Full-time strategist.
Part-time CHEF.
Orly Rodriguez is a former DJ turned strategist, aspiring chef, and NBA enthusiast from El Paso, TX, now living in Brooklyn. His constant curiosity about how things work keeps his finger on the pulse of products, media, and people shaping culture. He has worked at agencies focused on brand planning, such as BBH and Droga5, as well as design-centered agencies like Instrument.
Outside of work, you can find him cooking or marathon training around Prospect Park with his wife. Things he’s currently working on getting better at: writing, graphic design, and cooking. To me, creative outlets and personal growth are not just hobbies—they are a form of self-care and a way to express who you are.
Things to know about me:
I challenge myself to tell stories that bring shadowed perspectives into the light.
I am a very collaborative person, a good working environment is very important to me.
I believe a good idea can come from anyone, no matter the role or hierarchy.
I think a really big pizza can help solve any creative drought.
I will most likely share with you a recipe or a playlist in the first week of knowing me.
I won’t shut up about the old New York disco records or the NBA.
I have a list for everything.
Great things to do this summer in New York
Venture out to see The Cloisters.
Get your night started in Bushwick at a Thai theatre–converted bar, Mao Mao.
Stop by Lee Lee’s in Harlem for some rugelach.
Sip cocktails while listening to vinyl records at the Japanese listening bar Bar All Blues.
Venture out to Red Hook to visit a revived seafood institution, Lundy Bro’s (order the Rhode Island–style calamari).
Have a drink and talk chisme(gossip) in The Lobby Bar at Hotel Chelsea.
Go vinyl digging at A1 Records.
Go Dance at a Soul Summit Party in Fort Greene Park.
7 great things I’ve eaten recently….
The spumoni ice cream at Spumoni Gardens
Golden Diner pancakes (no matter how many times I’ve had them)
Chicken schnitzel from Café Brume
The White pie slice from Nates Pizza
Ravioli with prawns and saffron at Torrisi
Recado negro brisket burrito from Los Burritos Juarez
Uncle Boon’s famous coconut sundae at Thai Diner
Rick Martinez’s Chilaquiles recipe is really good and super easy to make. It’s become a favorite of mine to make on the weekends.
I like making disco remixes of pop hits when I have the time…
My current Spotify rotation
A song that just feels like NY in the summer