM, I breathed in and told myself, “I will never let this moment pass. I have to meet IAN SOMERHALDER.”

Thanks to Penshoppe’s exclusive invitation to Ian’s presscon, my encounter with the vampire happened. Never did I expect that I would be meeting the exact opposite of the arrogant, selfish, sarcastic character he’s playing on the TV series. Ian is a down to earth, humorous, charming, very intelligent and grateful gentleman. Oh, and did I mention the blue eyes, biceps, killer smile and his extreme love and passion for the environment? As Golden ABC CEO and fellow Cebuano, Mr. Bernie Liu, said in his welcome speech “I was expecting to meet a Hollywood celebrity. Well, I did meet a Hollywood celebrity, but now I understand how invitations to this ran out in 45 minutes. Within minutes of our first chat, my preconceived notion of him would transform into admiration.” I mean who wouldn’t admire a person who excitedly talks about taking care of Mother Earth, and his Ian Somerhalder Foundation (ISF) that aims to educate and empower us to protect our planet and its creatures. Not to mention, being recently named as United Nation’s Ambassador on the organization’s environment programs. He also talked endlessly about the beauty of our country. Penshopppe brought him to Palawan to shoot for their newest campaign. Ian said, “El Nido is probably one of the beautiful places on the face of the planet. Running around in a secluded tropical island, drinking out of coconuts, hanging out under palm trees and getting your picture taken, it was all amazing. Get on a plane, get on a boat and explore the islands you guys are from because, wow, you are incredibly lucky.” He loved the clothes he wore at the shoot and even went to SM MOA to shop for more from Penshopppe. He said his choice is all about comfort and that the brand’s bright colors and soft fabrics are definitely his style. I had a chat with Mr. Bernie Liu after the presscon and I congratulated him for successfully bringing in Hollywood stars to endorse their brand which humbly started in Cebu. He told me his ultimate goal is to bring in the next stars here in the Queen City of the South to shoot for their upcoming campaigns. Cebuanos wouldn’t mind for sure, right? After signing in Ed Westwick, Thai star Mario Maurer, Zac Efron, Ian Somerhalder and Leighton Meester, I’m sure they will be adding more international celebrities to be part of their AllStar Campaign.

Fellow The FREEMAN columnist, Mike Lopez, and I were so lucky to be the only Cebuanos invited to that event. That encounter with Ian opened our eyes to what we can do to help save the planet. In fact, Mike has a project in mind that he wants to collaborate with him. I left Manila with so much respect and admiration for this beautiful man. But the best thing that happened that time is the announcement of Penshoppe’s commitment to partner with Ian’s foundation to achieve its mission. A bold move that made me admire the company more. Ian Somerhalder will not only be remembered as a vampire that compelled me on TV, but a real human being who compelled me to save the earth. And I won’t mind being compelled over and over again, really, I won’t.