I grew up playing trumpet in the school band and guitar in my bedroom. I minored in voice in college, ultimately creating my own major at The College of New Jersey — the first student to ever custom-build their degree there. I played sports until sports started being counter-productive to my joints. I moved to New York City in my twenties and something clicked. My friends were musicians and creatives and people who worked in culture. We went to the same shows, the same spots, argued about the same things. Work wasn't separate from any of it. It all just sort of flowed.

That's what I love about community — building it, being a part of it. When it's real, you don't think of it as community. You just call it your people.

I'm proudly Latino. My parents are both Cuban immigrants, and I grew up code-switching between worlds. Some people see that as a disadvantage. I've always seen it as a superpower. It means I can sit with a CMO on Zoom and then join my crew at a backyard show in East LA and feel equally at home in both spaces. I've spent my career at brands — Nike, Activision, PepsiCo, El Pollo Loco — trying to build the bridge between those two worlds into something real and lasting.

Most marketers study community. I grew up in it. That's the difference.

These days I'm in Los Angeles, picking up road cycling and golf, and figuring out this whole new dad thing. Each one a culture unto itself — new communities to dig into, learn from, and eventually help others build. That part never gets old.