By Lisa Morgan
I remember the first time I saw Manny Dela Rosa. I had just moved back to the Coachella Valley after being away from my home town for nearly two decades. I turned on local news, KMIR6, and there he was, Manny The Movie Guy rattling off an incredibly intelligent argument as to why he could only give 2 ½ kisses as he signed off with a coy smile and adorable laugh. I don’t remember the movie he was discussing, but there was no forgetting the charming character that instantly enchanted me and became the one movie critic I actually wanted to listen to. It’s been several years since that one sided introduction and since then, one thing has been consistent with the ever-growing and internationally emerging personality — an exuberance and energy that even while being a “critic” comes across as passionate and positive. But there is so much more to the man and personality that we see regularly on KMIR6 and hear weekly on radio, MIX 100.5, with good friend and morning DJ, Bradley Ryan.
Underneath the overwhelming charm, confident while considerably humble persona of “Manny the Movie Guy”, is “Manny, the KMIR 6 Marketing Director”, “Manny the Four Time Emmy Winner”, “Manny the Producer”, “Manny the Editor”, “Manny the Professional Dancer”, “Manny the ….” (you get the picture). While Manny the Movie Guy lies at the heart of this incredibly accomplished, successful hardworking individual, it only represents one layer of an accomplished life whose star is still very much on the rise.
Born in the Philippines, Manuel Dela Rosa was raised by an incredibly tenacious, strong and hard working mother, Anastasia Gresser, a farmer’s daughter, who somehow managed to put him through private schools and taught him “to work hard and be great”. Manny went through school as he seems to do in everything, with honors. Manny’s natural effervescence and leadership skills put him in front of the camera early as a professional dancer and choreographer until he left to further his education in America at the age of 20 at Purdue University. Family expectations pushed him in the direction of an educational focus in technology. Had it not been for one extremely influential Professor Carlisle, we may never have had the pleasure of knowing Manny the Movie Guy. “I didn’t even know you could ‘critique’ movies. I was addicted!” recalls Manny. Professor Carlisle introduced Manny to a whole new way of viewing films for critique and was Manny’s Netflix-type resource in those early days as he would constantly borrow VHS movies from the professor. Manny would watch all movies, not just blockbusters, but foreign language films, and all the movies from the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s. He “would just eat them all up.” It was a natural evolution to become the school newspaper’s movie critic. But this brought Manny to a crossroads.
Highly intelligent, Manny could have easily pursued his education in the technological sciences, but his heart was now being pulled in another direction. “I always follow my heart. When I’m at a crossroad, I ask what my heart is telling me and it never fails me.” It was his heart that made him cross the street from the department of sciences and over to the liberal arts building where he discovered everything he needed to know to realize that his true calling was to be in the television and film industry. His parents didn’t even find out that Manny had changed his major until it was published in the local newspaper as yet again, Manny was graduating with honors.
Manny furthered his education in the film industry at the Art institute of Chicago, developing an even deeper appreciation for film. Fast forward, Manny moved to the Coachella Valley from Las Vegas, Nevada and the ABC station there to work for NBC’s KMIR6 as their marketing director. As marketing director for KMIR 6, Manny met with former morning radio personality, Michael Storm, and the marketing director of Mix 100.5 in order to work with them and the Camelot Theater in an effort to put together a project that would celebrate his love of film. He was quickly recruited to be part of the morning radio programing as “Manny the Movie Guy”. KMIR followed suit giving Manuel De La Rosa a whole new identity and several opportunities that are still to this day blossoming into bigger and better things.
Manny is now an accredited member of the Motion Picture Association of America , as well as a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association and is a voting member of the Critic’s Choice Awards. Although from a “small market” by industry standards, Manny’s insightful comments from his movie critiques have been selected above thousands of others to be captured on trailers and marketing promos for movies such as “The Mummy, Tomb of the Dragon Emperor”, “Magic Mike” and most recently, the final installment from the Twilight series, “Breaking Dawn”. Manny chuckles as he says “Imagine that. Who thought they’d be quoting little old me from market number 148.” Manny the Movie Guy is not only seen, heard and read locally on NBC’s KMIR6, The Desert’s Best MIX 100.5 and The Desert Post Weekly, he also has his own extremely popular website, mannythemovieguy.com, YouTube videos watched by the very movie stars he critiques, and he can be seen on ABC Las Vegas, CBS Omaha, Fox in Fort Myers, Florida, and The Filipino Channel (TFC) for their show called Balitang America where his proud mom in Branson, Missouri can see him.
While Manny The Movie Guy’s career is quickly emerging into international success, there is little risk of losing him to a larger market due to his love of the valley and the people here. “If I can broadcast Manny The Movie Guy from the Coachella Valley, I will be having my cake and eating it too. I am a typical story of a legal immigrant who made good, like so many others who come and work their butt off and succeed. While I’ve been doing this for a while, I feel like I’m just starting, and I feel I still have a lot more to offer.”
Learn more about Manny The Movie Guy by following him on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/MannyTheMovieGuy, and check out his website http://www.mannythemovieguy.com. I think you will agree with me as I give Manny Dela Rosa, aka “Manny The Movie Guy”, one thousand kisses!
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