One goal that comedy actor Kiray Celis set for herself after growing out of her teens was to be able to continue evolving both as a person and as an actor.
“I started really early in the entertainment business and I felt like I grew up really fast. Back then, I would just go where the tide took me to since I was very young. But as I become more aware of the realities of the entertainment industry, I knew deep inside me that for me to keep moving forward in this business, I must be able to constantly evolve into something else, somebody more interesting than what the public already knows. And that scared me a bit.”
She continued, “Inside me were so many questions: What if they get tired of me as a comedian? What if projects become scarce and rare? What else can I bring to the table? What kind of other forms of entertainment could I provide? All these questions kept repeating inside my mind.”
Then the pandemic came and the more scared Kiray got. Gladly, she was introduced to the world of promoting products on social media, which eventually led to doing live selling which a few celebrities discovered to be a good income-generating activity when the world momentarily stopped during the Covid19 outbreak.
“It was an entirely new world for me, I mean talking endlessly in front of a small camera for three hours just to sell stuff to total strangers. I knew that I had a fun and sparky personality, but I never thought I would be able to sell goods and products on social media. So when my first session sold millions of pesos, I simply could not believe it.”
Kiray initially thought that it was a mere stroke of luck, or perhaps coincidence that many tuned in to her first session out of curiosity, but the next ones she did proved to draw in more audiences and gave her client more sales.
Her boyfriend Stephan Estopia then thought of a brilliant idea — if Kiray could sell millions of products owned by other people and other companies, how much more would she earn if she started venturing into her own products and selling these on these social media platforms?
Kiray and Stephan immediately checked their savings, then gathered their core team, brainstormed for many nights, and came up with the decision to have their own brands of drink supplements targeting health and beauty. And just recently, they formally launched the brands Hello Bloom Juice, Day-li Supplements and Hot Babe Coffee.
Even before the big launch, Kiray was able to generate more than P8 million in sales in just half a year’s time, and this inspired her and her team so much to pursue this new venture more.
“You wouldn’t know how far you can go when you do not try. When things seem to be so challenging, that’s the best time to take that big leap because the push you will give yourself will be the biggest push ever since you’re aware that there is no turning back, and you know you have carefully thought of it many times and prepared for it long enough to give you the confidence to just move forward.”
Kiray chose beauty and wellness products because it caters to everyone. Her Hello Bloom brand has three separate varieties: Hello Bloom Glow contains L-Glutathione for fairer, glowing skin. Hello Bloom Gleam has Hydrolyzed Marine Collagen that keeps one’s skin fresh and hydrated. Hello Bloom Glam has stem cell extracts that focus on skin repair and regeneration.
For health-conscious coffee drinkers, Hot Babe Coffee contains special fat-burning ingredients that double as slimming agents while her Day-Li supplements are formulated with the highest quality of ingredients that aim to provide both health and beauty.
“I made sure that I was hands-on in the development of these products — from research to the ingredients, colors, flavors, up to the smallest details in packaging. I am happy to share that we already have clients inquiring on how they can be resellers and distributors,“ she shared.
Aware that she needs to balance her work as an artist and her new role as a businesswoman, Kiray says it will all boil down to proper time management. “While the momentum is there, I’ll keep this new business growing, and as far as my being an actor is concerned, I guess I have to be more choosy with the projects I commit to since I think that I have to manage my time really well. And while I also need to grow as an artist, quality projects will now be my priority. Of course, providing laughter and entertainment are still tops in my list as a performance artist.”
This coming Valentine’s Day, Kiray will take the weekend off from her busy schedule to celebrate with the love of her life. “Stephan is my inspiration, my fuel, my source of strength, the wind beneath my wings, and he deserves my full focus on this Valentine’s Day weekend!”
Kiray Celis is turning 30 this year and she feels that life is just about to take her to the fast lane. “Bring it on. I am ready!” she gushed.
