Pasadena Resident makes it to Home Shopping Network American Dreams Semifinals

A Pasadena resident who invented a novel device from which to hang piñatas during special occasions has made it to the semifinals of Home Shopping Network’s American Dreams, a business competition that discovers, mentors Latino entrepreneurs and fast-tracks their product launch on TV.

Gerardo Lopez, a national radio DJ and program director who is also a station owner, was selected after a competitive nationwide search after he entered his patented El Piñatero in the competition.

On Tuesday, January 24, Lopez will compete at HSN’s first pitch-off competition for entrepreneurs who are battling for a chance to launch their products in a live televised finale on March 13. Over 94 million households will be watching that launch.

Lopez shares the inspiration for his creation, the El Piñatero, a piñata suspension device that has evolved from his first portable aluminum prototype in 2004 into a pole system that can be adjusted to more than 12 feet high, supported with a sturdy base with a tub that can be filled with water or sand for adjustable stability.

It solves the problem of where to put the piñata. Some people just hang them on trees or under the roof of a house or a window on the second floor. It was just so difficult,” Lopez relates. “When my first daughter celebrated her birthday with a piñata, it was such a hassle for me to think where to put it on. So I thought there must be something out there to make it easier and more people can have fun with the piñata. I searched online, everywhere and I didn’t find any. Then I got into this HSN contest and I thought this is something that can really help you.”

Lopez, a Tijuana native who’s now Vice President and General Manager of Los Angeles-based La Pantera Radio Corporation, obtained a U.S. patent for the El Piñatero in 2007. He has taken his device to a number of product expos and trade fairs, but with the expected exposure on HSN’s American Dreams, and with the help of social media, he hopes to attract more interest from home TV shoppers.

“I’m very excited because when I was just starting this, there were many companies who just take your money and then they don’t help you. I’ve had some people who took my money and never did anything to help me promote,” Lopez says. “There are a lot of things you can do on social media and you don’t need big companies to do the promotion and selling for you.”

Lopez also believes he is helping save Mother Earth by building the El Piñatero and showing it to people.

“My product will also help clean the environment because when you hang your piñata on a tree, in a way you’re damaging the environment,” Lopez continues. “There’s over 14 million piñatas being made in the U.S. every year, so it’s a lot of piñatas being made and trees being damaged.”

Lopez studied to become an Electronics Engineer in Mexico. While in college, he started working in a local radio station and discovered his passion for radio, later on progressing to the position of Program Director. After a successful career in Mexico, launching different radio stations and managing radio networks in Mexico, Gerardo married, had his first child and moved to the U.S., settling in Dallas, Texas where he continued as a Radio Program Director and worked for Univision as one of their top programmers.

Lopez says he has always been an innovator, always asking himself how he can make something better, whether in radio, having his own business or creating products. His love for creating new things and new ideas inspires him to come up with solutions to everyday problems. With three children, Gerardo has hosted many birthday parties where a key component has been the Piñata. His invention, he says, would be the solution many parents and party hosts have been searching for.

HSN teamed up with Latina entrepreneur Liliana “Lili” Gil Valleta, who created Dreamers Ventures, to launch Project American Dreams years ago. U.S. Bancorp, parent company of U.S. Bank National Association, came in later to support the project.

For the January 24 pitch, 20 semifinalists have been selected and invited to face a panel of judges and explain their products. After the pitch, five winners will be selected to introduce their products live on March 13.

For more information, visit www.projectamericandreams.com.