Yuzzy Acosta planted her roots in music hosting and producing two of Colombia's most reputable alternative rock shows at the time, "Expreso del Rock" on 88.9 FM Super Stereo and "Astroradio" hosting alongside Aterciopelados's Hector Buitrago and Kike Posada, current Editor in Chief for Boom Magazine, at college station Javeriana Stereo at the tender age of 16. Both shows were the first non-commercial rock shows ever to reach #1 in radio ratings in Bogotá, Colombia, where Yuzzy spent part of her teenage years. Even though Yuzzy is a native New Yorker, both parents, her father A pilot for Colombian airline Avianca and her mother a photographer, were from Colombia. After graduating from high school she left Colombia to pursue a Music Engineering and Music Business degree in the U.S. in the Art Institute in Ft Lauderdale.
Yuzzy served as International Radio Correspondent in the U.S for Colombia's Super Stereo 88.9 & Caracol Radio; two of the countries top radio stations. Conducting live broadcasts from events like the Grammys, MTV Awards, Billboard Awards and Woodstock 94. Also conducting ground breaking interviews with some of the biggest names in music at the time such as: Jimmy Page & Robert Plant, Aerosmith, Guns & Roses, Metallica, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, INXS, Soundgarden, Sonic Youth, Lenny Kravitz , Porno For Pyros and many more.
At about the same time, she began to represent Colombia's Aterciopelados, then an unknown wonder, but since recognized as one of the top bands in the Latin Alternative Music scene. Through the release and touring behind the band's first two records, "Con El Corazón En La Mano" and "El Dorado" Yuzzy worked with the band hand in hand, which led to their success as ambassadors of the Colombian movement we know today.
Through a three-year stint as Label Manager for New York-based punk rock independent label Grita!, Yuzzy expanded her skills in artist & label development. Grita's roster included: Todos Tus Muertos, Negu Gorriak, Niños Con Bombas, La Polla Records, Cerebros Exprimidos, The Psychotic Aztecs, Volumen Cero and Blind Pigs.
She later served as a consultant on behalf of JBZ media representing labels such as Epitaph, Fat Wreck Chords, Knitting Factory Records in South America, doing licensing and distribution deals.
After working with punk rock for several years, Yuzzy moved on to work with other genres in the U.S. Latin Market first as Media Agent for boutique firm Music Marketing, which specialized in promoting Afro Cuban & Latin Jazz music acts. Some of the projects she worked on included 1997 Grammy award winners Buena Vista Social Club (her work was instrumental to their key success), Sierra Maestra (Nonesuch/ World Circuit), Vocal Sampling (Ashe Records), Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca, (Putumayo World Music), trombone player Jimmy Bosch and Cubanismo (Ryko), Afro Cuban Allstars (Nonesuch/world circuit.)
She was later offered a position as Publicity Director for New York-based label H.O.L.A. Recordings, owned by producer Jellybean Benitez, known for his work with artists such as Madonna, David Bowie and Paul McCartney, to name a few. In her time at H.O.L.A., she worked with multi-platinum band Proyecto Uno and several acts that reached high slots on Billboard charts: Voices of Theory (#10 on R&B chart); Veronica (#1 on the Dance chart), and salsa performer Jorge Luis (#14 on the Latin Charts).
After H.O.L.A., Yuzzy served as North East Publicity Director for Universal Music Latino, covering both rock and pop acts, including Molotov, Illya Kuriaki & The Valderramas, Enanitos Verdes, Moenia, Control Machete, Bersuit Bergarabat, Enrique Iglesias and Emanuelle.
She Moved on from Universal to go and work at the Mecca of salsa music RMM Records owned by the late Ralph Mercado, where she served as head of publicity and worked with acts such as Tito Puente, Willie Colon, Celia Cruz, India, Joe Arroyo, and handled all press affairs for Ralph Mercado's annual "Concierto Del Amor" in Madison Square Garden.
