Meet Mia Lopez | Public Relations Specialist & Protocol Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mia Lopez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mia, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
It first began when my cousins and I started a website called www.sakapfet.com that was one of the first Haitian based website when the world wide web first began over 20 years ago before social media. Once I jumped into the media world of the Haitian community, I realized the needs of the Haitian Music Industry were vast. Artists, musicians, events and festivals were not getting the coverage and attention they deserved. I would go to these events and I would wonder why I didn’t see commercials and advertisement throughout the community for them. As I interviewed more and more musicians and promoters for the website, I asked around and realized that there wasn’t really a publicist or public relations specialist helping to lead them in the right direction. I decided to use my journalism background to help. Once I was hired as the PR person for one of the largest Haitian festivals in Miami, I realized that other festivals could utilize my services and I started M.I.A. Media, Inc.

What should our readers know about your business?
Today, I still play two roles. In my professional life as Director of Protocol for Miami-Dade County, I am able to utilize my knowledge and expertise to help guide the Mayor and Commissioners through their Protocol needs when they are charged with the duty to recognize dignitaries, VIPs and local constituents. I’ve worked under five Mayor’s and over a dozen Chairpersons since my tenure began in 1993. I have seen my community evolve and I’m most proud of my longevity, which is rare these days. In my second position as CEO of M.I.A. Media, Inc., from 1996 until today, being a woman in the music industry and still being respected and sought after means the world to me. Many times I feel like a veteran in the game because I have seen the birth and growth of so many artists that I’m actually proud to have witnessed so much and honestly without the veterans, who paves the way for the new generation to come in and create their own path? I think that having so much experience from the grassroots of building from the ground up to seeing my community thrive even in international markets is the greatest gift of all.
Many times people think “women can’t make it in the music industry or as leaders” but as someone who loves being behind the scenes, I can tell you that women are coming into their own and not asking for a seat at the table anymore, we are building our own table. When I first started in the music industry there were only about 3 or 4 women in the entire HMI (Haitian Music Industry) and those rumors of “who people slept with and how she got to where she is” were always rampant as in every industry, but to be at the head of the table, you build a tough skin to be able to stand on your own two feet. Even in my government job, I started as an intern, bringing coffee to the Mayor and making copies for Commission staff, and here I am decades later, one of only maybe a little over a dozen female County Department Directors. That speaks volumes to our progress as women.
I have learned along the way that what people say about you, what people think of you and how people feel about you is never bigger than how you see yourself. Respect is the one major aspect of any business. Respecting yourself, carrying yourself in a respectful manner, no matter what circumstance you find yourself in, and in maintaining that respect regardless of what you are going through. That has been my biggest lesson, knowing that my hard work got me into rooms with sitting Presidents, organizing security with Secret Service, watching 70,000 people sing word for word to their favorite songs from the stage at major events and being able to share my opinions to influence music videos and album releases.

I think one of the things I want people to remember is that no matter where you come from, what size you are, what experience you lack – it is your belief in yourself and the confidence in your talent that will open doors you never thought imaginable. I personally always strive to leave a place better than when I found it.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
As a Cuban Haitian American I’m taking you on an experience. No we aren’t going to typical Brickell and South Beach hangouts, though I love Papi Steak, but we are going on a downhome excursion to get you acclimated to what Miami is really about. We are going to Key Biscayne to walk the Rickenbaucker bridge during sunrise so you can enjoy the elevated views of the water and the Miami Skyline. We are going to breakfast at Versailles because everybody needs a Cafe con Leche evaporada clarito y dulce and a tostada in their life. We are headed for a drive to Key Largo to get some drinks at Gilberts and just enjoy the sounds of some music. We are headed back to Miami and going to Little Haiti and getting some fried shrimp, a whole snapper and some griot at Chef Creole under the Tiki hut so you feel the Miami heat correctly and then we are having drinks at Cafe La Trova, listening to some live music and enjoying Miami at its most relax state. The Sun, the Vibes, the Food and the Energy of Miami.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My shoutout is a little more personal because it goes out to my kids and my mom. Being a single mom, working two jobs for the majority of my career, there have been plenty of business trips, long nights in the studio and countless meetings, where I had to miss school pick-ups, dance rehearsals and doctors appointments. My mom was instrumental in never making me feel less than as a mom because I had to work harder than most to provide a certain lifestyle for my kids. My kids were also very understanding. Even when I did school drop offs and pick-ups after my first job, got home in time to make dinner, check homework and tuck them into bed, before headed to my second job and coming home at 4am to be up and ready for breakfast and school drop offs again at 6:30am, they always made me feel present and loved. Even in their younger years they were my little cheering squad and still push me today to dream bigger. Though my village has been small, my mom and kids deserve the ultimate prize for helping me find the balance I needed to do what I do.

Instagram: mialopez1

Linkedin: Mia Lopez

Twitter: MialopezHTC

Facebook: Mia Lopez

Image Credits
Mia Lopez