Revolutionizing the Festival Space with Alicia Zertuche

Welcome to our Power of Audio Podcast. This episode is part of our Pandora Presents Pass the Mic series—an initiative that amplifies women’s voices in the audio industry and explores how audio has played a role in their success.

A veteran in the event production space for over 20 years, Pandora’s Nidia Serrano chatted with Alicia Zertuche in celebration of LatinX and Hispanic Heritage Month. After 20 years at SXSW, Alicia is taking on the new frontier of artist booking in the digital space.

Alicia is a proud Mexican-American who’s search for Latin music in the pop-culture, as a college student, drew her to the music industry. A chemical engineering major at UT Austin, Alicia is a shining example of forging an unknown path—as she carved out a career for herself in a music festival genre that barely existed. She’s considered one of the leaders in bringing Spanish Rock, Pop, Alternative, and Hip Hop music to the Austin airwaves in the 90s, named one of the Wonder Women of Latin Music 2020 honorees. From pioneering her own radio show, to being the visionary behind SXAméricas Music, Film, and Interactive programming, Alicia has always taken risks in her career despite quite often being the only female in the room.

Tune in to hear more about Alicia’s journey...

• Representing the multiple sub-genres of Latin music at SXSW—and the huge responsibility that comes with it

• Relying on mentors for career guidance and support

• Preserving in the face of Latina stereotyping and colleagues who “just don’t work well with women”

Host: Nidia Serrano Executive; Producer: Ella Tatum