Inspirational Women In Hollywood: How Rosie Rivera Is Helping To Shake Up The Entertainment Industry
Your purpose can be found in the situations that bring out the deepest emotions in you. My anger towards injustice guided me to my purpose. My passion became my purpose and then my career. Passion and purpose will fuel you in the challenging times. Money and popularity will not be enough in the valley — have a deeper reason for the dark days.
Every day I take steps towards impacting other sexual abuse survivors. Remembering 8-year-old Rosie sitting in front of the TV waiting for someone to talk about sexual abuse and knowing that now I am that voice for another girl gives me the strength to do it again and again.
As a part of our series about Inspirational Women In Hollywood, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Rosie Rivera, an author, entrepreneur, the testamentary executor of Jenni Rivera Enterprises, as well as an international speaker, author and an influential public figure.
Rosie uses her platform to lift up, motivate, and give hope to sexual abuse victims as a survivor and counselor. She is founder of the movement Sister Samalia, which restores and uplifts women who have been victims of sexual abuse, human trafficking, drugs and domestic violence in Latin America.
Rosie has co-hosted the top Spanish morning shows such as Despierta America and Un Nuevo Dia and cohosts along with her husband a marriage podcast called The Power of Us on Revolver Podcast. Rosie has participated and starred in reality shows such as I Love Jenni, The Riveras, Mira Quien Baila, and Rica Famosa Latina on Netflix.
Rosie is happily married to worshiper Abel Flores. The couple live in Lakewood, California, where they raise their three children Kassey, Sammy, and Eli.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
My childhood started of amazingly. I didn’t know we were poor because love filled every need. I am the youngest of six fun, entertaining, passionate siblings, so there was never a dull moment. My father made me aware of the power I held within at 4-years-old, and I believed him. When the sexual abuse began at 8-years-old, it challenged everything inside me, but it didn’t destroy me. I used it to build my strength and identity. Once I was comfortable in my own skin, I could be free in front of any camera or platform.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
For 18 years I battled with trauma and depression because of the sexual abuse. Once I was healed and set free, I wanted to share hope with all survivors. I began speaking to anyone that would listen about internal healing and self-love.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
I was speaking at a church about forgiveness. It’s usually very quiet and I wasn’t sure if the audience was receiving the message. I finished and headed to my car, still wondering if I had missed the mark, when an older male about 80- years-old walked up to my car window with tears in his eyes. He said that his sister had been killed 20 years ago and he had become bitter and cold. But that day, through my testimony, he was set free as he decided to forgive. Both of us shared tears of joy that day. I knew that day that I wanted to expand my reach to social media, reality shows, and production.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I never planned on being a public speaker, especially not about the sexual abuse. But, once I started I went full force. I’d use my everyday language. I wasn’t aware of the differences in Spanish slang from different nationalities. I asked everyone to sit down by saying “tomen su asiento” which to Mexicans means take your seat but every Central American cringed or laughed because to them it means “drink your urine”. I learned to keep slang out of my transformational speaking.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
There are many people who have helped me along the way, including my husband, who is my biggest supporter. Before he arrived my brother and Pastor, Pete, gave me an invitation speak at his congregation. I was a new believer and inexperienced in public speaking, but he believed in me before I even knew I wanted to be a public speaker. His vision and faith in what God would do in me began my career.
You have been blessed with great success in a career path that can be challenging. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?
Your purpose can be found in the situations that bring out the deepest emotions in you. My anger towards injustice guided me to my purpose. My passion became my purpose and then my career. Passion and purpose will fuel you in the challenging times. Money and popularity will not be enough in the valley — have a deeper reason for the dark days.
What drives you to get up everyday and work in TV and Film? What change do you want to see in the industry going forward?
Every day I take steps towards impacting other sexual abuse survivors. Remembering 8-year-old Rosie sitting in front of the TV waiting for someone to talk about sexual abuse and knowing that now I am that voice for another girl gives me the strength to do it again and again.
You have such impressive work. What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? Where do you see yourself heading from here?
I am enthusiastically working on my sister Jenni Rivera’s biopic as a producer and executor of her estate. My next book is my greatest passion at the moment and launching my daughter’s singing career is also an exciting project among others.
