When Jose Iniguez started using the social media site Twitter to exhibit his adulations of Beyonce to the masses, he never imagined that his tweets would land him in a contest to become an MTV personality.
But now, after fortuitously clicking on a link to an MTV job opportunity, the UCLA alumnus is a top-20 finalist vying to become the first MTV Twitter Jockey. Since then, it has been a surreal experience for Iniguez.
“It’s so trippy how everything sort of happened. I just finished working at UCLA and what I see is the dream job that I’ve always dreamed of doing. I’m a finalist, which is unreal,” Iniguez said.
Raised in Tulare, Calif., Iniguez was obsessed with pop culture, music and entertainment, saving up his lunch money to buy the latest Jennifer Lopez and Ricky Martin albums when he was around seven years old. Growing up in a low-income family, there was not money to be spared on albums every week, so Iniguez relied on MTV to provide him with the latest in music and entertainment.
“I grew up on MTV, and I would reenact music videos with my sister as they were happening. One of my distinct memories was of me and my sister jumping from couch to couch, reenacting the Janet Jackson “˜Runaway’ video where she’s jumping from monument to monument all over the world,” Iniguez said.
Being a voracious fan of MTV’s famous music video television show, “Total Request Live,” commonly referred to as “TRL,” Iniguez soaked in music videos like a sponge and dreamt of being immersed in that world, in the likeness of “TRL” host Carson Daly.
“I always wanted to (be) like Carson Daly, and I remember seeing the one episode with Michael Jackson live at the Virgin Megastore when he released his “˜Invincible’ album,” Iniguez said. “Carson Daly got to sit down, talk with him and his fans, and it was a huge party live. You could watch music videos, talk music, interview artists, and that’s what I wanted to (do) when I grew up.”
It was the ideal locale and opportunities of UCLA that brought many of Iniguez’s passions to fruition. Iniguez hosted his own show on UCLA Radio as a DJ, garnering top ratings and presenting his pop culture commentaries to the masses.
“UCLA, I loved it. First quarter at UCLA, one of my first big experiences with my floor was running into Avril Lavigne. It was exciting. I was with my RAs and we went to Beverly Hills for a burger at Islands, and we were just at a newsstand and Avril Lavigne was looking at a magazine,” Iniguez said.
He also spent a substantial amount of time working at UCLA’s Office of Residential Life at various levels of housing management, from student leader to resident assistant. Graduating in 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology, Iniguez continued to work at UCLA as an Assistant Resident Director with ORL.
“Jose is really wonderful. He’s warm, he’s funny and he’s really very creative,” said Susan Swarts, associate director of UCLA Office of Residential Life, who was Iniguez’s supervisor. “His creativity is off the charts as far as other people I know. He’s got such great ideas and he thinks really well. We’re in a work setting, but his fun and enthusiasm definitely comes out in the work environment as well.”
Not only was Iniguez immersed in his occupation on the Hill, he devoted much time to philanthropic causes and was awarded Volunteer of the Year by Los Angeles County’s Community Development Commission in 2008. It was this connection to the community that also paved the way for him to create a Twitter account, where he posted links to nonprofit organizations and charities as well as his thoughts on pop culture.
Iniguez’s friends have attested to his pop-culture knowledge as well. UCLA alumna Natalie Gonzalez first met Iniguez five years ago when he was a student leader helping her move into her dorm at Dykstra Hall. He has since been her source for the latest trends in music and entertainment.
“He’s always been involved in music. I remember way before Lady Gaga became popular, he’d put her songs on his Facebook and he’d say, “˜This is my song for the summer,’ and no one would have guessed how big Lady Gaga was going to become,” Gonzalez said.
Fifth-year cognitive science student Thach Nguyen, who worked with Iniguez at ORL, said he always knew that Iniguez would pursue his love of pop culture.
“This is something that, even when the contest is over, Jose will continue. This is a dream of his, and I think that he really deserves to win,” Nguyen said.
For now, Iniguez is anticipating the next level of competition in the contest. On July 7, the contestants will participate in a series of Twitter-based challenges, judged based on the popularity and engagement of each tweet.
From there, four finalists will be chosen and a fifth finalist will be selected through votes on American Express’ ZYNC Facebook community. The five finalists will then travel to New York City for the live finale on MTV on Aug. 8, where the MTV Twitter Jockey will be chosen.
“I’m getting so nervous it’s not even funny. Twitter is like nonstop, and Twitter never closes. I go to bed and I think, “˜Should I tweet one more thing?’ Like, you know, share something new. And I wake in the morning and go tweet something,” Iniguez said.
However, even nerves won’t break down Iniguez’s pursuit of a career in music and entertainment. Iniguez was planning to pursue a masters degree in the Arts, Entertainment and Media Management program at Columbia College Chicago before entering the contest.
For now, he is just eager to continue arduously tweeting, posting and embarking on the challenges in the MTV Twitter Jockey contest.
“No matter what happens, I am thankful to MTV for this whole experience because I was passionate about music and MTV and pop culture,” Iniguez said. “Never did I think that I would be a top-20 finalist, handpicked by MTV to be a Twitter personality. Who thinks they would be a Twitter personality? I love and I’ll continue to do what I’m doing.”