Karen Pamintuan

Karen Treshler Pamintuan was born in Manila and is a 22 year old TV show host [ [http://www.mb.com.ph/issues/2008/03/16/20080316119540.html Manila Bulletin] ] , and young celebrity from the Philippines. She is 5 foot 8 inches, a Eurasian beauty with an ethnic mix of Scottish, Czech and Spanish, American ancestry from her mother's side, and Filipino-Chinese on her father's side.

Background and early history

The family, are descendants from her great grandfather,Dr. Jose Fabella, [ [http://www.doh.gov.ph/wiki/index.php/Dr._Jose_Fabella_(January_1941-1945) Doctor Jose Fabella] ] a philantrophist, and former Philippine Health and Welfare Commissioner during the term of President Manuel Quezon. [ [ [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuel_L._Quezon President Manuel Quezon of the Philippines] ] The Fabella clan traces their ancestral roots from Pagsanghan,Laguna. [ [http://www.pagsanjan.org/hometown/historychap5_pg7.html History of Laguna Province, Philippines] ] Karen's grandmother, Esperanza Fabella Pamintuan had a dress shop frequented by Manila's top 400 families. Her grandmother better known in Philippines society as Nena Fabella Pamintuan, passed on her legacy to Karen's Dad to run her dress shop, but unfortunately, Nena passed away in 1969 and her Dad, Louie migrated to New York City to study at Hunter College to take his master's degree. He married Mary Eve, originally from Santa Clara, California and Honolulu, Hawaii where they maintain their residence.

Karen was exposed to the world of Filipino "haute couture" at an early age. Karen's aunt, Beatrice Pamintuan Tesoro [ [http://www.patistesoro.com.ph Patis Tesoro] ] credits her start in the fashion industry from Karen's grandmother, Nena Fabella Pamintuan. Patis is an internationally known Filipino fashion designer who specialized in elaborate embroidered'haute couture' wedding gowns using "jusi", [http://www.anu.edu.au/art/textiles/shift/claudiahyles.html] ] a delicate material woven in their province of Laguna, Philippines from pinneaple fibers. Karen would visit her cousin, Raffy at the Patis Tesoro fashion house in San Juan City in the Philippines. Raffy Tesoro [ [http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2007/nov/29/yehey/life/20071129lif1.html Raffy Tesoro] , ] , worked with Ogie Atos [ [http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view_article.php?article_id=60109 Ogie Atos, Fashion Show Director] ] who directed most of Patis Tesoro's fashion shows. Raffy was very experienced in ramp runway productions when he traveled with his mother who would display her collections during exibition shows in Paris, London, Milan, Dubai, Tokyo. Raffy encouraged Karen who was already 5ft 8 inches at a young age of 15 years old to become a model, and Ogie Atos trained her to walk the fashion ramp runway.

Modeling career

Raffy Tesoro entered his younger cousin Karen in her first runway show for Jun Jun Cambe's [ [http://www.kasal.com/html/events/event20021130.html Jun Jun Cambe] ] debutante collection in 2002. Karen was then invited by the Philippine's fashion icon Ben Farrales [ [http://www.newsflash.org/2002/06/sb/sb002267.htm Ben Farrales] ] to model for his charity gala show at the Shangri-La Hotel in Makati, and then continued to do runway shows for famous Filipino designers,such as Rajo Laurel. [ [http://www.rajolaurel.com Rajo Laurel] ] .

Karen was later invited her to join a contest advertised in "Seventeen Magazine Philippines" [ [http://www.seventeen.com.ph Seventeen Magazine Philippines] ] and won the " Miss Chanel International Model Search" at the age of 15 years old. Karen was selected from among a group of top young models in the Philippines by Maya Calica , [ [http://www.summitmedia.com.ph/books/the_breakup_diaries_interview.php Maya Calica, author, and Editor, Summit Publications] ] editor, and Lilen Uy [ [http://www.lilenuyphotography.com Lilen Uy] ] official photographer of "Seventeen Magazine Philippines," to become the cover girl and awarded the first title ever of Seventeen Model Of The Year in 2002. She was cover girl for SEVENTEEN MAGAZINE for the following years, in May 2003 and October 2005.

