Today we’d like to introduce you to Jorge Moreno.
Hi Jorge, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I am born & raised in Miami to Cuban parents that came to Miami as kids in the late 50’s. My father had a Latin record label from 1980s-2011 so I grew up in the business of music. I went to 12 schools growing up and being Adhd I was usually kicked out of them for bad behavior… after graduating high school in 92 I was in a trio band and we tried getting a record deal for several years till we broke up when I was 24.
After a few more years making demos solo, I was courted by Emi as a songwriter and then discovered by Madonna as a singer and signed to her label (Maverick) as the first Latin music artist. I won a Latin Grammy for best new artist in 2002. In 2004, on the brink of releasing my sophomore album Maverick dissolved and I was left without a record company. I did a song with Carlos Santana called Satellite for the Movie Dirty Dancing part 2 (Havana Nights) under Clive Davis. I then decided to independently release my album and distribute it through my father‘s Latin label. I tried being the artist, producer, promoter of my own music career and That is when I received my first big lesson of business… that you cannot try to do everything on your own. I got married soon after in 2006 and had my firstborn “Romeo” in 2007. As the touring began to wind down and missing my wife and son, I decided to try my hand in video production and opened a company called Beach Pictures. We started doing some reality show pilots and got a big show on the CW Netwerk based on a hotel on South Beach called the Catalina.
After that production, the owners of the hotel offered me a restaurant space in one of their newly built buildings and that is where I opened my first restaurant called Moreno’s cuba. The restaurant was a success and I bought property in a promising part of Miami called Wynwood, I built another bar restaurant called Mr. Wright’s Gold Digger saloon which also became a success. So I went from musician to tv producer to restauranteur in a 15 years span. Then I bought the next door properties to Mr Wright and made boutique Airbnbs out of them that can accommodate up to 38 people. Then covid hit. I closed both restaurants and my successful airbnbs got clobbered. I quickly pivoted to short-term rentals for people displaced due to the pandemic. As the pandemic started to stabilize, my restaurants and air B&Bs started to thrive. I then expanded by buying property in North Carolina where I am currently finishing phase 2 on six units that can accommodate a total of 60 people. I am also in the middle of the permitting process to open a 20,000 square-foot music events/bar restaurant next to my other Wynwood Miami bar. When that’s done, I will continue the process of getting back to my first love, Music. Having completed two new songs a few months ago… it’s a different world than when this all started so wish me luck.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I consider myself an artist. I find creative ways to overcome life’s obstacles.
I trust my instincts and work extremely hard to achieve anything I have and I am equally grateful to be in a position where my obstacles have been only those of climbing a social or financial ladder and not those being hungry or being silenced.
First world problems are not real problems.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Drive, creativity and balls.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.MorenosCuba.com
- Instagram: MorenosCuba
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JorgeMoreno23
- Twitter: @JorgeMoreno_com
- Youtube: @Boho_Miami
- Other: www.BohoHouseMiami.com
Image Credits
Red eye on photo that says red eye.
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