Alejandro A. Riera Email & Phone Number

Chicago, Il, Us

Chicago, Il, Us

Past and current projects include:• Film contributor for Third Coast Review and theater reviewer for the Chicago Reader.• Festival Cubano; Physical Festival Chicago; Chicago Latina Expo; Urban Theater Company's production of Richard Montoya's "Water & Power" (2017), Guadalis del Carmen's "Not for Sale" and Carmen Rivera's La Gringa; the 8th, 9th and 10th Chicago Latino Music Festival and "International Latino Cultural Center Presents 'Hecho en Chicago'​"​ for which I: wrote and distributed press releases in English and Spanish; secured coverage on different outlets (TV, print and online); coordinated interviews with talent, and even served as spokesperson.• Handled publicity for the following 2013 events: the first of the "Stand Up for Schools"​ series of fundraising shows produced by the Mikey O Comedy Show (held at Joe's Bar on Weed Street February 28); EventLife's Ivy Queen/La India concert at the Congress Theater, March 23rd; and for the “Little Village Laugh Festival,” Little Village’s first-ever comedy night, presented by Latinos Progresando’s Associates Board and Mikey O Productions (April 4th at La Kopa Kavana) proceeds of which benefited Latino Progresando’s Dr. Angela Perez Miller Scholarship Fund, established in 2007 to promote educational attainment in the Latino and immigrant community by helping cover the cost of college. Scholarships are awarded based on academic standing, financial need and commitment to community service.• Researched and wrote four articles on Uptown's architectural, entertainment, social and community history for Uptown United's 2014-15 Neighborhood Guide.• Wrote three pieces on the 2011 Oscars as well as film reviews on "Prometheus"​ and "Rock of Ages"​, and an interview with "Red Lights"​ director Rodrigo Cortés and protagonist Cillian Murphy for Hoy.

Blog created to explore, from a very personal and sometimes quirky perspective, Latino and non-Latino culture in all its facets.

Greater Chicago Area

• Write the English- and Spanish-language synopsis for all 60+ features for the program book, the schedule and collateral materials.• Write and distribute press releases in English and Spanish on the Festival's key programs and events to Hispanic and mainstream print, TV, radio and online.• Pitch interviews with Festival Director and visiting and local filmmakers to diverse outlets.• Secure coverage from such media outlets in both the General and Latino markets as WGN Chicago, ABC Chicago, HOY, La Raza, lawndale News, Vocalo, WBEZ-FM, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, RogerEbert.com and Time Out Chicago.• Distribute screeners of select films to film critics and reviewers.• Represent the Festival on media appearances and interviews.• Aggressively promote individual films and programs through the Festival's Facebook pages.• Co-write the scripts for all special galas and programs.

Contributed movie reviews and interviews to both websites. Gozamos.com is a modern online magazine and community for young Latinos in Chicago and others passionate about their cultural heritage. Hear what your peers have to say about Chicago events, new music, cultural events, politics, religion, restaurants and bars. efilmcritic.com is an international website devoted to all things film, particularly film criticism.

Tagging, rating, application of cast and title names, verifying and fact checking for accuracy and other quality control elements, selecting clips and flagging sensitivities for the Netflix catalogue for mostly unbranded titles in Spanish going live in a high-volume, high-quality, deadline-driven environment.

• Pitching and securing coverage for Festival films in the International and New Directors Competitions and World Cinema and Cinema of the Americas programs across multiple media outlets (mainstream and etnic outlets).• Managing press materials (including screener requests), P&I screenings, special events and press lines. • Organized and supervised press accreditation process.• Coordinated filmmakers’ interviews. • Secured extensive coverage for the Festival's Latino films from such outlets as EFE News Service, Univision (whose Fest coverage doubled in 2016), HOY, La Raza and Nueva Semana Newspaper.• Wiote Press Releases on the 50th Chicago International Film Festival's (Oct. 9-23) main events and programs.• Represented the Festival as a spokesperson on an as-needed basis.

Contribute capsule reviews and reports on Latinos in the film industry.

Teaching for the Spring Term a course on Contemporary Latin American Cinema, covering the last 20 years of film activity across the continent from Mexico to Argentina with a side trip to Cuba. Films taught in class include: Lucrecia Martel's "La ciénaga," Walter Salles' "Central Station" and "The Motorcycle Diaries," Carlos Lechuga's "Santa y Andrés" and Ciro Guerra's "Embrace of the Serpent."

