Grow along for the ride with ALM…Introducing the founder and creator of A-Lister Magazine aka ALM, his name is Neil Estrada. Hailing from the Irvine/Newport Beach area this young man grew up in the once most culturally diverse city in the US called Cerritos, California. His journey began in the Philippines where he was born in the province of Calasiao, Pangasinan. Arriving in San Francisco when Neil was just 1 year old, he had no memory of the country he left behind. At 4 years old his family moved to Long Beach, CA where he played and socialized as a child until he was around the age of 8. Neil’s family then moved to Cerritos where he then started making all of his life long associations. In high school Neil was hanging around the so called “Cool Filipino” crowd where influences and friendships started to blossom.
Neil then toe dipped in the DJ arena via his cousin DJ E-Man of Power 106FM. He also partook in the Housing era. No, no, not real estate…but the dancing scene at the time. Ultimately, Neil, although shy, frequently socialized at the infamous Filipino pancit parties, basketball courts, debutantes, get-togethers, and eventually in the party scene. We’re talking about back in the days when the best place to party was in a garage in Cerritos. Neil was a person that always hung out with different people from different places. Eventually his friends, family, and peers caught on and would call him for something to do. His phone would literally ring every 2 minutes on Friday and Saturday night before going out. It would be a major challenge for Neil to try and style his 4 inch high hair cut at the time, complete with tails, as all the calls poured in. Neil became a promoter for Legend Entertainment and Icy Ice and that’s where the serious partying began. He was also blessed with super talented DJ friends and family growing up which would include one of his best friends DJ Melo-D and big brother and mentor while he was an 8th grader, DJ RhettMatic.
Being out and about constantly, Neil’s associations grew. Fortunate enough to befriend some gorgeous young ladies and becoming a go to person that people would look to for what was cool to do on any given night; Neil was nick named Neil Hefner by DJ Icy Ice one night at Cerritos TGIF. His club promoting now had a name to go along with his following. A pioneer of the e-flyer and b-day at the club, Neil’s promotional events were developing a following as his superstar DJ friends and family members spun the music for him at the parties.
Neil now has an alternate outlet for the Asian community and for ALL types of people to express themselves, get the news, and see what’s going on in different communities and different scenes. It’s an opportunity to showcase some real talent and unlock the hidden potential that we all have. His dream is to capture and captivate his readers through bold, unique, and edgy writing that will not only showcase the Asian culture, but will also attract all cultures and all walks of life. “Celebrity or not, you’re an A-Lister and you could one day become the hottest talk of the town.”
Neil Estrada
