Patty Rodriguez
Patty Rodriguez is an American entrepreneur, producer, radio personality and best-selling author. Rodriguez is co-founder of Lil' Libros, a bilingual children's publishing company, and founder of the MALA by Patty Rodriguez jewelry line.[1] She is currently senior producer of On Air With Ryan Seacrest, where she appears regularly as a show personality and sometimes as a guest.[2] In 2016, Rodriguez led a grassroots campaign that convinced MAC Cosmetics to create a collection honoring the late Tejano superstar Selena Quintanilla.[3]
Edwin 1940 Rodriguez | |
---|---|
Born | Los Angeles, CA |
Nationality | American |
Citizenship | U.S. |
Years active | 2006-Present |
Known for | Social Media influencer, Radio Personality, Author, Motivational Speaker |
Notable work | On Air With Ryan Seacrest Lil' Libros MALA by Patty Rodriguez #selenaquintanillaforMAC |
Early life
Rodriguez was born in Los Angeles to Mexican immigrants.[4] At a young age she lived in a crowded East L.A. apartment before moving to Lynwood, California.[5]
She was a student at Lynwood High School when she started interning for the KIIS-FM radio station in Burbank, California.[6]
Career
In her senior year of High School, Rodriguez heard a KIIS-FM promo for a new intern to work on Rick Dees' morning show. Rodriguez, who was only 17 at the time, skipped school and drove over to successfully interview for the position.[7]
Rodriguez worked her way up the ladder to positions on KIIS-FM's promotions and digital team before rising to the rank as an assistant producer on the recently formed Ryan Seacrest morning show.[8]
On Air with Ryan Seacrest
Rodriguez has been a member of the On Air team since 2006, where she hosts the popular Ryan's Roses segment.[2] She currently works as the show's senior producer, interweaving her love of music and celebrity with her personal life and love of her Latin heritage.[9]
Rodriguez has been able to use her platform on the radio to grow her social media brand and become a preeminent social media influencer.[10]
MALA by Patty Rodriguez
In 2014, Rodriguez leveraged her social media influence to launch a popular jewelry line inspired by her Mexican-American roots.[11] MALA by Patty Rodriguez has been worn by celebrities including Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, Gina Rodriguez and Vanessa Bryant.[11]
Lil' Libros
After being rejected by several traditional children's literature companies, Rodriguez founded the popular bilingual children's book publishing company Lil' Libros with her childhood best friend Ariana Stein.[12]
In 2018, the company released on a children's biography picture book on legendary Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla. The book was an instant success rising to No. 1 on Amazon's best seller 24 hours after its release.[13] The company's other popular titles include Counting With - Contando Con Frida, a book inspired by Mexican artist Frida Kahlo and Lil' Loteria, a bilingual board game based on the Mexican bingo game Loteria.[14]
Other Ventures
In 2017, Rodriguez gave a TEDx talk at Cal State Los Angeles on the importance of representation and role models in art, literature and entertainment in communities of color.[15]
Rodriguez was the leading force behind a successful grassroots campaign to get MAC cosmetics to launch a celebrity makeup brand inspired by Selena Quintanilla. After several years of getting rejection emails from MAC corporate, Rodriguez started an online petition that racked up more than 40,000 signatures and led to the announcement in July 2016 of the signature Selena by MAC line of makeup.[16]
Personal life
Rodriguez has two sons, which serve as the inspiration for many of the Lil' Libros titles.[4]
Awards
LA Times Latinos De Hoy Cultural Influencer Award (2016)
Ford's Latina On the Move Award (2016)
Hispanic Public Relations Association Social Media Influencer of the Year (2017)
Latina magazine's Top 100 Women of The Year (2017)
References
- "From Jewelry to Children's Books, Patty Rodriguez Is the Latina Who Proves Anything Is Possible". HipLatina. 2017-06-01. Retrieved 2018-05-22.
- "About Patty Rodriguez | KIIS FM". Patty Rodriguez. Retrieved 2018-05-22.
- "The Latina Who Sparked MAC + Selena Got Emotional During Her Radio Interview". 2016-10-06. Retrieved 2018-05-22.
- "My Favorite Taco ~ Patty Rodriguez ~ L.A. TACO". L.A. TACO. 2018-02-07. Retrieved 2018-05-23.
- "La talentosa empresaria de la literatura infantil, Patty Rodríguez, estará en el Festival de Libros". latimes.com. Retrieved 2018-05-23.
- "Patty Rodriguez-Lynwood Alumni Conference". One Public Education. Retrieved 2018-05-23.
- American Latino (2014-04-24), Patty Rodriguez, retrieved 2018-05-23
- Stewart, Larry (2007-10-02). "When a goal isn't the goal". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2018-05-23.
- "Meet the Women Who Actually Run Hollywood". NPR.org. Retrieved 2018-05-23.
- "2016 Latinos de Hoy Awards". Retrieved 2018-05-23.
- "Downey's Patty Rodriguez: rising entrepreneur". The Downey Patriot. Retrieved 2018-05-23.
- Gonzalez, Barbara. "Creating Espacios: Patty Rodriguez Shares How You Can Turn A Bad Day Into a Life Lesson". Forbes. Retrieved 2018-05-23.
- "How a 'Lil Libros' on Selena Quintanilla Shot to the Top of Amazon's Best-Seller List ~ L.A. TACO". L.A. TACO. 2018-04-02. Retrieved 2018-05-23.
- results, search (2014-12-20). Counting With -Contando Con Frida. Citlali Reyes (First ed.). Lil' Libros. ISBN 9781495126567.
- TEDx Talks (2017-06-06), Why our Children Need Role Models that Look Like Them | Patty Rodriguez | TEDxCalStateLA, retrieved 2018-05-23
- "How 1 Fan Convinced MAC to Give Selena Her Own Makeup Line". Cosmopolitan. 2015-09-11. Retrieved 2018-05-23.