In progress … Carmelita Sanchez

Latin Beat Magazine, June-July, 2003 by Haydee Vicedo

On-Air Personality; Producer (Wake Up Show) Founder/Owner (La Ciudad/The City)

Quick Facts

Name: Carmelita Sánchez

* Born and raised in Las Vegas, NV; inspired by her father, who was an actor, golden-glove boxer and chef

* Loves the booming Latin hip-hop acts such as MC Saturno and Mucho from Spain

* Currently consults for the "Hip Hop Show," shown in LATV in Los Angeles, and manages an up-and-coming Los Angeles-based DJ, SupremaOne.

Carmelita Sánchez email: wakeupshow@wakeupshow.com

If a screenwriter made Carmelita's story into a movie, one would question its validity, until you met the woman. Carmelita "Crum" Sánchez is part super-mom, part buoyant and lively on-air personality, part savvy businesswoman and marketing guru. As an on-air personality for the most listened to and popular hip-hop radio show ("The Wake Up Show," syndicated internationally), one could simply focus on that achievement alone; yet that wouldn't paint the whole picture.

The Sánchez story begins in the Las Vegas bedroom of a sixteen-year old girl who falls in lave with music so much that she sneaks out at 2 a.m. every morning to host a late-night show at a local radio station. What began as a very unique "internship" at KUNV turned into a daily hosting gig when the regular host did not come through one fateful evening. In an instant, she became a radio personality and hasn't looked back since.

Her journey continued to hectic and exciting Mexico City, where she studied at Televisa Journalism School and worked there as the general entertainment reporter for the shows "Rock Ciento Uno" and "Stereo Cien."

In 1989, Sánchez found a job in the city of angels and continued her career in the entertainment industry. Since she didn't know anyone in Los Angeles and called Las Vegas home, Sánchez commuted daily to her position in L.A. and drove back nightly to Sin City. The tiresome commute proved worthwhile, as she eventually found a home on the "Wake-Up Show."

With the "Wake-Up Show," Carmelita shines as the only female voice amidst a strong troupe in a male-dominated arena. Along with Sway (also an MTV host), King Tech and DJ Revolution, Carmelita Sánchez has created the best hip-hop show around the world; not a simple feat in the fickle music industry.

Besides being an on-air personality, Sánchez also acts as the show's business manager, working on everything from promotions to booking, marketing and artist management. Her expertise in the marketing arena helped her expand into starting her own company; a successful marketing firm called La Ciudad (The City), that helps "mainstream" corporations reach the ever-growing Hispanic/Latin consumers. She has worked on projects for Universal Music, Trimark Pictures, MCA Pictures, and Low Rider Magazine, just to name a few. She gladly shares her success by donating 10% of the company's billing to different youth service organizations.

Nowadays, moments are spent carefully juggling the hustle and bustle of managing a syndicated radio show, running a busy marketing company, and taking care of a precocious 2-year old named Xolo.

With a music industry that is currently in a state of uncertainty and turmoil, Sánchez confesses, "I would lave something that could reconstruct this industry ... sometimes I miss the passion in music." With tenacity and a lot of courage, Carmelita Sánchez is finding ways to reconstruct her own world and a singular place in the ever-changing world of music.