Tampa – This isn’t Jorge Alvarado’s first rodeo.
“I actually started out in television when I was a kid,” said the host, creative director, and producer of Tampa Bay’s The Jorge Show. “I was the host of the WTOG 44 Kid’s Club, and I would host wearing this robe and say things like, ‘We’ll be right back with Woody Woodpecker!’ And I was even on the Mickey Mouse Club too, as a backup dancer/extra.”
Alvarado’s eponymous one-hour talk show – which features everything from fashion to celebrity interviews – is heading into its fourth season, and with it comes more work and responsibilities. But Alvarado is not only prepared, but looking forward to it.
“We’ve all been there where we say ‘Oh I was so busy at work – but that’s because you checked your email, you took 15 selfies, made a few phone calls, took a break and texted a few people, whatever, we’ve all been there,” Alvarado said. “But now, truly, I can say 100% that I invest everything I have into this project, and I know what I hard day’s work really is. There are days I can’t believe how many hours have flown by.”
Alvarado’s journey has come full circle, but in-between his childhood TV appearances and his current career hosting his own show, he spent his days behind the scenes and a jack of all trades.
“I danced when I was a kid, and when I got into my adulthood, I got back in touch with it. And that opened me up to a lot of other creative opportunities,” he said. “I would take any job I could get – ‘You need a choreographer? I can do that.’ ‘You need a decorator? Yeah, I can do that.’ Whatever it was, I took the job, because I knew that sooner or later I’d be able to use all that knowledge that I had been banking.”
That time finally came when Alvarado was working behind the scenes in fashion and decided to move to the forefront.
“Working through all the different creative jobs I’ve had, from choreographer to director to working runway shows, I spent most of the time behind the camera. But when I was working in fashion, I decided to take my career a step further and actually be the designer,” he said. “And so there was a year I was just cranking out event after event, but they were events that started with my own thoughts and ideas that I wanted to make happen.”
It was then that Alvarado decided what he wanted to do with himself.
“I knew since I was a kid that there was a voice that should be heard,” he said. “And I was sparked to actually start using my voice for more socially responsible reasons.”
Alvarado cites Hillsborough politician Ronda Storms’ controversial stance on gay issues as one major call to action. As part of the County Commission, Storms pushed for a policy that Hillsborough government refrain from participating or acknowledging gay pride events or recognition.
“I was a confident kid, raised by a strong Puerto Rican mom. I think it was the first time that I ever felt that my lifestyle was being threatened for no reason,” he said. “I felt like I had a target on me, and I ended up on the front of the Tampa Tribune holding up my protest sign.”
Alvarado became active in the community, working for marriage equality and speaking in Jacksonville. In 2010 he organized Pride On 7th – an event aimed at creating unity within local communities.
“I wanted to take advantage of the energy coming out of Ybor City, I wanted to get everyone involved,” he said. “I wanted to spread the message to everyone, not just the gay community, because if people outside our community become supportive then we have a better chance of achieving these goals together.”
The event no longer exists, but Alvarado says the soul of the project is alive and well.
“When this television project started to formulate, I decided to take what we started with Pride on 7th and turn it into a project no one in the Bay Area has done yet,” he said.
Alvarado says that The Jorge Show affords him the ability to stay connected with the creative world he worked in for so long.
“Now I get to talk about all these things – fashion and performing – without being the one running around actually doing them all.â”
Alvarado also claims that a big part of the success of the show is its honesty.
“When we first started this project, my number one rule was that I wouldn’t change anything about me,” he said. “I have to talk the way I talk to be 100% relatable to the audience.”
Alvarado also uses the show to spotlight artists at the beginning of their careers.
“So many people want the big stars,” he said. “Well, I wanted them too, but I also have a platform for people trying to work their way up.”
Now all eyes are on Alvarado, and he welcomes it.
“I’m a South Tampa boy, so when I hear that industry people in New York and LA are watching me, it’s like ‘Are you serious?'” he said. “I have a supportive husband, a supportive family, and a great group of colleagues that I get to work with, and even though it’s a lot of work, everything is happening so quickly that I don’t want to miss a thing.”
For more information on The Jorge Show visit thejorgeshow.com, or tune in Friday nights at 7 p.m. and Saturday mornings at 11 a.m. on Bright House 949/950, Comcast 20, and Verizon 30/36.
