Mi Puerto Rico Short Series x Don Q Rum
Puerto Rico
Host | Director | Producer | Copy Writer
Puerto Rico
Director | Producer | Copy Writer | Host
In this 4 part series, Manolo starts by exploring the history of rum throughout Puerto Rico. A story of past, present & future, regarding the importance of rum to the Island and its cultural relevance. The story takes from El Valle Coloso in the town of Aguada where Manolo grew up in, where he meets with his long time friend Alexis who is one of the few young sugarcane farmers left and talks about the fading tradition that once employed the majority of the Island. The journey then takes us to La Destilería Serallés in town of Ponce where Manolo meets up with master distiller Sylvia Santiago and tour the distillery learning how rum is made. The journey finalizes in Old San Juan, in the #12 bar of the world, La Factoría. Manolo grabs a drink with his longtime friend, Leslie Cofresí, and they talk about the importance of rum and persistence to export their product around the world.
The rest of the series will show you how to make Coquito, Pique (Puerto Rican hot sauce) and Tomato paste rum cake with Manolo’s mom, Margarita. This collaboration was made possible by Don Q Rum and the series went on the be an official selection of the Philadelphia Latino Film Festival.You can watch all 4 episodes below.
Manolo’s thoughts:
“I have a big desire to continue telling the stories of my Island and its people. Whether its Puerto Ricans on the Island or in the Diaspora, our unique upbringing has lead us to different paths and stories that are waiting to be told. Grateful to Don Q for enabling me to tell these stories and bring the world closer to Puerto Rico.”
-M
Client:Destilería Serallés | Don Q Rum
Date: 2021
Type: Content Creation
Services: Director | Producer | Copy Writer | Host
Photography: Carmelo Varela
Identity at Play! A Spotify Originals Podcast
Los Angeles, California
Host | Producer
Identity at Play! Billboard in Herald Square, NYC.
Photography by Carmelo Varela
Identity at Play is a podcast that focuses on multi-hyphenated Americans and meaningful moments in their journey of identity. The show is one of Spotify’s first Latinx-centered podcasts. It aims to build an inclusive definition of identity for kids, adults, and anyone who’s struggled with who they are by diving into stories of when they rejected a part of their culture and when they embraced their culture.
Catch new episodes every Wednesday exclusively on Spotify.
Click on the featured guests to listen to their episode:
Arturo Castro [Actor/Comedian]: Narcos Colombia (Netflix), Alternatino ( Comedy Central)
Shakira Barrare [Actor/Dancer]: Glow (Netflix), Shameless (Showtime)
US Senator Alex Padilla [California]
Yesika Salgado [Poet/Writer]: Corazón, Tesoro
Daniel Buezo [Designer/Entrepreneur]: Kids of Immigrants
Stacy Pascal Gaspard [Filmmaker]: La Negra, Soñadora
Richard Cabral [Actor/Writer/Entrepreneur]: Mayans, Sons of Anarchy, Tepito Coffee
Laith Ashley [Actor/Model]: Visible, Headspace
Jarina de Marco [Singer/Song writer]
Congressman Joaquin Castro [Texas]
Jocelyn Ramirez [Chef/Entrepreneur]
Danielle Perez [Actor/Comedian]
Click on the images to listen to the podcast:
Client: Spotify
Date: 2021
Type: Podcast
Services: Host | Producer
Kids of Immigrants x Vans
Compton, California
Chef
To celebrate the release of their second Vans collaboration, Kids of Immigrants designed a shoe honoring one’s heritage and parents that sacrificed greatly for their children.
Before the shoe launched, Kids of Immigrants produced a photoshoot at Moonwater Farm in Compton. The photoshoot featured community leader Kika Keith from Gorilla Rx, Aura Santos & Lêcoeurcassé. At the same time the campaign highlighted students from Color Compton and Inner City Arts who were invited to help with the production.
After the day long photoshoot, Manolo prepared a dinner that resembled everyone who had a part in the production. A coursed meal that incorporated 8+ nationalities and guided by Paula Duran (Empress). This stems from the work done with Community Gatherings and brings intentionality to the table for such a meaningful shoe campaign.
Kids of Immigrants was founded by Daniel Buezo and Weleh Dennis in 2016, and is an outlet for the two to “express their passion to create, empower and love.” Highly significant to the two based on their first-generation American identity, the “Anything is Possible” shoe represents the passion for their heritage and community.
Photography by David Camarena
Client: Kids of Immigrants
Date: 2021
Type: Dinner
Services: Chef | Food Curation
Photography: David Camarena