I recently had the unique opportunity to interview a very talented Webmaster and Designer who along with Kamar de los Reyes have created the actor's new Official Web site. Webmaster Kathy DeArmond has put a lot of hard work and dedication in creating this popular site for Kamar and his fans, and this is clearly seen in the wonderful layout on this site. Luckily for Kathy, she also receives full support and input from Kamar himself, which is sometimes rare for celebrity sites considering how busy most actors are today.

I encourage all fans of One Life to Live, and especially those of Kamar de los Reyes, to head on over to one of the best celebrity Web sites I have had the pleasure of presenting. Before you go, however, read on as Kathy talks about the site, how she got started with it, plus, some very exciting news on upcoming events for Kamar.

What is the complete name of your Official site, and URL?
The name of our site is the "Official Kamar de los Reyes Site: with the URL simply being www.kamardelosreyes.com

How long has the site been up on the Internet?
KAMARDELOSREYES.COM officially went online December 3, 2001. We update the site the first of each month with new photos, fan profiles and quotes, and ten new "Ask Kamar" forum questions where Kamar interacts with fans one-on-one.

How did you first make contact with Kamar and begin the job of becoming his Webmaster?
I first met Kamar through his musician brother Daniel who I work with at Sabor Records Latin music site (www.saborrecords.com). Sabor Records features Kamar with his famous musical family on Daniel's critically acclaimed SAN RAFAEL 560 CD. When Kamar was ready to pursue his own official site it seemed like a no-brainer for me to work with him independently as well. Kamar is very efficient and business savvy as well as a wonderful person. I was flattered when he asked me to design the site and work side-by-side with him on it.

Is there an Official Fan Club for members to join? If so, what are the benefits and where do fans mail to get more information?
Kamar's Official Fan Club is in the works and should be available in mid-March. Ideas right now for the Fan Club package include a welcome letter from Kamar, his current bio on official letterhead, an autographed 8x10 publicity photo, a handwritten "Thank You" note from Kamar, fan quote sheets, keychain, and a laminated membership card with a secret URL for fan club members only. The members only page will include exclusive photos of Kamar, special contests offered to fan club members only, and a chance to correspond with other fan club members if they wish to display their e-mail addresses on the members page. Fans can e-mail fanclub@kamardelosreyes.com for more information or join our mailing list to be notified when the Fan Club is launched.

Does Kamar visit the site often, or do you just keep him updated on a regular basis?
Since Kamar and I work closely together on the site, he frequently visits it and I am delighted to say his input is invaluable. He even finds my typos once in a while and vice versa! Kamar shared creative input when we began designing the site with an example being he wanted to use vibrant Caribbean colors and the Puerto Rican and Cuban flags of his heritage somehow. I incorporated his ideas by using pull-out boxes with fun facts and trivia for fans to read at a glance while still keeping the site clean and easy to navigate. KAMARDELOSREYES.COM is definitely a team effort and together Kamar and I try to make our site very fan friendly. We are always open to suggestions and comments as well. People can send them to info@kamardelosreyes.com!

Can anybody submit fan photos to be included on the site?
Yes! We love to receive fan input of all types. We have quote pages and profiles where fans can submit their information. We are honored to include them all! Fans can send them to the appropriate email listed on our "Contact Us" page.

Do you have any upcoming chats with Kamar? If so, could you tell the fans when and where?
There is a Friday night group of fans who meet each week at 9:00 p.m. EST in an official yet informal AOL private chat room called Kamar Online Chat. You can find details about the chat on any fan area page of the site. I monitor the chat each week and Kamar plans to stop by once a month to talk online with fans too. He went to his first chat on January 25 and met 23 fans. He chatted 40 minutes and fans were thrilled. Their only complaint was they wanted him to stay and chat all night! We will always post the upcoming chat dates on Kamar's Latest News page and we are looking into other options for those not on AOL.

Are there any product lines or merchandise Kamar is participating in now, or perhaps will be, in the future?
Right now Kamar and I are working on merchandise using an online survey for fan feedback. The #1 choice so far has been autographed photos so we are happy to make those available in February with the Official Fan Club coming in mid-March.

I know the fans would love the opportunity to meet Kamar in person, so can you tell us of any upcoming fan events he will be attending?
With Kamar's role as Antonio expanding, he will be doing more publicity for ABC. Kamar will be attending the 14th One Life to Live Fan Club Luncheon on Sunday, April 7, at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in NYC. ABC is also planning a brand new west coast version of Super Soap Weekend in April which Kamar will also be attending in southern California. More details on these appearances and much more can be found on Kamar's Latest News page. Kamar is amazing about personally sending his information as soon as dates are confirmed so I can post it online right away for his fans. You will always find the latest Kamar news at http://www.kamardelosreyes.com/latest_news.htm.

Is there also an online newsletter for fans to sign up for?
We do not have a newsletter per se but since we update the site the first of every month, fans can sign up for our mailing list. That way they are notified of all new information with links so they can easily find the new additions without searching aimlessly.

