At 13 years old, I decided to take myself to WBLS-FM radio to meet Frankie Crocker, because I thought he needed to know me and ended up staying there five years. While there, I learned about programming music from Frankie, Wanda Ramos and Hal Jackson. I moved to L. A. to pursue an acting career but luckily was hired by Casablanca Records co-founder Cecil Holmes where I worked for Eddie Pugh and Sheila Eldridge. Shortly afterwards, Jheryl Busby arrived and mentored me on how to promote and market records as well as taught me artist development, which came in handy when I went to work for Patrice Rushen’s management company.
When Inner City Broadcasting bought KGFJ-AM and KUTE-FM, I went back into radio for 4 years as music director for both stations. During that time I was starting to land acting parts on TV shows like “Hill Street Blues”, “The Fall Guy”, “The Greatest American Hero” and “The Jeffersons”. I finally transitioned into acting full time with parts in movies, “Stand And Deliver” “Indecent Proposal” “Hollywood Shuffle” and others.
I co-founded the first all-female Latina stand-up comedy show called “The Hot & Spicy Mamitas” and recorded a CD on Uproar Records. I’ve also written, produced and performed 2 one-woman shows, “Calling Up Papi” and “A Rose Grows In Spanish Harlem”. Today, I produce films including “Why We Laugh”, “In The Hive” and “Playin’ For Love” along with several web series including “Common Sense Mamita”, which airs weekly on www.commonsensemamita.com.
The song that inspires me is “We Fall Down” by Donnie McClurkin and my daily prayer is “Lord, put me in the right place, at the right time, with the right people to fulfill the destiny you created me for”. And I must say He is doing that for me, daily!