EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14\/CBS4) \u2014 A downtown El Paso chocolate shop served as the backdrop for a conversation about how one local food-and-business reviewer turned a personal loss into a growing platform.<\/p>\n
Ruben Alvarez, known to many followers as \u201cBrand Shark,\u201d talked about what led him to start making short-form reviews highlighting restaurants and businesses around El Paso while visiting Ish Cacao.<\/p>\n
Alvarez said the idea was encouraged by a friend, John Hernandez, who he described as widely known in the city. Alvarez said Hernandez repeatedly urged him to start a podcast as a way to connect with business owners and help build business.<\/p>\n
Alvarez said he had tried podcasting before but found it required extensive planning and execution, along with figuring out distribution and how to get people to watch. He said he believed he could accomplish something similar in a shorter format, describing it as \u201ca mini podcast.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alvarez said Hernandez died about a month before he began making the videos, and that he started soon after. He said the biggest obstacle at first was going public and \u201cputting myself out there.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also reflected on filming at Ish Cacao about a year ago, saying he initially felt self-conscious recording outside with traffic and people nearby, but that he no longer feels uncomfortable doing it.<\/p>\n
Alvarez said his background helps guide what he features, noting that his degrees are in culinary. He said that experience influences what he orders and what he chooses to highlight, and that he turns down some requests from businesses.<\/p>\n
El Paso\u2019s \u201cBrand Shark\u201d turns personal loss into growing short-form review platform<\/p>\n<\/p>\n