Film

Rico Martinez

Princess Grace Award:
Graduate Film Scholarship, 1990

Princess Grace Statue Award:
1996

A native southern Californian of Chinese, Filipino, Hawaiian, English and Mexican descent, Rico Kerr Serrano Martinez earned his MFA degree in Visual Arts and Film at the University of California, San Diego where he painted, sculpted and made films.

Rico was the recipient of the highest award given by the Princess Grace Foundation, the Golden Statuette Award for Emerging Young American Artists, an extremely prestigious award given to only two artists a year. The endowment was created by her Royal Highness, Princess Grace and its Board of Trustees and Arts Advisory Board have included the likes of H.S.H. Prince Albert of Monaco, Mrs. Nancy Reagan, Placido Domingo, Karl Lagerfeld, and in the past Frank Sinatra, Rudolf Nureyev and Gregory Peck among others.

Funded in part by the Royal Family of Monacos Princess Grace grant, DESPERATE, Ricos first feature film, debuted at some of the worlds most presitigious film festivals including, TORONTO, ROTTERDAM, and SUNDANCE where it was placed in dramatic feature competition.
Ricos work has been sponsored by the likes of Agnes B. in Paris and screened alongside films by Andy Warhol at the renowned LE CINEMATHIQUE FRANCAIS in Paris, and the presitigious BRITISH FILM INSTITUTE in London.

DESPERATE succeeded in establishing Rico as a hot, new director to watch (Kay Armitage, programmer, TORONTO FILM FESTIVAL) and was received enthusiastically by high profile periodicals.

Rico supported his early guerilla filmmaking as an underground club promoter and was the original co-creator of L.A.s infamous, alternative music bar, THE GARAGE in Silverfake.
Rico has executive produced and directed shows for the WB, NBC, MTV and VH1. He recently executive produced FAST Inc., a scripted hybrid reality series for MTV, and is currently in post production on a pilot for MTV entitled Random Hero. It's a big, event based skateboarding competition show starring Ryan Dunn of Jackass and Last year, Rico executive produced three television series: 718 with Lil Kim, the well received Remaking (featuring Vince Neil, Taylor Dane, and Vanilla Ice) and Damage Control for MTV's successful SUNDAY STEW lineup which included Punkd, Pimp My Ride and Viva La Bam. Rico co executive produced the pilot and first season of Viva La Bam the hit MTV show featuring proskater and Also airing to phenomenal rating for MTV were Rico's Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Gauntlet and Battle of the Sexes.

Rico's other past projects include WB's North Shore, a prosurfer reality show set in the North Shore of Oahu, produced by Mark Burnett, and VH1's Born to Diva a diva search led by starmaker Tommy Mottola. And, on heavy rotation in the Spanish language market was Rico's mational MILLER LITE commercial campaign aimed at hip, urban Latinos.

Rico lives in New York City, recently concluded his first look, non exclusive arrangement with MTV and has entered a co-venture with Crossroads Film and Television, developing and producing media on all fronts. He is also in development on several feature film projects including CANDY, GHETTOLICIOUS and BABY BLUE LOVE.