Luis' Story
A "producer's producer" gets their head and their hands into a project. They organize, develop and create content properties for arts, media, and entertainment.
TLDR:
Began telling stories when I was a kid. Worked on independent film in early/mid-2000's. Produced a documentary about freestyle rap. Began working in public radio in late 2000's for next 8 years. Mid-2010's returned to school, earned Bachelors & Masters. Late-2010's worked in communications for documentary production company. Launched a civic engagement project. Early 2020's - TBA
CIVIC ENGAGEMENT project (2018)
Launched the civic engagement project The 'GO Vote to promote participation in local elections beginning with a podcast about the Chicago Mayoral election self-produced, hosted, and distributed.
INDEPENDENT PRODUCER NON-PROFIT, BOARD (2013-present)
I have been involved with the non-profit Association of Independents in Radio since 2011 when I received a scholarship to attend a public radio leadership conference. I have remained involved as a director of the board since 2013 and as president of the board in late 2018.
Documentary Film, Impact Producer (2018)
In late 2017 I began working with Scrappers Film Group a documentary production company in Chicago managing their communications and distribution strategy for original productions.
Latin AmericaN Podcast Company, Consultant (Summer 2017)
Over the summer of 2017 I helped the founder of the first bilingual podcast production company in Latin America, Adonde Media, with Start-Up Chile.
EDUCATION, BACHELORS + Masters (2015 - 2017)
At the age of 33 I took time to complete my undergraduate degree with the goal of gaining the knowledge and formal training necessary to become an effective manager in the media industry. In 2015, I graduated from Columbia College Chicago summa cum laude with a B.A. in Arts Management. In 2017, I earned an M.S. in Leadership for Creative Enterprises from Northwestern University.
Host/Producer/Manager - Vocalo Radio | 91.1 FM | Chicago (2007 - 2015)
At 24 years-old I was plucked from a burgeoning career in film production to public radio. During event production for a documentary I was producing about hip hop in Chicago I was invited to interview for a position at a new initiative called Vocalo Radio, a project from the venerable WBEZ - Chicago Public Radio (now Chicago Public Media). The institution was well-known for producing the award-winning programs This American Life and Wait Wait Don't Tell Me. Vocalo Radio was an initiative to bring younger and more diverse listeners to public radio. Over my 8 years with the project as a host-producers I held many roles; live show producer, live show host, audio workshop educator, marketing and outreach coordinator, even a stint managing director.
By the end of my time with Vocalo Radio I had logged over 7,500 hours on air, conducted hundreds of interviews, produced hundreds of segments, and taught dozens of students. In 2013 I was a substitute host for NPR's Latino USA. In 2015 I was \elected to the board of directors of the Association of Independents in Radio (Vice President as of April 2017).
FIlm Production (2003 - 2007)
Over 4 years in my early twenties I would work on over 30 independent film shorts and half a dozen feature films. I was an actor, a producer, production manager, production assistant, editor, and camera operator. Most of my experience was on set with small independent film crews. Most notably I produced a documentary called Rhyme Spitters which I describe as Chicago's documentary version of 8 Mile. I also moonlighted as an office manager for an electronics recycling company.
Early Failures
2000 - 2002. I moved out of my parent's home at 18 years old and quickly went into de-facto bankrupt by the time I was 20. I dropped out of University of Illinois at Chicago engineering school because I was stretched too thin. I was unfocused and made life harder than it needed to be. I made a decision to pursue my passion for storytelling, particularly in video and film.
As a kid
Throughout middle school and high school I wrote essays and poems. I was also an athlete in high school captain of the track and field and the soccer teams. I had two groups of friends all of whom grew up in Chicago; Group 1 - My diverse group friends from high school who remain my best friends today (including my wife); Group 2 - The guys from my block who watched my back through the rough and tumble trials of our economically depressed neighborhood. I wrote my first story when I was 13 years-old with a schoolmate that turned out to be a rip off of the comic book Vigilante and won the Pegasus Young Playwright's competition when I was 16.
