It started with an invitation from Studio M521, a model/artist management company with offices in Europe, Asia and the USA, to fly Lance to Los Angeles for a photo shoot with top international photographer Tobin. How Angie met Tobin, she didn’t say but knowing Angie, she can make friends with Saddam Hussein effortlessly. This was for an annual photo exhibit featuring the works of some of today’s major names in fashion photography. Tobin, the executive director of Studio M521 was impressed by Lance’s unique Eurasian features and wanted to include him in his body of work – a wonderful opportunity for Lance to be seen and appreciated in the international market. So Angie accepted the invitation and voila, they flew to LA.
The ever-efficient Angie Magbanua, with her global connections, made sure that Lance’s celebrity status in the Philippines was known among the industry people in Los Angeles weeks before his arrival. This granted him VIP treatment as soon as he arrived. He also had the opportunity to meet and work with some of LA’s top models and television stars. Among them were German supermodel Eugen Bauder, American model Paul Hanson, jazz musicians Joe and Travis Berry and actor/model Timothy Heinrich. "I was pleasantly surprised because they made me feel so welcome and at home," shared Lance.
But the biggest surprise came after Lance requested to see Studio M521’s roster of talents. Among the many photographs of successful young artists was a very familiar face. It was that of a fast-rising male model who also happens to be in the cast of MTV’s popular new reality show called Date My Mom.
When he asked for his name, it turned out to be his long lost cousin, Christopher Friel. Back in the 1980s, they were playmates and Lance used to spend most of his summers in San Diego, California with Christopher’s family.
When Christopher’s dad joined the Navy, Lance lost touch with him and the rest of the family. This is the reason why Lance was so excited to finally reunite with his long-lost cousin.
Christopher was promptly invited to the studio to meet Lance. Both families were extremely excited about the reunion. The meeting was also a very productive one for both Lance and Christopher because they provided each other with a direct connection to their respective entertainment industries. Lance is interested in crossing over to the international market while Christopher wants to visit the Philippines and try his luck in the local entertainment scene.
The positive and cheerful working environment produced some of the most striking photographic images of Lance ever taken. Tobin commissioned a top stylist to create various looks for Lance, who was transformed into a 1950’s singer, a Gothic rock god, a high fashion male model, a 1970s afro-haired style icon and a sexy poolside hunk, among others. The photos received praise from LA’s fashion crowd. David Crowd, the executive director for online high fashion magazine TDink, described Lance’s poolside headshots as the best image he has seen this year.
One of the most fulfilling aspects of this trip was Lance leaving the LA fashion crowd with a very good impression on Filipinos. Everyone who met Lance was very fond of him and he made it known to everyone that he was a Filipino, especially when he got mistaken as a foreigner. Lance taught them a lot about our culture and heritage. He explained the meaning of some Tagalog expressions which would often come out of his mouth. As a result, top models and rising artists in LA started to use words like pare, talaga, ang galing in their daily conversation.
Some of Tobin’s photographs will be featured in Lance’s upcoming CD under Viva Records. You can also see outtakes from the shoot in this month’s issue of Style Magazine.
Congratulations, Lance and bravo, Angie!