We are very interested in looking at diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture and our youth growing up today?
The entertainment industry has always been a source of influence and connection for society. Once we see someone that looks and speaks like us, we are included into the community. Our victories, struggles and histories are represented and educates others, enriching society as a whole.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
I wish people would have told me:
- Everyone has a different audience. Do not seek to please all, but focus on your market.
- Unique content is sustainable.
- Build a community of consumers rather than focusing on one viral video.
- Transparency is appealing
- Fame comes with a responsibility to do more for the community.
Can you share with our readers any self care routines, practices or treatments that you do to help your body, mind or heart to thrive? Please share a story for each one if you can.
My routine includes running a few times a week to clear my mind. Meditating and praying opens up my spiritual senses and creativity. I make sure I rest and do as little as possible one day a week. I log my meals to have accountability for myself and no longer punish myself for what I consume. Weightlifting 4–5 days a week has taken my body and confidence to another level.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Love God, love yourself, and love others. In that order.” In this season I have found peace but setting my loving priorities in the correct order. I was people pleasing and tried to love others before I loved myself. This frustrated me and others around me. I now fill myself before I pour into others, and what I pour out is high quality love.
You are a person of huge influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
I strive for a movement of forgiveness. Forgiving an abuser or anyone that has hurt us will set us free and give us back the peace that was taken with the injustice.
Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have lunch with, and why? Maybe we can tag them and see what happens!
Sarah Jakes Roberts
Are you on social media? How can our readers follow you online?
IG: RoiseRivera
Youtube: Rosie Rivera
Twitter: SoyRosieRivera
Tik Tok: soyrosierivera
This was so informative, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
About The Interviewer: Growing up in Canada, Edward Sylvan was an unlikely candidate to make a mark on the high-powered film industry based in Hollywood. But as CEO of Sycamore Entertainment Group Inc, (SEGI) Sylvan is among a select group of less than ten Black executives who have founded, own and control a publicly traded company. Now, deeply involved in the movie business, he is providing opportunities for people of color.
In 2020, he was appointed president of the Monaco International Film Festival, and was encouraged to take the festival in a new digital direction.
Raised in Toronto, he attended York University where he studied Economics and Political Science, then went to work in finance on Bay Street, (the city’s equivalent of Wall Street). After years of handling equities trading, film tax credits, options trading and mergers and acquisitions for the film, mining and technology industries, in 2008 he decided to reorient his career fully towards the entertainment business.
With the aim of helping Los Angeles filmmakers of color who were struggling to understand how to raise capital, Sylvan wanted to provide them with ways to finance their creative endeavors.
At Sycamore Entertainment he specializes in print and advertising financing, marketing, acquisition and worldwide distribution of quality feature-length motion pictures, and is concerned with acquiring, producing and promoting films about equality, diversity and other thought provoking subject matter which will also include nonviolent storytelling.
Also in 2020, Sylvan launched SEGI TV, a free OTT streaming network built on the pillars of equality, sustainability and community which is scheduled to reach 100 million U.S household televisions and 200 million mobile devices across Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Samsung Smart TV and others.
As Executive Producer he currently has several projects in production including The Trials of Eroy Brown, a story about the prison system and how it operated in Texas, based on the best-selling book, as well as a documentary called The Making of Roll Bounce, about the 2005 coming of age film which starred rapper Bow Wow and portrays roller skating culture in 1970’s Chicago.
He sits on the Board of Directors of Uplay Canada, (United Public Leadership Academy for Youth), which prepares youth to be citizen leaders and provides opportunities for Canadian high school basketball players to advance to Division 1 schools as well as the NBA.
A former competitive go kart racer with Checkered Flag Racing Ltd, he also enjoys traveling to exotic locales. Sylvan resides in Vancouver and has two adult daughters.
Sylvan has been featured in Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and has been seen on Fox Business News, CBS and NBC. Sycamore Entertainment Group Inc is headquartered in Seattle, with offices in Los Angeles and Vancouver.
Inspirational Women In Hollywood: How Rosie Rivera Is Helping To Shake Up The Entertainment… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.