Today we’d like to introduce you to Reinaldo Torres Jr.
Hi Reinaldo, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
My story begins like a thriller literally. I was born on October 27th, 1990, in Miami, Florida. My mother was in the second week of her 7th month of pregnancy, and I came early. I weighed 2 pounds. Right after birth, I suffered a massive stroke and wasn’t expected to survive. In fact, the doctors told my parents to prepare for my funeral and If I survived, I wouldn’t be able to talk, walk, or speak. Luckily, the man upstairs had other plans. Fast forward a few years, my grandmother Marie Torres, who is a retired educator, instilled in me the importance of reading and so, because I didn’t have many friends growing up, my head was always in a book. One day, my grandparents George and Marie brought a children’s book back home from vacation, and during breakfast one morning, my grandmother noticed I was reciting lines from the book without looking at it. This started a career as a motivational speaker at 6 years old.
The problem was, by time I time I got to High School, I was burnt out and I wanted nothing to do with a career in Television or Media at all. When I started college at St. Thomas University in 2010, my speech professor encouraged me to take a television production course and I suddenly found myself intrigued with television production and producing. Then when I graduated with my bachelor’s degree in Communications in 2013, I took a year off to find myself professionally, and my heart was telling me I needed to tell stories, so I followed my heart, went back to St Thomas University, and enrolled in the Masters of Science in Management Program. During this time, one of my professors Dr. Lisa Knowles encouraged me to explore my entrepreneurial side. With her help, I wrote my business plan and started my company RGT Media Productions.
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?
For me, the biggest challenge was getting started! I graduated with my master’s in 2017 and worked on my web series script for 4 years before I decided to put it out there. There was a lot of fear of the unknown, and fear of visibility. Becoming an entrepreneur was definitely not a career path I saw myself taking after college. So, I had to adopt a new identity and a new mindset, and that was not easy.
The second obstacle/Challenge was developing my process. After writing the script, now I had to figure out how I was going to take this idea into the marketplace and create an opportunity for myself and those around me. And there is a lot of work involved that. There is finding the cast and crew, there is finding funding and managing the budget, marketing, and troubling shooting when things go wrong. It was very overwhelming for me because I didn’t have it all figured out, I didn’t have a lot experience or credibility like some of my classmates, or the people who I followed on social media, so my immediate thought was, “who was going to watch my work?” Was anyone going to take me seriously as writer? Then I had some people telling me, I should do something else instead following my dreams. One piece of advice I would give to anyone reading this is, do not let fear, self-doubt, or anyone’s opinions stop you from creating the life you want. I will also say that building trust, and authentic relationships with the people around you helps your business thrive and flourish, because there will be challenges, but when you build a team, it doesn’t have to be lonely at the top. You can learn from the people around you, and you can lean on them when times get tough!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am an actor, writer, producer, and motivational speaker. My Production Company RGT MEDIA Productions produces web series and tv shows. Currently, I am in production with my company’s first Web Series called “The Associates.” I love crime dramas. That is where a lot of the inspiration for my writing comes from.
I am most proud of the fact that I stuck with this path and vision and saw it through.
What sets me apart from others is my work ethic and my personality. Once I decide to do something, I go ALL In. I am a big believer in “Treat Others how you want to be treated.”
What matters most to you?
My family and friends matter most to me because it takes a village to do anything and when you have the support of family and great friends, you can do ANYTHING! My mom, my dad, my grandparents have been my rock through it all. My friends, especially those on my team, including Daniel Block, Marc Jacir, Andrew Perez, Shaun Grant, Tavahni Quarterman, and Rayshawn Coleman have become my family. There is nothing I would not do for them because I when I started this process, they held me up!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @rgt_media
