Check Out Hector Perez-Roman’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hector Perez-Roman.

Hi Hector, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Being a radio host was never on my radar until 2019 when I ran into Angel, a college buddy, who shared he was part of a new radio station in the San Fernando Valley – Radio Ollin KROJ on 101.5FM – and encouraged me to join this startup venture. After some time and thought, I jumped at the opportunity. To help me start this journey, I called Rocio, a former student, who accepted my proposition to co-host with me. I will forever be grateful to Rocio and Angel for being part of the first steps of this journey.

The original name for the show was Valley Voices but we changed it right before our first show to Valley Views SFV, it was both a play on words since the Valley offers so many viewpoints but also to connect with the vision of providing a view into the success and extraordinary gifts of individuals from the San Fernando Valley and beyond.

Valley Views SFV’s mission aims to uplift stories of brilliant people, organizations, businesses and social movements that have a positive impact on the San Fernando Valley and beyond through deep and fun discussions at the intersectionality of politics, economics, culture, art, and music.

Since the first show in December of 2019, I have made a concerted effort to reach out to all my contacts and networks to highlight at least one individual per show. Through countless networking and relationship building within the community, I have been honored and blessed to have Valley Views SFV highlight over 300 individual stories ranging from musicians, entrepreneurs, social media influencers, actors, and activists to elected officials. Getting to where I am today with Valley Views SFV has taken a lot of genuine connections with individuals and built a crew that is exceptionally talented. The work I have been able to achieve is in large part, thanks to the Valley Views SFV crew!

Today, we are fortunate enough to be on-air on Sundays (10am-12pm) and Thursdays (7pm-9pm), be part of a variety of special community events, collaborate with community organizations, developed an internship program, have a dynamic crew, carry a robust list of guests scheduled months ahead of time, and looking for creative outlets to continue our growth and impact in the community.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As a host and executive producer of Valley Views SFV on KROJ, I have faced a variety of financial and technical struggles but it has also made the experience much more rewarding as I have learned, along the way, how to overcome such obstacles and build with others. I am very thankful to KROJ President Francisco Javier Verdin and the entire KROJ board, which I am now a part of, for trusting me to be part of the operations of the radio station.

The initial challenge was all about content. I was terrified about not having enough content to fill two on-air hours. As I started booking guests and interviewing them, I found that process to be extremely fun and engaging and would quickly realize that running out of time was a lot more common than filling up two hours! Another struggle I am constantly overcoming is finding sponsorships and donors to help build a talented team to grow all aspects of our platform, from social media and audio engineer interns to community crew members and photographers. Although this is a constant challenge, I have been able to secure a variety of sponsorships and donors over the past two years.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Valley Views SFV is unique to our community in its hyperlocal media broadcasting platform that is part of a public radio entity – KROJ – but goes beyond the airwaves to really make authentic connections. Our deep roots in the community range from small business owners, activists, political candidates, government representatives, community leaders, musicians, visual artists, non-profit organizations, and event organizers. These bridges I have helped to build enhance the ability for our community to come together to inform each other of their talented work and gifts but also find meaningful ways to support one another through participation in community events.

For me, I don’t see competition in what I do but instead see the abundance of the universe as a space for all of us to thrive. This is the approach I have taken while getting to know all the individuals I have met since launching Valley Views SFV on KROJ in December of 2019.

What makes me the most proud about creating Valley Views SFV is the amount of love and support I have been able to provide to so many community members by sharing their paths to success in a variety of industries and social spaces. I hope to continue Valley Views SFV on KROJ for years to come and build a wider audience that will provide an authentic platform for our community to engage and uplift one another.

What were you like growing up?
Soon after I was born, my parents took a job opportunity in Alaska and I was left with my grandparents in Mexico. Growing up with my extended family for about 3 years gave me access to so many family members to interact with. Growing up, I was a social butterfly. I loved to interact with my peers, in fact, many of my elementary teachers would comment on how much I talked. Not sure if it was always the right time to talk, but definitely enjoyed the socialization part of school.

In elementary, I was part of an amazing bilingual program and learned Spanish and English, which meant I had more words to use when hanging out with my family and friends. Although I like to be around people, I also was good at listening to others and learning from them – especially my grandmothers, parents, aunts, and uncles. I was interested in personal stories and enjoyed hearing the variety of trials and tribulations, fun adventures, and the overall human interactions my family shared with me. This is probably why being a radio host feels like such a natural extension of who I am – I can apply the right balance of listening and talking while having fun socializing with community members.

Pricing:

• Sponsorship for 1 show – $100
• Sponsorship for 2 shows – $175
• Sponsorship for 3 shows – $250
• Sponsorship for 4 shows – $340
• Sponsorship for 5 shows – $400

Contact Info:

• Website: https://radioollin.org/valley-views/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valleyviewssfv/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valleyviewssfv
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/valleyviewssfv
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtuAkMSz_jBkrxgeR2eBtrQ
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/valleyviews
• Other: https://linktr.ee/valleyviews

Image Credits
Valley Views SFV Photographers: Joel Pulido, Naraly Rabago, and Carlos Sanchez.