Bretman Rock honored by Hawaii House of Representatives for raising 'positive attention'
Filipino-American YouTuber Bretman Rock has added another milestone to his already impressive resume as he was recently honored for bringing "positive attention" to Hawaii and Filipino-Americans.
On Instagram, Bretman expressed his gratitude for the recognition by the Hawaii House of Representatives and the legislatures of the Filipino caucus, saying he "never thought that this would ever happen" in his life.
"Bretman Rock in the Haus of Representative! Thank you so much for the opportunity, I never thought this would ever happen," the Filipino-born, Hawaii-raised content creator wrote in the caption.
"I was just an Ewa Beach boy twerking behind the manupua truck, giving MTV crib tours of my high school and singing my boba song everywhere," Bretman continued.
"I also want to give a special shout out to @darius.kila I love you 4 ever FRIEEEND. Thank you for letting me live my First Lady fantasy. I will never forget this day. I also got to spend it with the Filipino Caucus and it was so fun and so brown I loved every moment of it and spending it with my people! And girl they had a whole lechon for me for lunch !!! I really felt like a queen," he continued.
Meanwhile, State Representative Darius Kila said in a speech that Bretman, who has a massive social media presence with over 35 million combined followers on TikTok and Instagram, inspired the people from Hawaii to embrace their "uniqueness" and "celebrate their individuality."
"Your influence reaches far beyond shorelines, and you've touched the lives of countless individuals across Hawaii and beyond-inspiring us all to embrace our uniqueness and celebrate our individuality," he said.
Life in Hawaii
In March 2023, the 24-year-old content creator launched his memoir, You're That Bitch & Other Cute Lessons About Being Unapologetically Yourself, which was highly inspired by his childhood, his family, and his experience as a Filipino immigrant in America.
During a press conference as part of the launching of his book, Bretman shared with the media that he always had a penchant for Filipino shows like Maria Clara, Super Inggo, ASAP, and It's Showtime when he and his family moved to Hawaii.
Likewise, he revealed that Pinoy Big Brother and Star Circle Quest were some reality TV shows that inspired him ever since he was a kid to become the artist that he is now.
"I feel like every Pinoy has dreamed of being an artista someday," he said. "I was such a delusional kid. So yeah, I always thought I was an artista even if I wasn't."
Bretman, who celebrated eight years on social media earlier this year, also advised the younger generations who would want to follow in his footsteps during the same press conference.
"I feel that the biggest thing among the aspiring influencers is the hesitation to put out content. I say just post it!"
He added, "I know there are so many funny videos in your camera roll that are waiting for the world to see and I think that people's insecurities eat them up, they just won't post them. Just post it, girl! Especially with the internet, anything goes viral. The more you post, as long as you're not hurting anybody, and it comes in good light, I think it's bound to go viral, so just post that thing!"
Bretman rose to fame through his humorous vlogs and makeup tutorials.
In 2017, Time Magazine named him as one of the 30 Most Influential Teens. The following year, he was also on the 30 Under 30 Asia- Media, Marketing, & Advertising list by Forbes.
Furthermore, the Fil-Am influencer is the first openly gay man to grace the cover of Playboy magazine in October 2021.
In December 2022, he won a digital influencer award at the Unforgettable Gala's 20th Annual Asian American Awards. That year, he also placed 27th in Forbes magazine's Top Creators 2022 list.
In February this year, Bretman was named a brand ambassador for Beyonce's hair care line, Cécred.
