| Rodri J. Rodriguez
A multi-talented artist-producer, Rodri J. Rodriguez is a visionary cultural arts advocate. Her spectacularly creative live event productions, have written a whole new chapter in the world of entertainment.
Single-handedly as a producer, in a field controlled by vested interests, she has made her voice heard. Her riveting messages always advocate positive multi-cultural images. Rodri is the very personification of a producer with a soul and capacity to uplift the human spirit.
Rodriguez is President and CEO of Rodri Entertainment Inc., an international entertainment production company, founded in 1976. But Rodriguez’s presence has been felt in the entertainment arena since 1975, when she played a key role in the decision to have the Latin Category added to the Grammy Awards. In recognition of her efforts to give this music genre long overdue and deserved recognition, she accepted one of the first Grammy's awarded in this, then new category for Mongo Santamaria.
One of the company’s events is the MARIACHI USA® Festival heralded as the world’s preeminent Mariachi festival, which this coming year, celebrates 20 years of sold out success at the Hollywood Bowl. A 2 hour television special of the Festival aired on prime time pay-per-view and PBS nationally and consequently received the Image Award for best Variety Music Special.
True to form, this entertainment pioneer recently completed a five month contract at the V Theatre at the Desert Passage, Aladdin Hotel on the Las Vegas strip. The original production of M… MARIACHI PASSION & TRADITION, the first of its kind on the Las Vegas Strip was heralded by Vegas’ toughest critics receiving high ratings and outstanding reviews!
Keeping true to its motto….’entertainment from the heart’, the company completed a two year commitment at the John An son Ford Amphitheatre with its Standing Ovation Series (SOS), a 20 concert series of Latin artists with several impressive World Premier original Rodri productions in this line-up.
A newly produced music review is the 90-minute MARIACHI USA® Fiesta, created to tour performing arts centers, casinos and fairs and has played to sold out audiences for the last four years at the Los Angeles County Fair, the largest fair of its kind in the US. The Grandstand Stage is filled to its capacity of 10,000 at each performance.
Entrepreneur to the core, Rodriguez is amongst the group of 27
successful entrepreneurs that in 2006 became Founding Shareholders of the first Latino owned bank in California in 35 years. With headquarters at 888 South Figueroa in downtown Los Angeles, PROMERICA Bank caters to the burgeoning Latino entrepreneurship in the number one Latino market in the nation.  Read
more about this topic
Recently, Rodriguez joined Peter Rawley and Ron Colby as Producers of the film “ONE” currently in pre-production. ONE is the life story of Venezuelan Television icon Renny Ottolina and is being directed by famed and award winning director, Betty Kaplan.
Rodri’s international work has extended to Mexico, Argentina,
Chile, Brazil, Israel, and Europe and includes concerts/shows
with Herbie Hancock, Stanley Clarke, Andy Williams, Vikki Carr,
Sammy Davis Jr., Julio Iglesias, Eric Clapton, Bryan Adams,
Natalie Cole, Sara Vaughn and the creation and production of
Playboy’s Girls of Rock & Roll. Among the Latin artist
concert productions are; Lola Beltran, Pedro Vargas, Lucha
Villa, Roberto Carlos, Raphael, Camilo Sesto, Miguel Gallardo,
Aida Cuevas, Amalia Mendoza, Angeles Ochoa, Vicente Fernandez,
Armando Manzanero, Antonio Aguilar, Dyango, Miguel Aceves Mejia,
Lupita d’Alessio, Marco Antonio Muñiz, Jose Jose,
Angelica Maria, Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine to
name a few.
Rodriguez hosted her own radio talk show on Los Angeles’ #1
talk radio station KFI-AM 640 from 1995 to 1998.
Rodri is highly sought after as a motivational and keynote
speaker for her innate ability to connect with and touch an
audience not only in English, but also in her native language
Spanish. Her commitment to a brighter future for today’s
youth motivates her to spend considerable time speaking to
students at grammar schools, high schools and universities.
