“The thing that happened with Dior,” says Kris, “was a very huge step to the global industry for us,” referring not only to the show-stopping arrival of KinnPorsche stars – and newly minted brand ambassadors – Apo Nattawin Wattanagitiphat and Mile Phakphum Romsaithong at the Dior show in Paris, but also to what that riotous appearance meant for the Thai entertainment industry at large. “I could see the tears in [Mile’s] eyes, the tears [of] happiness. I told him, ‘Make every second count. Take your time. Say hi to the fans.’”

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This humility has clearly been key to the success enjoyed by Kris and the cast of rising stars under his agency, Be On Cloud, but for Kris himself, it’s just the right way to do business. Despite being approached by other brands previously, says Kris, “I talked to both of them [Apo and Mile], saying we will wait until the right timing and both of you will work together. You will be the very first two BL [boys’ love] actors that join one brand together.”

Since day one, this sense of togetherness is what’s driven the entertainment entrepreneur, who has come a long way from being a DJ at MTV Thailand. He says that combination of hard work and family values comes from his gritty upbringing. “My bloodline is 100 per cent Chinese, but I grew up in Thai culture,” says Kris. “For Thai people, they’re humble. But Chinese people, we’re fighters, and everything is family comes first.”

For Kris’ own family, financial problems prompted a move to the US when he was 18. While still only a young man, he made the first consequential choice of many by opting to stay behind in Thailand and make a name for himself in the entertainment industry, having never lived on his own before.

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It was then that Kris began learning what it takes to be a star. Soon after realising he wasn’t meant to be in front of the camera himself, Kris began working as a TV host, interviewing crew members, artists, producers and the like from across the industry and around the world. “I got a small amount of money,” he says, “but a lot of knowledge.”

Little did he know then that he was gaining the insights he would one day need to organise concerts and oversee shows under his own agency. “When you work with talent [from] around the world, you see what are the weak and strong points to be successful,” says Kris. “Especially about manners – I really hate superstar syndrome.”

All this experience came in handy when the time was right. A chance meeting with KinnPorsche star Mile Phakphum at a club, right around the start of the pandemic, laid the foundation for the business partnership that later evolved into Be On Cloud. “I did have some gut feeling that both of us share [the] same attitude and values,” says Kris, adding that the two became fast friends.

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When Mile first heard about the KinnPorsche project, he asked Kris to help him audit the company that was spearheading it. “Because I’ve been [an] entrepreneur [for] 15 years, I knew [there was] something wrong with that company,” says Kris. His intuition soon proved correct when the company folded.

Naturally, Mile turned to Kris for help again to keep the KinnPorsche project afloat. Staying true to his belief in good character, Kris said he first had to meet Mile’s slated co-star, Apo Nattawin, in person, before making a decision.

“The first time I met him,” Kris laughs, “I [told] him, you are so f**king handsome! At that time, you couldn’t find this kind of look in Thailand. His skin tone, and his face, is more like [a] 90s Hong Kong star.” And despite being hesitant to sign on to the project after the whole ordeal with the previous company, Kris says “he believed that this role – Porsche – [would] work so well for him.”

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For Kris, that was the only vote of confidence he needed to take on the project. “The two main actors, we have [the] same values,” says Kris. “They dedicated themselves [to] good work. Not good money.”

The rest, as they say, is history. The journey wasn’t without its challenges – it’s hard to believe the company which now sells out stadiums was once deep in debt, which Kris had to help pay off. But they got through it all, he says, with Be On Cloud becoming his new family. “We aim so high. We work together. I’m more like [the] mentor and supporter,” says Kris.

Yet the agency’s dizzyingly rapid rise to fame has still come with some hard lessons in what fame costs, and Kris quickly learned that emotions run high when you have such a close-knit company. When KinnPorsche actor Build Jakapan left the agency under complicated circumstances earlier this year, the entrepreneur says all of Be On Cloud took his departure personally.

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“With KinnPorsche and Be On Cloud, I used my love to drive my passion,” says Kris, who chooses not to delve into the controversy, but rather how the agency’s remaining talent have learned to grow up and move on from the experience. “But when your family [is] too big, it’s not about family any more. We have to be something else. Together. You have to be less emotional, more professional. We changed mindset about how you communicate and work with your family.”

Still, Kris says the incident showed him how far he’s come – and how far left he has to go. “I’ve been through a lot with the bad things,” he says. “That’s why it affects my feelings, but I can survive.” Media moguls in the making should take note.