Check Out Christopher Rodriguez’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christopher Rodriguez.

Hi Christopher, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m a Creative Director and Creative Producer whose work is the result of a long, intentional chain reaction—rooted in community, shaped by service, and refined through culture.

I was born and raised in Houston, Texas, and my foundation was built long before creative titles or brand activations. For more than 20 years, I worked within the mental health field, beginning in case management and later expanding into marketing and business development. That work placed me directly inside communities often overlooked—particularly BIPOC communities—where I witnessed firsthand the impact of stigma, lack of access, and the absence of culturally relevant storytelling around mental wellness.

Those years became my groundwork. Advocacy taught me how to listen. Case management taught me how to problem-solve under pressure. Marketing taught me how to communicate with intention. Each chapter quietly prepared me for the next.

Creativity became the bridge.

As I moved deeper into cultural work, I began translating lived experience into narrative driven concepts using art, music, fashion, and experiential design as tools for connection. This evolution led me to Heist Agency, where I’ve served as a Creative Producer and project-based Creative Director, contributing to select initiatives from concept development through execution. In that capacity, I’ve helped shape culturally resonant experiences including Hottieween (a Heist Agency–produced event for Megan Thee Stallion), Black Baron Cowboy Ball, Chicas Hottie World, and Heist House at SXSW—projects that balance spectacle with intention and community relevance.

Through my work with Heist, I’ve also collaborated on activations and experiences connected to global brands such as Lululemon, Foot Locker, Crown Royal, and DeLeón Tequila helping translate brand values into culturally grounded moments that feel authentic rather than transactional.

One defining creative moment during this chapter came with Hottieween, where I developed the Chainsaw Massacre inspired experiential concept that shaped the atmosphere and storytelling of the night. That project marked a clear turning point for me where instinct, lived experience, and creative confidence fully aligned.

In parallel, my role as Creative Director for Lee Baron allowed me to further sharpen my approach to storytelling through community. My work there centers on using sneakers as cultural artifacts anchoring activations in history, access, and shared experience. Through that lens, I’ve helped shape and execute community-driven projects including Adidas: The Future Is Feeling, Power in Bloom, Backpack the Block, AJ11 Block Party: ‘96 Energy, Brick by Brick, and Run Club each designed to uplift local voices while honoring legacy and movement.

Today, my work lives at the intersection of culture and care. I specialize in sensory storytelling and experiential activations, leading creative teams to deliver seamless, high-impact experiences without losing sight of the people they’re meant to serve. Mental wellness advocacy remains a constant through line in my work not as an add on, but as a responsibility woven naturally into how and why I create.

I’m a husband and father, driven by legacy as much as innovation. My mission is simple but uncompromising: to build meaningful work, strengthen communities, and help others realize their vision while putting out dope shit that actually matters.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Not at all and I’m grateful for that. Two weeks before the world shut down due to COVID, I was laid off from my marketing director role after the company went out of business. Overnight, I went from stability to uncertainty, navigating unemployment and job searches in the middle of a global crisis. It was humbling and, at times, defeating.

That moment forced a reckoning. With my wife’s encouragement, I finally committed to pursuing my creative path leaning into my skills, experience, and voice despite the insecurities of starting later in life. Those obstacles didn’t stop the journey; they clarified it. Everything I navigated then led me to where I am now.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My work lives in the space where culture meets responsibility. I create and produce experiences that bring people together whether that’s through brand activations, community-driven storytelling, or wellness-centered spaces. I specialize in translating ideas into environments that feel intentional, emotionally resonant, and grounded in real people, not trends.

I’m known for being able to hold both sides of the work: vision and execution. I can help shape the creative direction, then stay close enough to the process to ensure it actually gets done the right way. That balance has allowed me to contribute meaningfully across projects with Heist, community-driven work with Lee Baron, and through my own creative agency, 82 Purple.

What I’m most proud of is building work that serves more than one purpose. Through 82 Purple, and alongside my business partner and licensed therapist Femi Olukoya, I help create space for free group therapy for BIPOC men using creativity as an entry point, not a distraction, from real healing. That work reminds me that impact doesn’t always need a stage or a spotlight.

What sets me apart is that I don’t separate creativity from care. I bring the same level of intention to a brand experience as I do to a community circle. I’m less interested in being the loudest voice in the room and more focused on creating work that people actually feel and remember.

Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I don’t view my life or work through the lens of luck. I believe in purpose and alignment moments shaped by a higher power that create opportunities for us to step into our own destiny. Finding David Anderson and connecting with Heist wasn’t accidental; it was the result of experiences, choices, and relationships coming full circle at the right time.

What people call luck, I see as preparation meeting opportunity. Purposeful moments transcend the idea of chance they reward awareness, readiness, and the courage to show up when it matters.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @Chrisrodgez
• LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/christopher-rodriguez-728173130
• Other: https://solo.to/chrisrodgez