In 2002, Rodriguez was elected to the Los Angeles County Fair
Association, the first Latina
elected to this Board. Rodriguez
is also the Founder and Chairman of the MARIACHI
USA Foundation (1990 to present) which provides grants for Mariachi and Folklorico
programs for K1-K12 in California, Texas, Arizona & Washington;
Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Hollywood Arts Council
(1998
– 2006); Cultural Affairs Commissioner for the City of
Los Angeles 1984 – 1990; Member of the Grammy Foundation
National Education Advisory Council (1999 to 2004); Member,
Ford Theatre Foundation Latino Advisory Board; Founding Member,
Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE); former Member,
UNICEF Leadership Committee; former Board Member of the California
State Bar Legal Services Trust Fund Commission; President,
Vikki Carr Scholarship Foundation Board of Directors 1979-1990;
former instructor for the prestigious UCLA Extension Program.
AWARDS
and RECOGNITIONS
On June 29th 2006, at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly
Hills Rodri Rodriguez was award as the National Latina Business
Women of the year by the National Latina Business Women Association.
In
September of 2004 Hispanic Magazine selected Rodriguez to
receive their Entertainment Award previously presented to
Anthony Quinn and Gloria Estefan.
Other awards include; The prestigious YWCA Silver Achievers
Entrepreneur of the Year, the Hollywood Arts Council’s
Charlie Chaplin Award, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce ‘Hollywood’s
Women of Distinction’ Award, the National Hispanic Academy
of Media Arts and Sciences Entrepreneur of the Year, the KLVE
FM107.5 Radio Outstanding Woman of the Year, the Golden Eagle
Award from Ricardo Montalban’s ‘Nosotros’;
awarded International Company of the Year by the Latin Business
Association; awarded Woman of the Year by the Mexican American
Opportunity Foundation, Comisión Femenil’s Woman
of Outstanding Achievement and the Los Angeles Women’s
Theatre ‘Integrity Award’. Rodri is listed in the “Who’s
Who” in the World, in America, in Entertainment and in
Business.
Rodriguez has been recognized by the Los Angeles County Board
of Supervisors and the Los Angeles City Council with proclamations
in recognition of her achievements and advocacy for the arts,
also numerous recognitions from President Clinton, the United
States Congress, California State Senate, California Legislature,
California Governors… Governor Davis, Governor Wilson;
Los Angeles Mayors; Mayor Tom Bradley, Mayor Richard Riordan,
Texas State Senate, Legislature and Governor Rick Perry.
But beyond achievement, awards, and her unstoppable mission
to entertain the soul and motivate the spirit there is a woman
with a great heart, a contagious smile overflowing with immeasurable
strength in her vision for the world.
Rodriguez is a native of Havana, Cuba having traveled to the
United States, alone, as a child of the “Peter Pan” exodus
of 14,000 children from Cuba. As a child, Rodri resided in
Albuquerque, New Mexico, and currently resides in Studio City,
California.
Q & A
What in life have you come to terms
with
That I rarely get my first choice of shoe designs…( Being a size 5 1/2
shoe)
Your favorite food
My mother's arroz con pollo, she left her published recipe with me to share with
the world. Desert Floating island..Cafe de Artiste in hollywood serves my favorite
Porto's birthday cake or guava pastry…Porto's in Burbank and Glendale
A MUST TRY!
Your favorite color
To wear…black
To sleep…white
To look at...purple & peach
Favorite past time
Gardening…I have an endless array of plants of varying shapes & sizes.
Cooking…I'm specially good at Mexican & Italian and of course Cuban
Pets
I have had 2, Roxy a beautiful silver silky-yorky the only
one born from mom Gigi & dad Radar. Wizky - my current
gorgeous chow that is completely oblivious that he is a dog.
Books that you would recommend
The Painted Bird…Jerzy Kozinsky, Celestine Prophecy
A few of your favorite things…
Raindrops on roses and on me…
The smell of fresh teak sawdust (Dad is a shipwright/carpenter)
Watching the sun rise from the ocean…closest place to
LA to do this is Cabo San Lucas
Movie marathons on a rainy day by the fire place
My godchildren & I baking anything!
Good jokes
Gardenias
Scrabble - in various languages simultaneously.
You should also know my least favorite
things…
*LIES…
*I
disdain celebrities, politicians, public figures that display
misplaced diva-divo ness. If the FDA could only approve several
meds available to cure their temporary amnesia; they too easily
forget who employs them and where they would be without our
vote, our TV viewer ship, our purchase of their CD and movie
tickets.
*I abhor discrimination of any type and am ashamed
of anyone that feels position, money or education makes them
superior to the rest of mankind.
|
