User:Cruzthemuse

Born and raised in South Florida (on Dec 3) of Cuban parents, Francesca Cruz began her entertainment career at the age of 12, studying theater, dance and later becoming a successful model.

By 14, she had become the model host of Telemundo's celebrity game show, La Feria de la Alegria. By the age of 19, Francesca was co-hosting the hip and avant music video program Onda Max, aired internationally by the Univision Network. With it came the opportunity to interview famed Hispanic artists Selena, Ricky Martin, Paulina Rubio, Gloria Estefan, Enrique Iglesias and Shakira.

Francesca then went on to become the youngest entertainment reporter on Telemundo's highly acclaimed and Emmy award winning news show Occurio Asi. Opportunity then came knocking in the form of a big budget Hollywood movie, and she jumped at the chance of working with acclaimed director Mike Nichols (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Graduate, Closer, Charlie Wilson's War) and actors Robin Williams and Nathan Lane.

For her participation in the film The Birdcage she was awarded the prestigious Screen Actors Guild Award as Outstanding Cast Member in 1997.

She has shown off her acting chops by participating in television shows such as Arli$$, South Beach, Los Teens, Lente Loco and Control.

After a successful television career, she transferred her writing and production skills to print media where she was part of the creation and development of two national bi-monthly magazines, simultaneously published in English and Spanish. In her capacity as Production Director and later Managing Editor of another bi-monthly, Nueva Magazine, aimed exclusively at US Hispanic women, she honed her skills at reaching this targeted sector of the market and brought invaluable knowledge of how to reach the desired market through differing media products and branding.

She received her Bachelors of Science Degree in Journalism and English Literature from the Florida International University, studied Art and Art History courses at La Sorbonne University of Paris, and moved to Mexico City in 2003 to pursue her Masters degree in Anthropology under the respected program of el Museo Nacional de Antropología (on going).

Francesca has interviewed such distinguished and acclaimed individuals as Arianna Huffington, Diane Rehm, Pete Hamill, Salma Hayek, Carolina Herrera, and Isabel Allende. Her work has been published in Home & Design, Florida InsideOut, Nueva, Ventitantos, The Miami Herald, Coral Gables Living, Ocean Drive. Presently she is the entertainment writer for Venue Magazine.

Her passions include art, history, design, literature and Hollywood of yore. She loves to inform and entertain via her whimsical, witty and at times campy writing style.