Mando Rayo Email & Phone Number

Austin, Texas, United States

Mando Rayo’s experience is deep-rooted in Latinx & BIPOC communities. Mando is a digital story-teller and uses his Latinx identity to inspire and build bridges through his production company, IDENTITY. From working with Laredo Taco Company - 7 Eleven, Beef Loving Texans, KLRU-TV, PBS Austin, Whataburger, Austin Film Society, People en Español y más, Mando shares stories through food, culture, documentaries and digital platforms. As an avid taco ambassador, food explorer and street ethnographers, Mando has traveled across the U.S. to uncover the tastiest tacos, from the Rio Grande Valley in Texas to L.A. and New Orleans to New York City. Mando is the producer and co-author of the books, 'Austin Breakfast Tacos' and ‘The Tacos of Texas book (University of Texas Press) & docu-series with PBS Digital Studios and United Tacos of America TV Show on El Rey Network. Mando’s work has been featured on Bon Appetit Magazine, The Food Network, NPR, The New York Times and SXSW. Recently Mando launched the Tacos of Texas Podcast with NPR's KUT and KUT Studio in Austin, Texas.

Austin, Texas Area

Our Mission: As a collective, we aim to co-create solutions for client and industry problems. This means empowering communities and providing creative strategies that will connect, influence and engage an ever changing multicultural marketplace. We are communication advocates that represent the underrepresented and bring to life our clients’ goals through our talent and work. Our Vision: Our vision reflects our work and the community. It’s about making a difference and most importantly it’s about challenging others to think differently. As our communities grow, our clients’ needs grow to reach them and that’s when we come together, much like a super team.

Cultural Strategies is a marketing and communications firm that provides cultural insights, effective marketing concepts, and persuasive engagement strategies that resonate with a multicultural America.With rich experience in marketing and advertising, branding, communications, community engagement and advocacy outreach, Cultural Strategies helps businesses and organizations achieve their economic, cultural, social, and political goals and objectives.Our approach is beyond Language...Language, as important as it is, is merely a vehicle to deliver your message. If you are not taking into consideration culture, the best translated outreach or marketing campaign won’t connect emotionally with the intended audience. Cultural nuances and the meanings created from specific experiences cannot be ignored.Cultural Strategies creates vehicles and opportunities that allow its clients’ voice to be heard in the right spaces. Let us help you remain relevant through a comprehensive, inclusive, methodical, and imaginative process.

I run Hands On Central Texas, a program of United Way Capital Area. Hands On Central Texas strengthens communities though meaningful volunteer action. We provide over 400 volunteer opportunities & projects, Days of Service and Volunteer Leadership opportunities.Career Highlights:Created Hands On Central Texas & have engaged more than 50,000 people in 5 years in being active in civic life.Developed the Community Engagement Initiative to increase capacity of the community & the nonprofit sector to address critical social issues through national partnerships with the Harwood Institute for Public Innovation, Points of Light & Hands On Network & United Way of America. The engages thousands of Central Texans through the Community Engagement Summit, Public Innovators Labs, Community Studio, Culture Connections, Volunteer Project Leader Certification Trainings, Echoes of Color Film Series, Hands On Innovation Workshops, MLK Peace Bench Project, Gifts in Kind and Days of Service.

As a consultant, I am focused on building capacity & creating opportunities for change in communities with a specialization in Hispanic/Latino engagement & marketing, community engagement & volunteerism, project management, leadership development & social innovation.

• Managed volunteer engagement events including United Way Day of Caring, HEB Feast of Sharing Holiday Dinner, Volunteer of the Month Awards, Motorola Marathon, Austin-American Statesman’s Capitol 10,000, Austin Bergstrom International Airport Runway 5K. • Managed nonprofit capacity building programs including Donated Goods Program, Volunteer Solutions, online volunteer recruitment system, & Criminal Background Check programs. • Established and maintained relationships with local media in print, radio, web and television.• Responsible for corporate and private sponsor relations for various events.