MOND GUTIERREZ: FROM ASIA TO LOS ANGELES

CONTRIBUTING WRITER: CYAN LEIGH DACASIN

PHOTOGRAPHY: ADRIAN MARTIN

STYLING: NIKKO PANTI

As the scion of the Philippines’ most prominent ‘showbiz’ families, Raymond Gutierrez’s childhood was a life that revolved around the glamorous world of movie sets and influential people in the industry.

After having his first movie at three years old with his equally handsome twin brother Richard. The two of them turned each movie set into a playground, especially when they were with their father, matinee idol, Eddie Gutierrez.  The twins were known as the cherubs of the local Filipino entertainment movie scene.

Fast-forward to 10 years later, Raymond shied away from ‘showbiz’ and has now made a name for himself as Mond, the savvy and collected businessman who produces the hottest events and entertainment concepts around the booming cityscape of Metro Manila.

As one of the partners of the Palace Manila Group, Mond’s powerhouse concepts in the evolving social scene bought global flair to the society darlings that want a New York/Ibiza-Esque vibe -- the likes of which was never seen before.

Mond’s rise to the top is unprecedented with all the hard work he has done,  Concepts such as 71 Gramercy and events with Magnum Ice Cream, Louis Vuitton, and Omega are always planned meticulously to his discerning taste.  

But with all that wealth and success, Mond’s path wasn’t always breezy, after being under the scrutiny of the local public eye for a long time. He opted for a change. Leading us to the Mond we see now, ready to take on Hollywood and to show the world what he can bring to the table.

Here at Now Magazine Los Angeles with Mond, we get his thoughts on being a digital entrepreneur in this day and age, growing up famous, starting anew, and his hopes for the LGBTQ+ community.

1. From what I understand. You come from a family of esteemed actors, actresses, and a famous beauty Queen to boot that even you and your twin brother started out as child stars in the industry. What was it like growing up in the limelight?

The thing is my twin brother and I actually grew up in show business, we did our first movie at three years old, we grew up around movie sets, we were able to do around ten to eleven films and we really treated it as a playground. 

For us, it wasn’t considered a job, especially since we were working with our dad and it became our bonding time. So growing up in the entertainment industry, we didn't really know any other world back in the Philippines. Not knowing what it was like to be normal kids who weren’t in showbiz. 

And that's when my parents with the support of my sister decided to send us to the states when we were in grade school, because at that time, you know, at around nine or 10 years old, we were growing into our pre-teen stage already.

So she really encouraged my parents for us to move to LA. Because we were born and raised here. So I think that was a really good move because it gave us a sense of normal life and what it's like to not be in show business. It allowed us to hang out with kids of our own age and who didn't really know us.

Another thing about us growing up in the limelight, Show business in the Philippines can be very political. Luckily enough, my family -- mom, dad, and my sister Ruffa were there to guide and protect us on our journey as nouveau actors, otherwise, it wouldn’t have been easy to manoeuvre if it weren’t for them since a lot of people can mislead you.

2. Since then, you’ve shied away from that and focused on marketing, pr, and events. What made you transition from being on national television to digital entrepreneurialism?

I did love my job as a TV host, but I found that my creativity thrived more outside of it. I wanted to explore my creativity in other ways. And the first step I did in that direction outside of show business was to become one of the Fashion Editors for Esquire magazine in the Philippines, while also working with Preview Magazine.
So those were kind of the first two jobs outside of showbusiness, that allowed me to focus on other things and then from those jobs, I was able to go out a lot, meet a lot of new people and build my network. I became part of the scene. And just because I am a naturally social person, and I love meeting new people, I was able to grow my network.

 And from then on I ended up planning events, I organized and launched Esquire magazine which I enjoyed a lot. In my mind  I was like, “wow, like, creating this party, for me felt so natural like it didn't feel like work.” Then I started creating more concepts, and eventually Magnum Ice Cream gave me their trust in launching events for them. Since then, I have been their endorser for 10 years and I also work with them as a creative director. And from then on, that became the benchmark in Manila of what a party could look like. Yeah. So from basing it on my Magnum parties, a lot of other brands followed suit. Following the success of these concepts led me to work with other brands in the Philippines and Asia.

