Today we’d like to introduce you to Ana Perez-Mackenzie.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was born in Panama, grew up in Tampa Florida, the daughter of what I like to call a match made in multicultural heaven. My parents met in the 1960s: my mother, a country girl from Tennessee, and my father, *un salsero de acero*, from Las Tablas, a small town in the Republic of Panama famous for its spectacular Carnival celebrations. Two different worlds, cultures, and rhythms came together, and somewhere in that beautiful mix, my story began.
Growing up between those influences gave me a natural curiosity about people, cultures, and the world around me. Storytelling became the thread connecting every chapter of my life.
For more than 30 years, I’ve worked at the intersection of television, entertainment, entrepreneurship, culture, politics, and social impact. I’ve created television shows, produced major events, developed campaigns for international brands, worked on presidential campaigns, and founded creative ventures, including MODA INC and Network 3 Thinktank.
But my career has never followed a straight line, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I’ve always been fascinated by people and passionate about bringing ideas to life. That curiosity eventually led me beyond entertainment and into politics and civic engagement.
In Panama, I created MOVIN, an independent civic and political platform that brought people together around the idea that citizens could play a more active role in shaping their country’s future. My involvement in public life eventually led me to run for mayor of Panama City, an experience that challenged me to step outside my comfort zone and put my ideas, convictions, and leadership to the test.
My journey has taken me from television studios to political campaigns, from creative entrepreneurship to public policy, and eventually to Austin, Texas, where I began another chapter of my life.
Along the way, I’ve been a producer, an entrepreneur, a political candidate, a mentor, a mother, and a woman who has had to start over more than once. Some chapters were extraordinary. Others were incredibly challenging. All of them taught me something about resilience, independence, and the importance of remaining true to yourself.
Today, at 55, I’m embracing one of the most exciting periods of my life. I’m creating digital content, developing film and cultural projects, writing, and using my platforms to encourage conversations about politics, society, relationships, and the realities of being a woman in today’s world.
I believe women are often made to feel that their opportunities become smaller as they get older. My experience has taught me the opposite. With age comes perspective, confidence, and the freedom to define success on your own terms.
If there’s one thing my journey has taught me, it’s that we don’t have to be just one thing in life. We can evolve, change direction, take risks, and begin again as many times as we need.
I’m not interested in looking back and talking about my best years. I’m far more interested in creating them.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
A smooth road? Absolutely not! But looking back, I wouldn’t trade the journey.
I’ve spent much of my life building things that didn’t exist before, whether it was a television show, a business, a civic movement, or an entirely new chapter of my life. And when you’re creating something from scratch, there is rarely a roadmap.
Being a woman in industries traditionally dominated by men came with its own challenges. I had to learn to trust my instincts, stand my ground, and sometimes fight to have my ideas taken seriously. Entering politics brought a different level of scrutiny, and I learned that putting yourself in the public eye requires both courage and a thick skin.
Moving to the United States after being in Panama for 25 years, and starting over was another humbling experience. No matter what you’ve accomplished elsewhere, a new country doesn’t necessarily know your story. You have to rebuild relationships, establish yourself again, and sometimes accept opportunities you never imagined taking.
I’ve also experienced personal losses, disappointments, and moments when life didn’t turn out the way I had planned. There have been times when I’ve had to reinvent myself not because I wanted to, but because I had no other choice.
And perhaps one of the biggest challenges has been learning to embrace change without seeing it as failure.
At 55, I’ve realized that resilience isn’t about pretending everything is wonderful. It’s about allowing yourself to feel the disappointment, learning what you can, and finding the courage to try again.
I don’t measure my life only by the things I’ve accomplished. I measure it by the number of times I’ve found the strength to begin again.
And I have a feeling I’m not finished beginning again.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’ve spent more than 30 years working at the intersection of storytelling, television, entrepreneurship, politics, and culture. But if I had to define what I specialize in, I would say it’s creating opportunities through ideas, connecting people, and recognizing the economic and social potential of culture.
Early in my career, I made a very conscious decision to remain in Panama while raising my daughters. I wanted them to have the stability of attending the same school for 12 years, growing up with a sense of belonging, community, and cultural identity. In many ways, that decision took me away from the U.S. market at a time when I could have been expanding my career there. But I have never regretted it. I continued creating, producing, and building businesses in Panama while giving my daughters the childhood I wanted them to have.
What sets me apart is that my understanding of Latino culture isn’t something I’ve learned from research or marketing reports. I’ve lived it. I’ve built businesses within it, worked with its creative communities, and witnessed firsthand the extraordinary talent, innovation, and entrepreneurial spirit that exists throughout Latin America.
I believe deeply in the Hispanic community and everything it contributes to the United States, economically, culturally, socially, and creatively. Our influence goes far beyond language, food, or entertainment. We are entrepreneurs, innovators, artists, professionals, and community builders who are helping shape the future of this country.
What I’m most proud of is the work I’ve done to promote the creative economy and the opportunities I’ve helped create around culture. I’ve always believed that art, entertainment, fashion, music, and storytelling are not simply expressions of identity; they are powerful economic engines capable of generating jobs, attracting investment, strengthening communities, and transforming societies.
Through my projects, I’ve worked to connect creative talent with business opportunities and demonstrate that investing in culture is also investing in economic development.
Ultimately, I don’t want my legacy to be measured only by the projects I’ve produced or the businesses I’ve founded. I want it to be measured by the doors I’ve helped open, the people I’ve brought together, and the opportunities that continue to exist because someone believed in an idea.
**Culture isn’t just something we inherit. It’s something we create, invest in, and pass on to the next generation.**
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
By contacting me directly on my social media AnaPerezWorld, I would love to collaborate!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anaperezworld/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnaPerezMackenzie
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anaperezmackenzie/
- Twitter: AnaPerezWorld
- Youtube: AnaPerezWorld
