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 jewellery line. She is currently senior producer of

On Air with Ryan Seacrest ''On Air with Ryan Seacrest'' is a weekday radio syndication, syndicated radio program hosted by Ryan Seacrest. It was launched in 2004 as a drive time show at the same time on Los Angeles contemporary hit radio, Top 40 station 102.7 KIIS-FM a ...

, In 2016, Rodriguez led a grassroots campaign that convinced

MAC Cosmetics M A C Cosmetics is a Canadian cosmetics manufacturer founded in Toronto in 1984 by Frank Toskan and Frank Angelo. The company has been headquartered in New York City since becoming a subsidiary of Estée Lauder Companies in 1998. MAC is an acron ...

to create a collection honouring the late

Tejano Tejanos ( , ) are descendants of Texas Creoles and Mestizos who settled in Texas before its admission as an American state. The term is also sometimes applied to Texans of Mexican descent. Etymology The word ''Tejano'', with a ''J'' instead ...

superstar Selena Quintanilla.

Early life

Rodriguez was born in Los Angeles to Mexican immigrants. At a young age she lived in a crowded apartment in East L.A. before moving to

Lynwood, California Lynwood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city had a total population of 67,265, down from 69,772 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. Lynwood is located nea ...

. She was a student at Lynwood High School when she was interning for the

KIIS-FM KIIS-FM (102.7 FM broadcasting, FM, "102.7 KIIS FM") is a commercial radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, United States, and broadcasts to the Greater Los Angeles area. The station airs a contemporary hit radio format. Owned by i ...

radio station in

Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank had a Census-estimated population of 102,755 as of 2023. The city was ...

Career

In her senior year of High School, Rodriguez heard a KIIS-FM promo for a new internship to work on

Rick Dees Rigdon Osmond Dees III (born March 14, 1950), best known as Rick Dees, is an American entertainer, radio personality, comedian, actor, and voice artist, best known for his internationally syndicated radio show '' The Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 Coun ...

' morning show. Rodriguez, who was only 17 at the time, skipped school and drove over to successfully interview for the position. Rodriguez was designated to promotions on KIIS-FM's promotions and digital team and became an assistant producer on the recently formed

Ryan Seacrest Ryan John Seacrest (born December 24, 1974) is an American television presenter and producer. Seacrest is the host of '' Wheel of Fortune'', having hosted since replacing long-time host Pat Sajak in September 2024. Seacrest co-hosted and ser ...

morning show.

On Air with Ryan Seacrest

Since 2006, Rodriguez has been a member of the On Air team, and she hosts the popular Ryan's Roses segment. She currently works as the show's senior producer, making connections between her love of music, her Latin heritage and celebrity culture with her personal life. Rodriguez has also been able to use her platform on the radio to grow her social media brand and become a social media influencer.

MALA by Patty Rodriguez

In 2014, Rodriguez leveraged her social media influence to launch a popular jewelry line " MALA" inspired by her Mexican-American roots. MALA by Patty Rodriguez has been worn by celebrities including

Miley Cyrus Miley Ray Cyrus ( , born Destiny Hope Cyrus, November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and director. Regarded as a contemporary pop icon, Cyrus has been recognized for her evolving artistry and image reinventions. She is ...

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, and actress. One of the List of music artists by net worth, wealthiest musicians in the world, List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna, her vario ...

Gina Rodriguez Gina Alexis Rodriguez (born July 30, 1984) is an American actress. She is known for her leading role as Jane Villanueva in The CW satirical romantic dramedy series ''Jane the Virgin'' (2014–2019), for which she received a Golden Globe Award f ...

and

Vanessa Bryant Vanessa Marie Bryant (born Vanessa Urbieta Cornejo; May 5, 1982) is an American businesswoman and philanthropist. She is the widow of American professional basketball player Kobe Bryant. With her husband, she founded the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant ...

Lil' Libros

After being rejected by several traditional children's publishing companies, Rodriguez decides to collaborate with her childhood best friend Ariana Stein to what now is Lil' Libros . 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. The company's other popular titles include Counting With – Contando Con Frida, a book inspired by Mexican artist

Frida Kahlo Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón (; 6 July 1907 – 13 July 1954) was a Mexican painter known for her many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico. Inspired by Culture of Mexico, the country' ...

and Lil' Loteria, a bilingual board game based on the Mexican bingo game Loteria.

Other Ventures

In 2017, Rodriguez gave a

TEDx TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "Ideas Change Everything" (previously "Ideas Worth Sprea ...

talk at

Cal State Los Angeles Cal or CAL may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Cal'' (novel), a 1983 novel by Bernard MacLaverty * "Cal" (short story), a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov * ''Cal'' (1984 film), an Irish drama starring John Lynch and Helen Mir ...

on the importance of representation and role models in art, literature and entertainment in communities of color. Rodriguez was the leading force behind a successful

grassroots A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or continent movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from volunteers at the local level to imp ...

campaign to get

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.

Personal life

Rodriguez has two sons, whom serve as the inspiration for many of the Lil' Libros titles.

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

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez, Patty Living people Year of birth missing (living people) American people of Mexican descent 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American women writers People from Lynwood, California Writers from Los Angeles Radio personalities from Los Angeles American women non-fiction writers American social media influencers Lynwood High School alumni