IT was in “nineteen kopong kopong” or back in 2004, when now-popular social media influencer Bryan Grey Yambao or popularly known as Bryan Boy, merely started with a blog while he was still living in Manila.

“That was my original platform,” Bryan admitted. “Over the years, I went from blog to Instagram to TikTok and FaceBook, kahit na late.”

Today, two decades later, Bryan, now based in Sweden where he moved to in 2017, lorded it over the Internet where he became widely recognized as a celebrity fashion and style vlogger.

Known as a fashion icon who has repeatedly graced Paris fashion week and shows in Milan, Bryan was in Manila briefly early this week, when he signed up a management contract with Viva Artists Agency (VAA).

“I’m already acting on the Internet and I think, for me, we are in the business where we love to inspire people,” asserted Bryan. “We love to make people happy. We love to make people angry, sometimes, but it’s already entertainment.

It was a breath of fresh air that Bryan was in Manila at the Viva office, where he recently inked the contract. He was welcomed by the company’s executive, Veronique del Rosario.

“It’s very, very surreal being here,” admitted Bryan. “I’m having goosebumps now. Viva is such a legacy institution and one of the pillars of Philippine entertainment. They have all the biggest celebrities.

“To be part of it is such an honor and maybe long overdue, but it never occurred to me until now. To be here, I’m just so grateful and I’m very, very excited.

“I have a huge Filipino audience especially when TikTok happened. My Filipino audience is my connection to home. Why not develop it and grow it? They make me happy.”

Bryan is excited if he can do even a cameo for a film with Viva or even Vivamax. “Anything,” he smilingly said. “It’s more exciting to explore what I can do with my personality. That will be a challenge to myself.

“I love Viva to expand my presence in entertainment. It’s hard to define a scope or expectation. But for me, I love the idea of partnering with them to just expand and explore what we can do together. I want them to challenge me creatively. I love to do something creative with Viva.”

It was actress Anne Curtis who actually connected Bryan with Viva. “Anne and I were together in Paris last year when she asked me if there was someone taking care of my career in the Philippines,” disclosed Bryan.

“When I told her, ‘Not really,’ she lost no time to connect me with Viva. We did a meeting through Zoom while I was at home in Sweden and magic happened. Viva will represent me in my career here in the Philippines.”

Bryan did America’s Next Top Model in 2012 and 2013. “At that time, my agency was already pushing me to do TV and entertainment, but I was not ready yet,” Bryan shared. “It was a humbling experience to work with an American production, with Tyra (Banks) and everybody there.

“But I wasn’t ready then. I wanted to build my career in fashion which is my first love. Twelve years later, I feel that I am now ready to take more challenges and more exciting to expand into different platforms.”

Brian first uprooted from Manila in 2009 and moved to New York. Then he went to Sweden in 2017. He has a Swedish partner who opts to stay out of the limelight. Not a single photo of the guy seen on the Internet. They’ve been together for 14 years.

Bryan cannot be any happier that there are more Filipinos who are now seen in the fashion scene in Paris.

“There were Heart (Evangelista), Pia (Wurtzbach) and last year, it was Anne (Curtis),” Bryan mentioned. “That’s basically representation for the Philippines. It’s a good thing to have more celebrities and personalities from the Philippines.

“I want Filipinos to think that anybody with a dream can go to Paris Fashion Week. Anyone can be there. A lot of people think it’s really hard. Of course, it’s hard because it’s really the brands who will invite you.”

Bryan added, “You don’t have to be an influencer or celebrity to be a guest to be there. There are so many things you can do to be able to attend the fashion week. Being an artista, socialite or an influencer is not the only ticket to go there.

“You can represent yourself as from the press, you can be a buyer. It’s not just rampahan lang. Fashion week is a business. It’s all about supporting the designers who need to sell clothes. It’s a lot of work for them.”