Luis Rodriguez and his Steel Media team took over Tatel in Beverly Hills for back-to-back Super Bowl events. The open air gathering was packed with NFL legends as well as famous artists, influencers, and performers celebrating the Rams vs. Bengals matchup.
Rodriguez’s passion for all things NFL dates back to his college years. Originally from Honduras, Rodriguez landed at Saint Vincent College in Pennsylvania thanks to a soccer scholarship. During the summers, the private university hosted the Pittsburg Steelers for their annual NFL camp.
Rodriguez, who started as an intern, quickly rose to a vital role within the organization.
“The Steelers are one of Mexico’s favorite teams, and there’s a lot of incoming mail and emails with offers and requests,” Rodriguez shared. “Inside the organization, I was the most fluent in Spanish and I was assigned the task of handling the outreach.’
Rodriguez saw an immediate opportunity to implement policies to grow the South American fandom. “My business partner, Christian Septien, and I put together the first radio deal for the Steelers in Mexico for live NFL broadcasts,” Rodriguez shares.
By the second year, the duo had organized a Steelers football camp in Mexico that included VIP receptions, camps for adults and kids, and signings for the fans. “Each year we’ve expanded with more and more sponsors as well as a higher capacity for more fans to attend, but it always sells out in minutes,” Rodriguez shared.
Rodriguez has expanded his NFL dealings beyond the Steelers, which includes hosting The Big Game Super Bowl events through Steel media. “The superbowl is always a great opportunity to highlight brands and players, but also charities that are close too us,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez and Septien donate proceeds from each of their events to provide Cancer supplies to Mexican patients in honor of Spetien’s late wife, Lucia. “Lucia wanted to help kids deal with the cancer that she battled for ten years,” Rodriguez said. “We make sure that all of our events continue to honor that commitment.”
For the two nights leading up to the Rams vs. Bengals Super Bowl, Steel Media partnered with Knight Strategic Communications to turn Tatel into Beverly Hills’ hub for libations, entertainment, and honoring NFL legend Michael Irvin.
The NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver and three-time Super Bowl champ received two pieces of art from Artists Influencers Shlome Hayun (@shlome.art) and Leeza Taylor (@reisig_and_taylor).
The well-known NFL commentator received both pieces of art on the red carpet, as he shook hands with fans and posed for pictures.
“It’s a real honor to have your legacy cemented through art,” Irvin shared. “It means a lot when fans will go to that effort and they’re supporting a great cause at the event tonight.”
Irvin discussed the upcoming halftime show which featured Dr. Dre, Snoop Dog, Eminem, 50 Cent, and Mary J. Blige. “The last time we had a Super Bowl here it was the King of Pop, Michael Jackson,” said Irvin. “This halftime show it’s the Kings and Queen of Hip Hop.”
Irvin recalled playing in the Super Bowl that featured Jackson’s halftime performance. “I snuck out of the locker room to go and watch that, it was incredible.”
The night’s festivities culminated with a high energy and intimate performance by Ne-Yo. The three time Grammy winner had the crowd surrounding him as he performed through Tatel.
Ne-Yo spoke to Awards Focus after the performance, giving his take on the Super Bowl matchup and halftime show. “The Ram got this, Bengals just need to lie down and forfeit,” he joked. “The halftime show might actually be bigger than the game for me, those names were my whole high school playlist,” Ne-Yo said.
(Photo Credit: Shutterstock / Chelsea Lauren)
Additional talent in attendance included two-time Pro Bowl NFL wide receiver Dante Hall, film producer Randall Emmet, rapper Quavo, singer Paulina Aguirre, producer David Dubinsky, and influencer Jonathan Cheban among others.
