We recently connected with Mario Larios and have shared our conversation below.
Mario, thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with us today. We’re excited to dive into your story and your work, but first let’s start with a broader topic that might be stopping many of our readers from pursuing their dreams – haters, nay-sayers, etc. How have you managed to persist despite haters and nay-sayers that inevitably follow folks who are doing something unique, special or off the beaten path?
I do it through work, believing in who I am and what I do! I don’t listen to what is said against me, I pay attention to both my work and that of my clients, to what they think and their satisfaction with the final result. Worrying about “what others say” means I’d only seek to solve situations and not improving and proposing, at the end of the day in this work it’s very important to build and create solid foundations despite obstacles. The stronger the foundations, the easier it’ll be to overcome any problem.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
The beginning of my professional career dates back 20 years ago. Like many stories, I was a young man with a great desire to achieve great things. I kept seeking an opportunity that would allow me to build a career in an industry I knew little about back then. I have to confess I had no clue what it meant to be part of the Entertainment world and most definitely not about Mexican Regional Music.
After a few weeks at Communication and Public Relations University, I met the CEO of a Mexican regional music magazine. While we were chatting, he offered me an initial position as an editorial assistant. After a few years, I became a reporter and worked my way through it.
I was not an expert about the genre, especially since my dad raised us listening to classical music and opera. After a few changes in the magazine’s organization, a new general director was appointed, Mr. Arturo Rivera, a well-known Publicist.
He established his agency and I went to work with him. I consider him my first mentor in the industry, he helped me propel my career, we were working side by side which allowed me to learn from his experience and build a strong network. Back then our talent roster included some of the most representative artists of regional Mexican music such as Banda el Recodo, Pepe Aguilar, Jenni Rivera, Intocable, Duelo…etc. The PR agency became at that time one of the most important Regional Press offices in Mexico with a strong positioning in the USA and LATAM.
After over 10 years working together, Arturo is involved in a tragic airplane accident alongside Famous singer Jenni Rivera, where both of them and 5 more people died.
This whole unexpected life-changing experience led me to create my own company “Parte 1”, intending to continue a legacy, and also as a tribute.
I felt Mr. Rivera prepared me to create my path, and continue promoting and transforming the Mexican regional music industry.
Parte 1 is a specialized agency oriented towards Press Management, PR and Crisis management for music artists. We have been recognized as the biggest agency in Regional Music in México, with a presence in the US.
A few years ago, we built a strategic alliance with an LA-based agency, with the aim of expanding the business towards the whole continent.
I ́ve been recognized for my 20+ years of experience in the industry, and all the achievements we have accomplished over the years.
I am very passionate about every single one of the projects I represent, and will always try to enhance them. One of our strengths at Parte 1 is the loyalty and attention we put behind every artist. Most of our roster has been working with us for several years, allowing us to get to know them and keep delivering and exceeding their expectations.
I have multiple achievements that I am extremely proud of, such as the development of Angela Aguilar musical career, with whom I have been working for ten years. The positioning and growth of Pepe Aguilar, one of the most resounding voices of contemporary Mexican popular music across the globe getting international press coverage and positioning. Recently, I was appointed Press & Communications Director for Guns N ́Roses and Jonas Brothers tours in Mexico.
On the other hand, my career has also allowed me to reach out and become part of important institutions like St Jude, where one of my clients, Rio Roma, wrote and performed the official anthem as a tribute to the Children’s Hospital.
After working with over 100 artists over the years, I have lost track of how many interviews, press releases, performances, deals and award shows we have under our belt.
If I could give any advice to the community, it would be to keep in mind that the artists are humans too. They also have a personal life behind the stage. Not everything is as bright as it may seem. When they decide to pursue their passion and turn it into a job, my role as PR is to guide them, support them and enhance them to give their fans the best version of themselves,
I am the link between the artist and the media. Therefore, the message we send has to be clear and precise.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Without a doubt, they are perseverance, putting your heart on it and never accepting a “no” for an answer; on the contrary, you have to seek above it all to reach both the objective and the goal. The best advice I can give you is to believe in yourself, in your abilities and to always be willing to learn and listen, to never believe that you know and can do everything, but to open up to opinions and to the fact that you cannot achieve things on your own.
In my area of work you can always improve and the best ally is time, because that’s what will give you maturity and experience… It’s very important to believe in yourself, to create bonds of trust with artists and the media, so that they know that the one by their side will always look after their interests and take care of even the smallest detail so that they are ok.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
The main obstacle is the self imposed demand that one places as we look forward to achieve a bigger growth and reach, but while it could set you back, it can be used to push you further as long as you remember to always be honest with yourself and who you work for. I think that the basis of everything in this job is building solid trust and communication, when that breaks it can be very difficult to get it back, that’s why we should aim to give our best in each project, because that is precisely what speaks of oneself and the work done stands as proof to it.
I also think it is very important to believe and to love what you do, that’s a great way to solve out any challenge that may arise. If you don’t believe in your project or you don’t give your all, then there is no point in being there. The same goes if you work on something else, there’s nothing better than being happy in your environment because that will always give better results.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.parte1.com
- Instagram: @mario_larios
- Twitter: @mario_larios
Image Credits
Carlos Latapi Personal Archive