Position created through a three year grant from the Reva and David Logan Foundation to increase Latino programming and audience at the Gene Siskel Film Center.Responsibilities included but were not limited to:• Advise the Gene Siskel Film Center staff on Latino film programming based on researching films from the Latin diaspora, both domestic and overseas. • Manage a part-time Outreach Coordinator, to oversee community partnerships and manage the youth and family programs at the GSFC and with the Chicago Public Library branches. • Work with GSFC staff to create a Latino Community Council of key influencers to act in an advisory and advocacy role on behalf of GSFC programs specific to the Engaging Latino Audiences program. • Coordinate publicity efforts with the Gene Siskel Film Center staff.• Write and distribute press materials, including long-lead and short-lead releases as well as media advisories, and calendar listings.• Work with promotional partners to brainstorm potential story angles, pitch feature stories, live television and radio appearances and column items related to the film programs.

Greater Chicago Area

Reviewed movie and interviewed filmmakers and artists for this Chicago-based website created to provide bilingual, bi-cultural Hispanics with news and information related to entertainment.

Greater Chicago Area

Oversaw the production of the 47th Chicago International Film Festival’s print and web materials, including the Festival Schedule (55 pages, print run of 50,000+, inserted in the Chicago Reader and the Sunday New York Times) and Program Book (250 pages, print run of 18,000+). Also in charge of creating and copy-editing collateral material, including bilingual press releases, scripts and crafting the letters from the festival's founder and artistic director. Served as the Spanish language spokesperson for the Festival.

• Developed and implemented the editorial vision of this multi-platform Chicago-based media start-up created to meet the content needs of second- and third-generation bilingual and bicultural Hispanics.• Responsible for conceptualizing, assigning and editing stories, columns and listings for Café Media’s bimonthly magazine with a circulation of 45,000.• Launched and edited five regional newsletters with a total circulation of 20,000 in five major markets: Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and Miami.• Oversaw and coordinated the production of customized content for magazine and website for clients such as Jewel-Osco, Diageo and Kimberley-Clark.• Responsible for hiring of freelance writing and editing talent for all of Café’s editorial platforms. • Wrote weekly film reviews and music pieces for cafemagazine.com.

• Supervised the work of four editor/reporters spread out across three key Latino markets: New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. Also supervised the work of 10 freelancers in all three markets.• Identified, assigned coverage and edited local content that was of interest to readers of each market as well as content that could be published in all three editions.• Implemented two redesigns of our arts and entertainment pages. As part of the redesign, the name of the arts and entertainment section was changed from Acá Entre Nos to Vida Hoy thus creating a new brand by making it a five day a week section, brought renowned astrologer Walter Mercado onboard and created exclusive feature sections focusing on health, educational and family issues.• Implemented the relaunch of Fin de Semana, Hoy’s weekend consumer-oriented publication. Developed new sections dealing with retail, home decoration, technology and celebrity interviews. • Oversaw the move of our central a&e operation from New York to Los Angeles when the New York edition of Hoy was sold to Impremedia. • Supervised the launch of an entertainment blog as well as web-only initiatives such as the creation of photo galleries and web exclusive coverage of certain key events like the Oscars and Premio Lo Nuestro.• Continued to write feature stories on the film, music and theater beats as well as film and music reviews for Vida Hoy and Fin de Semana.

• Covered the music, television, theater and film beats as well as local cultural organizations for the Spanish-language daily published by the Chicago Tribune.• Coordinated content sharing with our sister publications in New York and Los Angeles for both Vida Hoy and the daily a&e pages.• Assigned stories to and edited stories by freelancers for publication in Vida Hoy.• Frequent contributor to the Chicago Tribune’s Tempo, Arts & Entertainment and Friday sections, writing stories on and reviews of Latin music as well as capsule film reviews for their coverage of the Latino Film Festival.• Taped a weekly segment for CLTV, the Tribune’s 24-hour news station, highlighting the key a&e stories featured in that week’s edition of the supplement.

• Covered the music, television, theater and film beats for this Spanish-language weekly published by the Chicago Tribune with a distribution of 90,000 copies throughout the Chicagoland metropolitan area. • Frequent contributor to the Chicago Tribune’s Tempo, Arts & Entertainment and Friday sections, writing stories on and reviews of Latin music as well as capsule film reviews for their coverage of the Latino Film Festival.• Updated and input events information on the exitochicago.com page, part of the Tribune’s Metromix website. Selected stories from our arts and entertainment section for translation for the site.

M.A., Telecommunications Arts

B.A., English/Concentration On Film And Literature

Activities and Societies: Carleton Players