This week, we’re thrilled to highlight Rubi Chavez, who recently joined the Tastemade team as the Head of Marketing. In her new role, Rubi will focus on building out the company’s global brand and marketing strategy, overseeing content that resonates with Tastemade’s 300 million+ monthly viewers across all major digital, mobile, and streaming television platforms.
Rubi was drawn to Tastemade not only for its award-winning original programming and global reach, but also for its deep connection to Spanish-speaking audiences. In 2020, the brand introduced Tastemade en Español—a Spanish-language channel with over 175 hours of programming that reaches over 75 million households in the U.S. with a diverse library of food, travel, and home and design content.
With Hispanic Heritage Month underway, Rubi reflects on the ways in which Tastemade celebrates the diversity and beauty of Hispanic and Latinx culture, both externally through their content and internally through their programming. “At Tastemade, we believe in celebrating diversity both in front of and behind the cameras,” she explains. “With the launch of our ‘Be The Change’ resource page, partners and consumers can get involved by finding more information on Hispanic- and Latinx-owned businesses, books to read, podcasts to listen to, and more.”
Keep reading for Rubi’s reflections on her first-ever job, the most memorable piece of career advice she’s ever received, and what she sees ahead for Tastemade.
Rubi Chavez, Head of Marketing at Tastemade
Name: Rubi Chavez
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Currently based in: Los Angeles, CA
Describe yourself in three(ish) words: Creative, hard-working, and curious
I feel inspired when: I challenge myself with a new creative project (e.g., a home design project or planning a party).
Outside of work you’ll find me: in the kitchen, trying out new recipes.
Congratulations on your new role at Tastemade! You have an incredible history in the brand and marketing space. Can you tell us a bit about your career trajectory and what drew you to Tastemade?
I’ve worked in entertainment marketing for 20 years. Before joining Tastemade, I was Vice President of Marketing at Entertainment One, where I was responsible for brand, content, and B2B marketing for the U.S., Canada, and LATAM. Prior to that, I was Executive Director of International Marketing at NBCUniversal. I spent 17 years at Comcast/NBCUniversal, most notably launching 16 E! International networks in 153 countries in 24 languages. I also spent 5 years in London as Director of Marketing, EMEA, building the E! and The Style Network brands and driving viewership to the networks across Europe, Middle East, and Africa, making them household names.
My big personal passions are cooking, home and design, and travel. This—coupled with my work passions of working in a global entertainment company that celebrates diverse cultures—was what drew me to Tastemade.
As the Head of Marketing, what are a few of the top priorities you see for you and your team in the year ahead?
A big area of focus for us this year and next are our 24-hour streaming networks. This is the fastest-growing part of our business. We want to be where our consumers are, both on social media and streaming, and provide quality lifestyle content aimed at the Gen Z and Millennial audiences.
Tastemade has always been committed to diverse voices and untold stories from around the world. Currently in the U.S. we have three streaming networks—Tastemade, Tastemade en Español and Tastemade Travel—as well as local 24-hour networks in Brazil, LATAM, UK, EMEA, Asia, etc.
In what ways does your work (past, present, and/or volunteer) empower women?
I’ve worked in entertainment marketing for the past 20 years, in particular with female lifestyle entertainment brands. I think bringing quality content and storytelling to women across the globe helps empower women to live out their passions for food, travel, home and design, fashion, beauty and pop culture, which helps them to become better versions of themselves and to fully enjoy what they are passionate about.
When I became a mother, I started to volunteer at Baby 2 Baby, a charitable organization that helps children living in poverty by providing basic necessities such as diapers, clothing, toiletries, and school supplies. I understood firsthand the responsibility mothers have to provide for their children; volunteering was a way I could help and empower mothers to receive the support they needed to provide for their children.
Image courtesy of Tastemade
As part of Hispanic Heritage Month, it sounds like you and the Tastemade team are doing some amazing things to celebrate the diverse and rich Latin culture. Can you speak to some of the ways in which you’re bringing more representation and awareness of Latinx and Hispanic culture to the entertainment/media industry?
Hispanic Heritage Month is a great way to celebrate the diversity and beauty of the Hispanic/Latinx culture. At Tastemade, we believe in celebrating diversity both in front of and behind the cameras. We celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month with our biggest campaign to date, creating a series of promos that are running all month long across our 24-hour streaming networks to celebrate the culture and traditions of the Hispanic/Latinx culture. We also created and programmed a variety of Hispanic/Latinx-focused social content across our social platforms to celebrate the diverse culture and to promote local Hispanic/Latinx businesses. With the launch of our “Be The Change” resource page, partners and consumers can get involved by finding more information on Hispanic/Latinx-owned businesses, books to read, podcasts to listen to, and more.
It’s also important to celebrate diversity internally, so we created a series of events for our employees, including a talk with TEDx speaker, Monica Rivera, called “Latin Like Me,” to help inform and embrace our heritage and the duality of being a Hispanic/Latinx American.
Inclusion and equity aren’t just trends. In what ways would you like to ensure Latinx and Hispanic voices stay at the forefront of the conversation beyond Hispanic Heritage Month, particularly in the marketing world?
Diverse representation is such an important topic. It’s increased over time, which is a positive change; however, we still have a long way to go, not only in front of the cameras, but also behind the cameras. When there’s diversity in organizations—and especially when those people are top decision-makers or in leadership positions—diversity starts to become endemic and part of the norm.
Also, I would love to see more representation of the many diverse backgrounds within the Hispanic/Latinx community as it’s not just one size fits all. Latinos are still seen as a homogeneous group by many, but we represent over 20 Latin countries. There’s room to see these different backgrounds represented in marketing and advertising and not just put into one bucket.
Can you tell us about your first-ever job?
My first-ever job was a seasonal retail sales associate at the Gap. I was only 16 years old and didn’t have any work experience, but what I did have was a positive attitude, a willingness to learn, and a strong work ethic. These values really helped me to navigate the hectic Christmas sales period. This is where I started to learn firsthand about consumer behavior, as well as the power of marketing and brands.
What’s one super memorable piece of career advice you’ve received?
One of the best pieces of career advice I have received was from my former boss at Comcast/NBCUniversal. I was up for a promotion. It was to either receive a higher title at my then-job based in LA, or get the opportunity to move abroad without the title, but gain experience and responsibility. He told me that sometimes the best things are not always handed to you on a silver platter; sometimes you need to go with your gut feeling and hope that things will turn out the way you want them to.
I took a leap of faith and chose the opportunity to move abroad. Not too long after, I got the title I wanted—ending up with both the things I was working so hard for. That’s how I learned that sometimes you have to go with your gut feeling and trust you’re making the right decision; it won’t always be handed to you.
Connect with Rubi here, and with Tastemade on LinkedIn and Instagram.