Do you run any other celebrity sites? If so, we'd love to hear about them also.
As I mentioned previously, I maintain and also work publicity for the Latin music site Sabor Records (www.saborrecords.com) which features the entire de los Reyes family and the SAN RAFAEL 560 CD they recorded together. SAN RAFAEL 560 was selected as one of the Top 10 Albums of 2000 in the World Music Category and has gotten rave reviews from fans and critics alike. On Sabor Records site, you will find bios, interviews, photo galleries, performance credits, SAN RAFAEL 560 reviews, audio samples, FREE MP3 and much more for Kamar and the rest of the de los Reyes family. You can also purchase the SAN RAFAEL 560 CD on the site along with other merchandise.

Does it take a lot of time to run an Official site?
I think the answer to that question is very individual to each Webmaster. I believe it varies depending on who the celebrity is, how much publicity they are doing, how involved they are personally in the site, and how much content is online. For me personally, it takes a moderate amount of time each month to keep my sites fresh and always up to date. I am also a firm believer in responding to every e-mail within 24 hours even if it is to say "I will find out for you." I believe everyone needs to feel acknowledged and to know there is a human being on the other end of the e-mail. People notice, trust me, and it is great word of mouth publicity.

Is this something you have always wanted to do?
People ask me all the time "How did you get so lucky" or "Oh my! You must LOVE your job." The truth is I fell into designing Web sites unexpectedly. I previously worked in marketing and publicity and maintained a site for a publishing company. I always loved the creativity involved and the challenge of marketing 100+ products online but the Web site was not my primary job. It wasn't until I began working freelance with Kamar's brother Daniel for Sabor Records that it gradually evolved into taking over the Web site entirely and the rest is history. I love working with both Daniel and Kamar. We are all very creative people with lots of energy and ideas. Put us all together and hopefully we bring people well-rounded sites that have something for everyone--fans and industry contacts alike.

A lot of fans have asked me about this before, so I ask you also, are there any great benefits for you personally in running this Web site?
Aside from working with terrific people who I am also proud to call friends, the obvious financial rewards, and the future connections I make for my own growing business, the biggest benefit I receive has to be the heartwarming e-mails we receive from fans. People tell me it is very frustrating to write to a celebrity and never know if they even received the letter or e-mail. For me to hear that my passing along an e-mail from a fan to Kamar brightened their whole day is very special to me. He does not have time to personally respond to them but at least fans know that he DOES read their words and appreciates them all very much. That is important to me. So do I personally answer every single e-mail that we get? You bet! It takes some time each day but the rewards both personally and for the Web site in general are priceless. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Is there anything uniquely special you could tell us about Kamar, something perhaps most fans may not know?
The one thing that stands out in my mind is that after Kamar attended the AOL chat January 25, many fans in attendance said "wow, he has a GREAT sense of humor." Their preconceived impression of Kamar was that he is quite serious due to the character he portrays. Most people don't realize he is quite funny. He has a wonderful sense of humor and is not afraid to show it!

Tell the fans what they can expect to find when they visit the site.
We update KAMARDELOSREYES.COM the first of every month with the site consisting of two main areas. One is the latest information about Kamar: bio, performance credits, music page with audio samples, trivia, latest news, press and interview area, etc. There are also four photo galleries with 1) Kamar's personal and professional photos, 2) a childhood gallery of Kamar from one day old to graduation, 3) a Nicholas Dominguez character gallery from the hit VH1 movie "The Way She Moves" and 4) a family gallery which showcases Kamar's famous musical family.

The second area of the site is fan-oriented and includes information submitted to us such as fan quotes, fan profiles with or without photos, mailing list, merchandise, surveys, guest book, message board, and one of the most popular areas (next to the photo galleries of course!) -- the Ask Kamar Forum -- where fans submit questions for him to answer each month. Oh, and monthly contests! Fans had a lot of fun with January's contest. Kamar along with 12+ OLTL costars autographed an 80-page script for our monthly prize and I have to tell you that was a very happy winner!

You will also find our "Contact Us" page and a Links page on the site which include links to two unofficial Yahoo Clubs and an unofficial message board all run by Kamar's fans. We are always open to suggestions and ideas so we can give fans what they want to see on our site. Drop us a line and tell us what you think at info@kamardelosreyes.com or one of the other e-mails on our "Contact Us" page. We love to hear from you. And I promise you will ALWAYS definitely hear back from me!

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I want to thank Kathy for giving us fans this inside look on what goes in to creating such a terrific celebrity site for an equally talented actor such as Kamar de los Reyes. I would also like to personally thank Kamar as well, for giving your own time and effort to the Web site; it genuinely reflects how much you care about your fans. Keep up your great work on One Life to Live, and on behalf of your fans, I want to say we absolutely love having you be a part of our favorite soap opera!

Any questions, you can contact Kathy DeArmond directly by e-mailing her at KDeArmond@kamardelosreyes.com.

© Copyright by Katherine Thurston, February, 2002