Today we’d like to introduce you to David Rios.
Hi David, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Bordertown Dreams. I’m originally from a small town isolated on the Texas-Mexico border. Born and raised in Del Rio, Texas. This is where it all began, growing up in the ’80s and 90’s I would listen to the radio… a lot. Because there was no internet, we didn’t have cable either. So I would listen to whatever radio stations I could catch from either side of the border. The magic of radio really intrigued me because it was the window to the outside world.
One day during the summer right before my senior year in high school, I stopped by the local radio station and knocked on the door. I was a curious kid, always wanting to know what was inside stuff, so of course, I wanted to see what a radio station looked like inside. A long-haired, rock-n-roll looking DJ, open the door and I was in ahh. I could see all sorts of broadcasting equipment, microphones, and vinyl records. So just like that, I was stepping into my destiny. This was my first step into what has become my identity and career.
Once working at the radio station while in high school, I also started DJing at parties and nightclubs in Mexico. But once I graduated, I stook around town for 2 more years, working in radio and DJ on the weekends. When I was about to turn 20, I left this small-town life and headed towards Austin. I wanted to go to college because that was something my parents always wanted me to do because they never had that opportunity. My parents were from Mexico (Acuna and Zaragoza), barely had a middle-school education. They came to Del Rio, opened a restaurant, made Tacos all day, and did what they could to provide. It was a very happy upbringing for sure!
– Radio Days
So, when I moved to Austin in 1995, I started looking for jobs, I applied EVERYWHERE! But nobody hired me, except for a small Tejano radio station, whom I called asked for a job, to see if they needed any help. I became the Program Director and mid-day radio talent for a cluster of radio stations playing Tejano, Norteno, and International music. So I did this work during the week, went to St. Edward’s University at night, and Djied at nightclubs on the weekends. It still had not “hit me” that I was doing my calling in life, because I only thought that I would do this while I went through college to pay for tuition and rent. I still didn’t know what I wanted to do in life.
– From Austin to Miami and L.A.
Something that I’ve discovered in life is that if enjoy your work, new opportunities will come, and one door will open the next. This is how I ended up working for the GRAMMY Awards and Latin GRAMMYs. While I was still working at the radio station in Austin, I was also promoting concerts and shows. That’s how somebody at the GRAMMYS took notice and asked me if I wanted to go work for them. Of course, I said yes! That’s how I became the Project Manager for the Recording Academy.
– Off to Graduate School
My stint at the GRAMMYs lasted 2 years, I eventually resigned because I wanted to go to graduate school and get my master’s. The GRAMMYs was fun, but I still had a yearning for learning and knowledge. And I wanted to experiment with going to school FULL TIME, because during undergrad I had to work, and there was still studying I wanted to do.
There was one problem about being a full-time student, though. I needed to make money because relying on financial aid was not enough. So, I started doing what I knew what to do, I started promoting music, bands, and concerts. I basically started using my relationships and expertise to provide a service and value to businesses and fans alike.
Just after graduation and with a fresh master’s degree in mass communication in my hands, I was suddenly unable to find a job. I had graduated just when the economy was starting to go down which led to the economic crash of 2008. So once again, jobs were tough to come by. So basically the only option I had now, was to get creative with my skills. So I started my YouTube Channel, created a MySpace account, and started producing content that I could use to promote. That’s when Univision came knocking.
– Lights, Camera, Action!
It was March 2007, I was promoting a band that was going to play at one of my live music showcases. It was SXSW season in Austin, and lots of bands were coming to town. Part of my marketing was to interview artists and use that as a way to promote my shows and YouTube channel. Somebody who followed me on social media knew the GM/VP at Univision who took notice and reached out to me. She wanted to see if I can do some interviews for their TV stations.
Basically, they needed content! They wanted to start a TV show and feature artists, music videos, and interviews. So they hired me on, as a Producer and Entertainment Reporter. I happily worked at Univision for 11-years, towards my later years I was filling the role of Creative Director responsible for the overall marketing of the TV and Radio station cluster.
One thing I want to mention is that during my 11-year tenure at Univision, I never stopped working on the side, on my side projects. I was working individually with all sorts of clients who needed help with their marketing and promotions. I eventually started making more on the side than at my full-time job. So in 2018, I made the pivot, left Univision, and started my own agency, now called Rivers Media.
– Entrepreneurial Revolution
I am entrepreneurial by nature! In 2018 I made a pivot in my career. I left the corporate world behind to start my own boutique marketing agency focusing on the internet and social media. Today, I handle marketing, media production, and promotions for various clients in different fields such as grocery stores, auto dealerships, money exchange stores, and several nightclubs in Austin.
I also have clients around the globe, USA, Russia, Mexico, Israel, Great Britain are some of the places where projects have originated and I’ve had the pleasure of doing business with them. And as an independent contractor, I also work for the Texas Lottery Commission as an announcer, I do voiceover work for businesses around the globe.
– Teaching what I know
While I was still at Univision, I’ve also been teaching as an Adjunct Professor for the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) in San Antonio. I have been teaching students about marketing and communications since 2014. My journey into the field of teaching has been a perfect match for my career goals. I started teaching online at UIW while I was the Creative Director at Univision Communications.
While I was working a full-time job in media and entertainment having a regular 9-5 job, during nights and weekends I spent their teaching. And I knew way before 2018, that the future for my line of work was shifting more towards digital media, online marketing, and content creation was seeing explosive growth online, while traditional media had reached its peak and budgets there were quickly dwindling.
– What I do today
I have my own business Rivers Media Agency where I provide media services to clients; I teach online for UIW the courses I teach are Public Relations, Social Media Marketing, and Intro to Marketing; I also have my own online course which is called Media Master Course. Media Master Course is my online course where I teach the tools and tactics to work in media, marketing, and promotions.
The course is in Spanish and 100% online. I launched it in 2021 as a way to teach people how to make extra money working online, and how to work in mass media such as Radio, TV, and Digital.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been smooth, lots of challenges and adversities to overcome. But they have all been for good and helped me grow.
Struggles have been plenty including media stereotyping and trying to fit a specific mold, like as a Mexican-American, sometimes you are not Mexican enough or too Mexican; corporate life, sometimes you want to shine, but the dynamic is not conducive to allow for more growth; starting your own business, the fear of “what if” my idea doesn’t work out as planned.
I don’t lose sleep about not having enough because I know that God will always provide. That’s what has sustained me, knowing that I am not alone and that things always work out for good.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a content creator, marketer, promoter, educator. My versatility, because of the need to learn new skills, is what sets me apart
. I’ve often had to start over, new job, with new needs. I had to adapt to the times. Sometimes it’s been with audio, video, or photography. But they are all interconnected.
The secret for me has been finding ways to serve others.
Any big plans?
Continue to grow my business, grow my online course, and continue to seek knowledge and wisdom. After many years of trying to find a clear direction in my life, I have come down to these three fundamentals.
My faith and relationship with God is my TOP priority, family is second, job and career are third.
That is my compass. Wherever God needs me, I’m here to serve.
Pricing:
- Music Video $1,000
- TV Commercial $800
- 30 radio spot $100
- Social Media Marketing $500
- Flyers $25
Contact Info:
- Email: david@riversmediaagency.com
- Website: riversmediaagency.com and mediamastercourse.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/davidriostv
- Facebook: facebook.com/davidriostv
- Twitter: twitter.com/davidriostv
- Youtube: youtube.com/davidriostv