3. So apart from being a PR Maven, Model, TV Host and Events Connessiuer--Could you tell us about the Palace Manila Group, and How did that all start?

That’s actually another sideline of mine, in fact, I have so many slashes *Laughs*  I do live many lives. I became one of the owners of the biggest nightclub in the Philippines, paired with the most successful entertainment and hospitality group in the country. My first nightclub was actually 71 Gramercy, it was located in the tallest building in the Philippines. And then from that, we opened the Palace, which has several other concepts inside such as the Island, Xylo, The Bowery and others. The whole idea of this became an extension of what I do for brands. But this time, it's more of like creating an atmosphere and a vibe for the city for the people in the city.

We really wanted to create something that we can be proud of globally, where we can bring friends from anywhere in the world and to their collective surprise we wanted the wow factor that they can see something like this in the Philippines. It’s always fun when some of my friends visit for the first time, they're like, “Wow! you guys have this in Manila. They don't even know that Manila could be so fun. So I'm very happy to be a part of that group. My business partners and I have an amazing support system. Whenever I have new or crazy ideas that I want to do they are always welcoming of it. Last time before the pandemic, I actually threw an area 51 party, where everyone dressed up as aliens. 

4. Since you have a lot of those going on for you, what are your thoughts on the term influencer? Or would a digital entrepreneur be more appropriate?

I do consider myself an entrepreneur because that is where my path is headed. But being an influencer kind of has a  negative connotation to it just because -- Yeah, everybody says that everyone is an influencer nowadays.

But for me, being an influencer means to influence positively. So yeah, if I can provide that for brands and if I can help brands and my businesses influence other people in a positive way. That’s also my job
Yeah, exactly. So, especially in the last few years, during the pandemic, a lot of the things that I used to do and love was taken away from me because of COVID. You know, the nightlife. I haven't had a physical event for so long.

My last one was my Halloween party. I really missed it. And you're right, we are into a more digital landscape, which allows me to be in a place like Los Angeles for multiple months and still be able to do my job in the Philippines.

5. If you don’t mind me asking, what were the pros and cons of being in showbiz (Philippine entertainment) that no one knows about?

 There were a lot of people comparing me to my twin brother, especially when I first entered the scene at 19. When I came back to Manila from LA. He was doing superhero movies and being the leading man doing all of these amazing pictures and TV shows. And, they expected me to come back and do the same thing. Which I didn’t because I became a TV host and I worked for a fashion magazine. We were night and day in terms of our career trajectory. And so people just labelled me always as the gay brother.
This was difficult, especially since I was trying to figure things out alone and I'm just lucky that I was able to get out of it sane, and with the help of a strong support system, like my friends and my family. But I did go through a very dark time. And I think that's partially why I also gained a lot of weight in my 20s was because I had such a hard time facing myself. And it was kind of like my form of escapism.

6. Now let’s talk about your recent cover on Mega PH. You recently came out and as quoted, you’ve said that your sexuality has been an open secret within metro Manila society. Could you tell me, what made you want to come out publicly? And when did you come to terms with it?

I said it best in my interview and on Instagram where I stand. “ You know, I was never not out, I never denied who I was, you know, I did that cover to share more of my story and struggles, because people always look at my life and say, Oh, he's never had any struggles in his life. He's always been protected and it’s been smooth sailing for him. I felt that I wanted to show people that, during this time in the pandemic, I want my followers to know that I went through the same things, so I don't want people to think that I never acknowledged it.

