Robert W. WelkosHis Instagram postings conjure up a glamorous lifestyle beyond the grasp of us mere mortals. There are parties on lavish estates with young, attractive women in stylish dresses, adorning his arm. There are blonde goddesses in thong bikinis posing with him on the sun-splashed deck of a luxury yacht. There are playful poolside parties with beverages from the companies he represents and more beautiful girls. And when he’s not hanging out with gorgeous women, he is often depicted with a serious expression on his face talking into a cell phone or maybe relaxing with a sponsor’s drink in his hand staring into the camera lens.
Ah, to be Mr. Hollywood for one day, one night!
Here’s Mr. Hollywood standing on the steps of a stately mansion, his head tossed back, he eyes fixed on the sky and he’s commenting, “Talk is cheap, but action is priceless….” Here’s Mr. Hollywood in his Louis Vuitton shades, swaying palms in the background, sharing moments from his hectic day: “Having a business meeting on Labor Day weekend. That’s what I call successful!!!! Never stop working and moving forward.” And here he is seated on the yacht dispensing more words of wisdom: “The beginnings to good things are always the hardest, but it’s these hard times that pave the path to greatness. Be strong and keep the faith….”
So, who is Mr. Hollywood, you might ask? His name is Oskar Rivera. He’s a 30-year-old actor and an immigrant from El Salvador. He doesn’t have a girlfriend, he admits, for what girlfriend would tolerate her boyfriend’s partying all night with a stream of beautiful women? He lives with his sister in Reseda.
But make no mistake. Rivera is living a lifestyle many people can only dream about. In two short years, he has become a familiar presence on Tinseltown’s red carpets and on the celebrity fundraising circuit. Indeed, he can be found most evenings where the paparazzi hang out. And he always comes attired in custom-tailored suits (Tiffany blue and champagne gold are two of his favorites) that he highlights with contrasting tie and handkerchief that come in various colors. At one event, he might wear a fuchsia-hued tie and handkerchief. At another, it might be frost green. Or, maybe even leopard print when he feels particularly daring. He wears designer shoes, designer sunglasses, cufflinks by Cartier or Dolce Vita, and on his left wrist a Breitling wristwatch, compliments he says of a Beverly Hills jewelry store.
“I don’t ever see him wearing the same thing twice,” said celebrity photographer David Levin.
Oskar Rivera, a.k.a. Mr. Hollywood; Credit: Photo by John Baxter
How does he get onto so many red carpets? Typically, he finds people who organize events and sells himself as someone who will bring in a sponsor to help fund the party, or even beautiful women to help get it attention. “I don’t know where he finds these beautiful women,” Levin added. “He seems to attract them. He’s at these beauty pageants…He’s high energy.” (He's sponsored contestants at the Miss California pageant.)
Michael Rosen, a one-time board member and executive vice president and chief marketing officer at Herbalife International, said he has sought out Rivera for more than 10 parties he’s held at his Trousdale mansion.
“Having beautiful, model-type girls there creates an image around the party — it’s Hollywood,” Rosen said. “People that I know and invite to my house are friends of mine or [people I know through] business. You don’t want a promoter at some club to bring you people who are not going to fit in with your group. You don’t get that from Oskar. He’s very well dressed. He seems very polite. I don’t hear anybody talking bad about him. I think one day he will have a very big restaurant or club.”
“What I have is beautiful, genuine girls,” Rivera explained. “It doesn’t make me a pimp. It doesn’t make me a player. Listen to me, this is getting interesting right here, because everybody is calling me things. ‘He’s a pimp. He’s a player. He’s related to prostitution.’ And I just let them talk. These guys have a lot of money. It’s a win-win situation. The girls come to me…What am I doing wrong? Nothing. Because I’m just connecting people. Whatever they do, it’s up to them.”
Rivera said he knows actors, producers, directors and owners of restaurants, bars and hotels. To help celebrate an Italian street festival in Hollywood, Rivera brought along beverages from some 10 companies he represents as well as gorgeous models. He is the director of marketing and PR for the style magazine Viva Glam, which is displayed in luxury hotels. “Look, I’m a good connector. I have the ability to bring big-time people together.”
During an interview at the posh Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills, Rivera said actors need things to do between gigs, so he chose to become “Mr. Hollywood.”
He has a producer credit and is a cast member in an indie movie listed in post-production called Gold Rush, about a team of paranormal experts terrorized by an evil presence in a gold mining ghost town. But his career pivot is starting to pay dividends.
“It’s been almost four years and now I’m making good money. I’m not bragging about money,” he said over a health drink. (he reps beverages like the sparkling wine Moreno BHLV and U4RIK tequila). “When you are around people with money, eventually you will be a part of that family because they are going to protect you. They are going to look out for you. That was my choice. My best friends in town are people who are older than 45. The reason why? Because I’m learning a lot from these guys. They already got their stuff together. They already own a yacht. They already own a mansion.”
Credit: Photo by John Baxter
Rivera grew up in Santa Rosa de Lima in El Salvador. His father is the president of a financial company in El Salvador, his mother a teacher. He has three older sisters, one of whom made sure that his clothes were always clean and ironed and his shoes polished.
For two years after coming to Hollywood, Rivera said he made very little money—but he worked hard and cultivated friendships. He got a job interviewing celebrities on red carpets for an obscure website and made friends with the media.
“I’m not trying to find the spotlight,” he said. “The spotlight will find me. That’s not me having an ego. But I love it so much. That’s the way I feel.”
He said he made it a point to help anyone he could, like sponsoring a model in a beauty pageant when she didn’t have the entry fee. He said he didn’t expect anything in return, but soon things began paying off. Now people call him begging to be part of his “network.”
And a vital part of that package is projecting the right look.
“I was once at a dinner with this very beautiful girl. She said, ‘Oskar, let me ask you a question. Do you own your suits or did you get them from a designer?’ And I stand up and I say, ‘You must be blind and you must not have a sense of fashion. This is tailored. Everything on me is tailored to my body type. How in the world do you think I’m getting a suit from a designer [for a] rental?'…This body structure belongs to me.”
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