Karen's exposure in Seventeen Magazine got her noticed by an advertising agency scout and she was casted to do her first print ad for a telecom company. Karen went on to do several T.V. commercials, print ads and countless editorials, and has been featured in various Philippine magazines such as , "Mega" [ [http://www.mega-magazine.com Mega Magazine Philippines] ] , "Preview" [ [http://www.summitmedia.com.ph/magazines/preview.php Preview Magazine Philippines] ] , "Candy" [ [http://www.candymag.com Candy Magazine Philippines] ] "Chalk Magazine" [ [http://www.chalkmag.blogspot.com Karen's Editorial Photo in Chalk Magazine, 2008 ] ] , "Meg" [ [http://www.meggurl.com MEG Magazine Philippines] ] , "Cosmpolitan" [ [http://www.cosmomagazine.com.ph Cosmopolitan Magazine Philippines] ] , "Metro" [ [http://www.metrozines.com Metro Magazine] ] , "Lifestyle Asia" [ [http://www.lifestyleasiamag.com LifeStyle Asia Philippin Magazine] ] , "People Asia" [ [http://www.peopleasia.multiply.com PEOPLE MAGAZINE PHILIPPINES] ] , Philippines "Tatler"; and was featured on the eligible list that got her on the covers of the prestigious "Lifestyle Asia" and Philippine’s "Tatler" [ [http://www.philtatler.com/home.htm Philippine Tatler] ] .Karen was then very fortunate to be chosen to be a muse by noted photographer, and "America's Next Top Model" judge Nigel Barker [ [http://www.ayalaland.com.ph/article_archive/photographer_nigel_barker_flashes_his_way_into_ayala_malls Nigel Barker's Visit To Manila] ] during an exhibition event sponsored by DKNY [ [http://thejavajunkie.multiply.com/photos/album/64#32 Photo of Karen Pamintuan modeling at DKNY fashion show, Ayala Malls, 2007] ] and Philippine Tattler at Ayala Malls in Makati and Alabang during his visit to the Philippines 2007.

Education

Karen Pamintuan decided that in spite of her success in modeling, she had to concentrate on her first priority and finish her college education. She took a long break from modeling and graduated college in 2008 with a Bachelor's degree in Integrated Marketing and Communications from the University of Asia and the Pacific Philippines [ [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Asia_and_the_Pacific Univeristy of Asia Pacific Philippines] ] in the Philippines.

Sports

Karen Pamintuan, is also an avid sportswoman. Karen played forward for the girl's varsity basketball team during her high school days in Brent International School [ [http://www.brent.edu.ph Brent International School, Philippines] ] in the Philippines. Karen along with her team competed in the APAC tournaments in Shanghai in 2002, and Beijing, China in 2003 securing both the silver and gold positions.

Karen is an equestrian [ [http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3257/2404331349_ff3ed22e94.jpg?v=0 Karen at Show Jumping Event at Manila Polo Club] ] focusing on show jumping on her horse "Kaluna Puzzle" [ [http://www.vickiroycroft.com.au/270208.htm Vicky Roycroft Stables] ] and trains under Asian Gold Medalist,Mikee Cojuanco Jaworski [ [http://www.stormviz.com/mikee Mikee Cojuanco-Jaworksi] ] in the Philippines. She also trains with three-time Olympian from Australia, Vicky Roycroft. [ [http://www.vickiroycroft.com.au Vicki Roycroft] ]

Media career

In 2006 Karen dabbled in djing and mixing, and won second in an inter-collegiate DJ competition that was held at Temple Bar and at Embassy Superclub. Karen was immediately noticed by a radio station that hired her in 2007, to co-host a late night show aimed at a female audience, on Monster Radio FM 93.1 [ [http://www.rx931.com MONSTER RADIO 93.1 FM Philippines] ] called "Playtime".

Karen Pamintuan went on to become the current host of a Philippine TV Show, " CHILL SPOT" [ [http://www.etc.com.ph/chillSpot.php Chill Spot TV Show] ] a lifestyle show [ [http://soundfactory.multiply.com/photos/album/107/Chill_Spot_with_Karen_Kenny Interview with Karen Pamintuan] ] that features among other things, interviews with international celebrities like "CLICK FIVE" pop band, [ [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK9JNfGPH8Q Interview of "CLICK FIVE" by Karen Pamintuan, youtube.com video] ] . "CHILL SPOT" can be viewed on ETC Channel UHF 21, under the belt of the Solar Entertainment Corporation [ [http://www.solar-entertainment.com SOLAR ENTERTAINMENT PHILIPPINES] ] channels.

Karen Pamintuan is in a committed relationship with P.M.A.P.model [ [http://www.pmap.net.ph/models/male/active/brent/index.html Professional Model Association of the Philippines] ] and Philippine movie & TV actor, Brent Javier.

References