Another thing is, I think people were also just scared to ask me. So yeah, and it even became a  question of, Is it too late to share my story? But then I really thought about it, because it could help someone out there. And True enough, after I had done that cover.  I was flooded with so many messages, and DMS, on my Instagram, and even personal friends and acquaintances, struck up conversations about it. Frankly, it was a bit overwhelming -- but it opened the door for people who went through similar situations or are going through something similar, that it would resonate to them. The feeling that they can not come out because of their families, they felt that they would bring shame to their families or because of religion, there are so many reasons why  

Filipino men can find it difficult to face their fears because there are so many factors preventing that.
However, there were so many guys that said, I gave him the courage to come out, and or I'm giving them the inspiration to do so. So it was really heartwarming and overwhelming. And if I could lend my story to help someone else, then I feel like I've really done my job in having this platform that I have, because what's the use of having a big platform? If you can help anyone out there then you should even in small ways.

7. The Philippines is known for being conservative/tolerant when it comes to its LGBTQ+ scene. What was the biggest fear you had about being out and proud?

I realized that you can't rush people into sharing their stories or to come out.  I've come to a point in my life where I'm very content and very happy. I feel like, Whatever I do, now I can own up to it, and really pursue the things that I want without anyone's approval. When I was asked if I was willing to share my story, I said, I think it's time.

 Especially after going through this, one and a half years of people being and feeling alone. And I thought if I could help someone, inspire someone to live their most authentic self, by sharing my story, then I think that's the best way for me to use my platform. It was really the pandemic that got me thinking, if we didn't go through this pandemic, I would have just continued living my life travelling and not assessing what's around me.

I lived a very fast lifestyle. I was always like, going from one thing to the next, travelling from one city to the next, conquering one project, the next brand, like what is my next goal? Like, I never really had time to sit back and think about my life. My achievements and how I can help others, this period allowed me to process all those things, which, you know, now looking back, I'm very thankful for all the alone time I had.

8. Let’s talk about your career, you have become staggeringly successful in your field. With this in mind, do you have any causes that you are hoping to raise awareness for?

Well, after hearing a lot of these stories that are on my DMS about what people are going through, I think I want to focus a lot of my attention on the LGBTQ community, and really educate those who need to be educated. In the Philippines, not a lot of celebrities with my platform, speak about their true identity. I think, especially in the showbiz scene in the Philippines, a lot of these actors and personalities are still scared to use their platform to speak out.

 I don't blame them. Because a lot of things are at stake that the Philippine showbiz industry doesn't make it easy for leading men to come out, I’m one of the first people to really speak out about it. So, and especially like bullying, I hear a lot of stories of bullying. So working with organizations like that is part of my plan in the future, raising awareness, creating education. With the topic of the LGBTQ+  community, I feel like that's really where I'm going to shift my attention, especially post-pandemic.

There are a lot of issues to tackle. So I'm excited to use my platform for that. now that more companies or brands or organizations can reach out to me at the same time, I can reach out to them, and somehow we can work together in creating more awareness.

9. Now, tell us, you’re out in LA right now. Do you have any new exciting projects that we should keep our eyes open for?

 In the past few months, I've been able to reconnect with friends and my network a bit. I have been meeting with new people in the industry here.

My goal now is to figure out what I want to do here in terms of how I want to translate my achievements in the Philippines and bring that here to the States with all the skills that I've learned, whether in front of the camera, or behind the scenes, and really translating that for the American market. So I am meeting with a lot of people, there are projects on the pipeline that I can't discuss as of yet until they're 100%. But what's great about being in LA is that I am in no rush, you know, and  I'm just happy to be here, I'm happy to be able to go outside freely. I am picky with who I meet with what I feel like I want to do here. So I'm taking my time.

LA is such a big market. You can create your scene here, whether you want it to be, a little bit artsier, or a little bit more Hollywood it’s completely up to you, I think you have the freedom to kind of create your vibe. So I have I'm lucky enough to have friends from all different parts of Los Angeles, and other parts of the states as well. So I do have a wide, network of friends here. Which makes me able to switch sides and kind of explore LA. I'm continuing to have fun here. exploring new areas, new restaurants, new places. But yeah, the scene here is pretty good. I think they're very welcoming of new talent also, and especially Asian talent now.

10. Lastly, if you can give us 3 words that best describe you what would they be and why?

There are so many different facets to me. I would have to say loyal, generous. And optimistic. Hey, yeah. So that's Mond in a nutshell.