Jack Rico: A Trailblazing Jack of All Trades 

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By Andre LaFontant

Latinx entertainment journalist and podcaster Jack Rico is blazing a new trail as the bilingual host of NBC/Telemundo’s Consumer 101, the first-ever television program from nonprofit organization Consumer Reports. “When I got this job I quickly learned about comedy, energy, and what those mean for television. There was parlance that I was unaware of and I had to raise my already established natural energy to seem much more engaging for all ages.”

A dynamic and inquisitive personality, Rico eagerly took the challenge. “I consider myself a part of a talented generation. Most working people today have side hustles and companies are looking for someone that does four or five things well because that’s just media. ‘We need a podcast, we need an Instagram, we need a tv show.’ Opportunities like that have my name all over it.”

Rico is able to shift the needle on Latinx representation in the media. “People are starting to see Consumer Reports as a multicultural brand and that’s good,” he comments. “I hope this show can leave a mark for the next generation of people who don’t feel like there is a place for them on TV, because there is.”

While hosting Consumer 101 is cementing a part of Jack Rico’s professional legacy, he remarks that “what I do off-air truly defines me. I’m one of those people that loves media of all types and wants to be plugged in completely; it keeps me young, connected, and intellectually-aware.”

Jack Rico’s podcast “Highly Relevant” focuses on the way Latinx pop culture interacts with mainstream pop culture and media. “People are not one-dimensional,” states Rico. “When I’m not working at NBC/Telemundo, I’m creating Latinx content as a Latinx entertainment journalist within mainstream media. My work allows me to be a speaker, an advocate, and champion of Latinx culture here in the US.”

“Personally, being a person of color in 2019 means creating our own beauty and sharing it with everyone we possibly can, not just with our own demographics,” he says. “My responsibility is trying to make you understand my culture so we can make creative, multicultural collaborations.”