We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ricardo Topete. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ricardo below.

Ricardo, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

Driven by a mission to make social dancing accessible, welcome, and safer for everyone, I do my best to foster a warm environment where listeners can learn, connect, and be inspired by the stories of social dancers worldwide. Through engaging conversations and thoughtful interviews with instructors, DJ’s, event organizers, performers, and all types of social dancers, I invite you to explore the joy, challenges, and profound personal growth that dancing brings to individuals and communities, as it has for me these past 9 years moving on the dance floor.

With a deep love for storytelling and community building, my goal with this platform is to bring together dancers from diverse backgrounds to share their journeys, insights, and experiences on the dance floor to inspire others to discover this form of movement for themselves.

Ricardo, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Ricardo Topete, a West Coast native turned East Coast, based here in Philadelphia, PA. I am a creative entrepreneur on the pursuit of building a videography/photography business and podcast. I started this journey back in Portland, OR by simply wanting different for my life after discovering that my original academic pursuit of medicine would not be fulfilling for me. Unlike most people who start in video/photo, I didn’t have any artistic experience or resources to get up & start. I simply took a chance to purchase my first camera & force myself to learn the craft which later (after thousands of hours of YouTube videos & attempts in the real world) evolved into a freelancing business that has taken me all around the world creating for all kinds of brands & businesses. In my business, Rico Media Productions, we focus on 3 main pillars: corporate & branding videography/photography, social media content, & video podcasts. We help businesses & brands create compelling visual content to drive results for their revenue goals. In addition, I’m a big believer in “telling AND showing” so I’ve also developed my video podcast, “Why we Move” in which my team and I exemplify the services we offer to produce & manage a successful media platform. We use our storytelling expertise to create an engaging atmosphere & conversations that reveal the insights, tips & tricks, & secrets of the social dancing world (salsa, bachata, zouk, kizomba, & more). Videography/Photography & social dancing are 2 disciplines of art that I’ve discovered an incredible amount growth in my life, and so I thought “Why not combine both of them into one?” and thus “Why we Move” was born.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative/artist is the fact that I can hatch an idea for a visual and literally bring it to life. It’s the idea of taking something that did not exist at first then making it real; like alchemy. I thought that art or creativity was something that other people had that I lacked, but I realized that if I dive into that part of my brain that desires “play”, for a lack of a better term, I’m able to be that creative artist in my life.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

People might hear my story and think it’s incredible risky or unstable to pursue a career like this. Others might believe that it’s simply imaginative and there’s little to no hard work to do behind a camera or microphone. And others might be able to relate with me and feel stuck in the analytical part of their brain like I believed I was destined to stay when pursuing healthcare as a career. To all these folks, I would argue that anything is possible with the right attitude to pursue everything you desire, all while working incredibly hard to achieve it. I once thought it was impossible for me to learn this skill and art, but here I am now, working with sport brands like FIFA 2026, artists like King Saladeen, non-profit businesses like HSLC with a pursuit to make the world a better place, and much much more. You never know what caliber of impact you can create when you release that creative part of you into the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ricomediaproductions.com AND www.whywemovestories.com
• Instagram: @ricoricardotopete AND @whywemovestories AND @ricomediaproductions
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ricoricardotopete/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricoricardotopete
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywemovestories

Image Credits

Madi Napieralski
German Vazquez
Paola Agbay