Today we’d like to introduce you to Carlos Aguilar.
Hi Carlos, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
It’s one thing to say, “I’ve been influenced by movies” and another to realize I’ve lived my adolescent and adult life as if auditioning for a role in the never-released, Beat Streat 2. I guess that’s just another way of saying, as an 80s baby, I frame my story through the lens of hip hop where the values of creativity, community, commerce, and competition thrive. Even more, I enjoy bridging the gap between disparate cultures, which explains some of my work around hip hop, religion, comedy, coffee, and the Latinx and Black creative economies.
I went to high school in one of the craziest varrios in Los Angeles, escaped to Brandeis in Waltham, MA for a year, only to return to Los Angeles to finish my undergraduate degree at Occidental College. I went on to get an MA in the Phil of Religion from Talbot School of Theology. All the while I rapped under the moniker Bookworm Brown. I landed my first TV writing job with Mun2, Telemundo’s English language netlet targeting bi-cultural Latinos. It was a blast. I went on to write and produce TV for 12 years with Associated Television, where I traveled the country producing fun stories for a series of TV programs, including Bristol Palin’s Lifetime series that sent me to the Palin compound in Wasila. I’ve spent the last 6 years working in advertising, launching branded and social campaigns for Fortune 500 brands, celebs, and athletes.
In 2021, I started Mestizo Coffee out of an interest to bring top-shelf coffee experiences to brown and black consumers.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The most difficult challenges have been internal: small thinking, a laxed approach to opportunities, and consistency. One the one hand, I’m thankful for my life, family, career, and friends. I also know that there is so much more to life and that I’m scratching forward to claim more of that for me and mine.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As Editorial Director at an ad agency, I wear a number of hats, including creative and social strategy, copywriting, and production. I’ve worked on campaigns for Magic Johnson, Steve Harvey, and Kevin Hart, as well as brands like AT&T, California State Lottery, and Spotify. I also keep a dad blog at bigbrowndad.com where I document the comedic experience of raising a family as Mexican American in Los Angeles.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
My wife, Angie, and kids, Joaquin and Maya, are a constant reminder for why I do any of this at all: to move our family beyond existing expectations so that we can enjoy the best that our brief time on earth has to offer. I wouldn’t be the writer or have the critical thinking skills I have without my grandmother’s determination that I get an education. Mestizo wouldn’t be one of the fastest-growing DTC specialty coffee brands without the support of our customers, the hard work of our roasting and distribution team, the graphic designers and musicians who collaborated on our projects. Lastly, I joined an online community of Latinx movers and shakers called #CASAFAM and I’ve found the folks to be generous and wise.
Pricing:
- $40 Monthly Mestizo Subscription
- $25 Neon Chocolate
- $33.33 Black Love
- $33.33 The Tonic
Contact Info:
- Email: carlos@mestizo.coffee
- Website: www.mestizo.coffee
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mestizocoffee/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bigbrowndad
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrbigbrowndad
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCORSwCad-kItCBmXBjCrjtQ
