Like many of us, Liz Rebecca lives in the hyphenate. She grew up between the U.S. and Venezuela, watching her mother on the air on Univision, while shaping her own American dream. Her current role — as founder and executive director of Pulso, a non-profit media outlet – marries her many talents and interests.
Q. There are so many ways of being Latina. What is your favorite part or favorite way to be Latina?
A. Being myself! And keeping my Venezuelan traditions alive- making hallacas at Christmas, dancing tambores at weddings, singing “Ay que noche tan preciosa” during everybody’s birthday, etc.
Q. You are a woman of many talents. What is your superpower that helped you get to where you are now?
A. I think it’s my energy- both the energy that I give off when I’m at my best- my friends would describe me as warm – but also my literal energy. I’ve realized that I can do so many things and not be tired. I wake up and am already de buen humor and ready to go. I can also task switch well — not multitask — but task switch and compartmentalize. My big energy has also helped me be a mom, have a business, be a wife, be a friend, and be involved in my community.
Q. Tell us about a time that you were underestimated. What comes to mind?
A. When I was working at Univision, I wanted to transition from a producer role to being on-air and as a woman with curly hair, the expectation was that I would straighten my hair. I didn’t. I took a pivot to starting media, rather than making media, and now, as a political commentator and entrepreneur, I have continued to resist the idea that you have to look a certain way to belong in different spaces.
Q. Tell us about growing up.
A. I grew up in San Jose, California until I was 7, and then South Florida. My parents came here from Venezuela thinking that they would go to college and go back, but instead, they stayed. Growing up was a bicultural experience for me in every aspect. I spent every summer in Venezuela until I was 15, and we’d go back for Christmas often, too. It was a unique experience to be able to really inhabit both worlds, and it’s interesting to share it with people because I’m “the exception” when it comes to what many would assume is a burden-ridden immigration story of many families.
Q. I wonder if you can share a bit about your professional journey and how you’ve married your different skills and professional experiences.
A. First, I “grew up” in media with my mom, a broadcast journalist and writer with a vocation for communicating on behalf of her community, so that’s where it started. Then, I studied international relations, and in 2016 – like many of us, I was “radicalized.” I knew I wanted to work in media to serve Latinos as the threats to my community grew, and the opportunity arose to work with a media incubator called Accelerate Change. They were looking for someone with experience in politics, media, and fundraising and I was wondering how this could be. That’s literally me! So, I was hired as a solopreneur to start a new media outlet that eventually became Pulso and here we are six years later. Personally, my political journey hasn’t really “married” with the Pulso trajectory. I think Venezuelans, by being in South Florida and the local political dynamics, are in danger of having our story oversimplified as belonging to a single political party. I haven’t yet added those nuances and the perspective to the Pulso content library, but I hope to do that soon as part of our growth.
Q. How do you describe it, for members of our audience who haven’t yet come across Pulso?
A. Pulso is a media outlet where we share Latino history that no one has taught us, as well as commentary that you won’t find anywhere else. We are on Instagram, TikTok, we have a newsletter, and a podcast in production right now for its fifth season. We also send texts whenever relevant and use Facebook Messenger for get-out-the-vote campaigns. Anywhere Latinos are spending time is where we hope to be.
Q. Pulso is a success story. What do you think is the key to that success?
A. Failing a lot and learning from the things that haven’t worked. Also embracing audience feedback. We ask them often what they want from us and do our best to stop doing what they don’t like and do more of what they do like while staying true to our mission.
Q. Who is someone else we should feature on Informada?
Joan Godoy, the CEO of the Miami-based Radical Partners, a social impact accelerator, and Luisana Perez, who serves as the director for Coalitions Hispanic Media for the Joe Biden administration.