Purchase Issue 22 of COSIGN Magazine here.

Roman Malvaiz is a 29-year-old marketing strategist, promoter, Hennessy brand ambassador, and graduate of The University of Texas at Arlington.  “Being away from home and out of my comfort zone I discovered who I really wanted to be and what my purpose was,” he says.  “I realized that I wanted to help people and have some fun along the way.”

As a kid, Roman aspired to be a police officer, as his way to help people in the community.  He veered slightly into a different route with that aspiration and joined the military instead.  “I served not only my community, but my country, at a time when they needed me the most,” he says about his time in the Iraqi and Afghan war. “So I feel like I still fulfilled that purpose … Serving in the Marines was such a huge part of my life and I learned so much about myself. The military changed my life in so many ways and opened so many doors … I traveled to so many countries and met so many people from all walks of life. I learned to treat everyone with the same respect and to not take anything for granted.”

After his stint in the military, Roman moved back home to Dallas to start college.  “I wanted to go out and make up for lost time,” he says. “I was away for five years and while everyone was out partying and whatnot, I was fighting in a war.” He began to go out regularly and began building his network, some of which included a few promoter friends, which helped him build a following, over time. “My senior year in college I met David Navarro from Prime Latino. I had frequented his venues often and we sat down one day, and he offered me a stake in his company and the rest is history … At one point we had five venues with five full Latin nights. We now operate under the name Impresario Dallas and we’re looking to expand our market.” They currently do 2508/Sisu on Thursday night and Medusa on Friday night, but the Dallas Latino nightlife scene, as Roman sees it, is constantly changing. “It’s no longer just Salsa/ Merengue/ Bachata vibe as years before,” he says. “Latinos are more educated now, more outgoing, more diversified.  We are becoming more mainstream and as a promoter we must cater to those needs.”

Beyond just promoting club nights, Roman has used the relationships he’s created in the nightlife to expand into other ventures. From being a liquor rep to replacing Crisco Kidd as the Hennessey brand ambassador for the Dallas area to becoming key account manager, he now uses his influence to grow the brand in sales and visibility. “It is a great responsibility to represent such a prestigious and world-renowned brand,” Roman says. “Sponsorships and events are also my forte, but as you can imagine, they have to make sense for the brand.” His time at Hennessey has allowed him the opportunity to travel around the world again (in much less hostile settings), including Cognac, France to see the process of how Hennessy is made. “I remember I was in Paris listening to “Despacito” while sipping Hennessy VS in a limited-edition bottle,” he says. “That was pretty dope!”

He attributes his success to the idea that “I can do anything as long as my heart was in it,” that his mother instilled in him at a young age. And his upbringing and culture are in everything he does. “I make a living by creating a good time, creating an atmosphere where people are living and enjoying themselves,” he says. “I always think about the time when my entire family would get together for the holidays and how it was just one big party.  That’s how I treat my guest and anyone that supports my venues.”

Roman looks toward the future, and looks to leave a solid legacy. “My end goal is growth. Whether it’s professional, personal or both.  We must always strive to grow. If you stay the same, then you get left behind,” he says.

Who does Roman #COSIGN?

David Navarro – Impresario Dallas
Anthony Cano – Uppercuts Barbershop GP
Carlos Ruiz – Nacho Remodeling Company
Hector Suarez – Elite Auto Sales
Hector Lopez – El Pulpo Restaurant
Kenneth Wayne – Special Visions
Vicki Oh – 93.3
Lady Jade – Project 16, K104
Michael Rodriguez – MR Style consulting
Miguel Contreras – Gucci, Influencer