Born in the Philippines, Ruben Nepales writes the popular column “Only In Hollywood," which appears on Rappler, the Philippines’ leading news website. The 14th National Arts & Entertainment Journalism (NAEJ) Awards, a U.S.-wide competition, presented by the Los Angeles Press Club, awarded third prize to "Only In Hollywood," in the category, Entertainment Blog by an Individual or Group, Tied to an Organization.

Nepales' first book, “My Filipino Connection: The Philippines in Hollywood,” won first prize in the Migration Advocacy and Media Awards of the President of the Philippines’ Commission on Filipinos Overseas.

In 2020, Nepales released his second book, “Through a Writer’s Lens,” a coffee table book of more than a thousand photos of stars that he took in almost two decades, and choice excerpts from his Hollywood interviews. "Through a Writer's Lens" won first prize in the Non-Fiction category of the 14th NAEJ Awards.

Nepales graduated from the University of Santo Tomas in Manila where he majored in Communication Arts and co-edited a college journal. He contributed to the Philippines’ leading daily newspapers and magazines until he landed an entertainment column on the Philippine Daily Inquirer which ran for 15 years. His journalism honors include prizes from the Southern California Journalism Awards.