Returning to her alternative independent rock-n-roll roots, she worked as Press & Media Agent for PRB, in charge of national tour press for bands on independent labels such as R.A.F.R. Records (Candy Ass, Man Scouts of America, Motochrist), Fat Wreck Chords (Strung Out), TKO/ Flat Records, Estrus Records (Fireballs of Freedom, the Monkeywrench), Acetate Records, (The Hangmen, Dragbeat), In The Red Records, (Speedball Baby, Tav Falco's Panther Burns) and artists such as The Amazing Crowns, Idaho, Vibrolush, The Supersuckers, Pillbox, Consolidated, The Black Watch, Turbonegro and a compilation to raise funds and media awareness for "Free The West Memphis Three Benefit", which united artists such as Joe Strummer, Tom Waits, Eddie Vedder, Killing Joke, Kelley Deal, The Long Beach Dub All-Stars, The John Doe Thing and Nashville Pussy.
In 1999 Yuzzy decided to open her own boutique artist development firm, Eclectic Media, based in New York and has since represented artists and labels such as:
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Grammy Award winners Aterciopelados
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Nortec Collective
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Sidestepper
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Gustavo Cerati
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Argentine Electro boutique label Fragil Records
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Ocio
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Leandro Fresco
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London based electronica Label Sonic 360
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Colombia's Grammy nominated Superlitio
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Grammy winning Tito Puente & Eddie Palmieri's 'Obra Maestra' album
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Grammy nominated Superratones
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Three-time Grammy award winners Kinky
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Grammy winner Leopoldo Federico
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Guatemala's Bohemia Suburbana
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Pastilla
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Viva Malpache
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Peru's Libido
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Volumen Cero
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DJ Nova
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Pacha Massive
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Badman Recording Co.
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Influential singer-songwriter and composer Ivan Benavides
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Legendary La Provincia guitarist Teto Ocampo
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Electro-clash dance outfit De Lux Club
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Colombia's godfathers of the new musical boom Bloque, whose album garnered worldwide critical acclaim
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Sidestepper & Benavidez's side project Postdata
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VHS Or BETA
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Multi-platinum Swedish singer songwriter Jose Gonzalez
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Multiplatinum Swedish electro-rock band The Sounds
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Ozomatli
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Ojos De Brujo
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Alejo Aponte & Latonera
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La Chiva Gantiva from Brussels
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With British producer Chris Allison (Beta band, Coldplay, P* Mosh) she launched the electronica dance party, "La Leche" in New York City
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Served as publicist for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame 2004 featuring Prince, George Harrison, Jackson Browne, ZZ Top, Bob Seger, Traffic, The Dells and Rolling Stone magazine founder Jann Wenner and Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame 2005 featuring U2, The Pretenders, Buddy Guy, The O'Jays, Percy Sledge, Frank Barsalona & Seymour Stein.
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She produced the Annual LAMC Official Un-Official LAMC after-party until its 10 year anniversary; to this day still considered one of the most popular Off-LAMC showcases in the history of the Latin Alternative conference.
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In November 2010, she developed the campaign and marketing for Mexican songstress Ely Guerra for her critically acclaimed album "Hombre Invisible" which won a Latin Grammy for Best Alternative Album.
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She developed campaigns for Peru's Grammy nominated Novalima who charted at #8 in the world music charts, the first Peruvian band ever to chart in Billboard.
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She later developed the campaign for Peruvian singer songwriter, Pamela Rodriguez which earned her a second Grammy Nomination.
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Worked and developed multi-platinum Grammy nominated Chilean singer songwriter Francisca Valenzuela
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Argentine singer songwriter Federico Aubele
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Grammy nominated Mexican Songstress Ceci Bastida
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World renowned and influential Grammy award winning British Producer /DJ Fatboy Slim and Turntables from the Hudson founder Nickodemus.
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In 2015 she began work as PR & Manager for the only female Mariachi band in New York, Mariachi Flor De Toloache. They've since earned a Grammy nomination & international attention. She arranged for them to warm up for Black Keys singer Dan Auberbach’s side project The Arcs with whom they toured Europe and the United States to sold out audiences including ACL, Coachella, Lollapalooza and Governors Ball. They served as opening act for Patti Smith in Lincoln Center, and were featured in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone, GQ, The New Yorker, plus two performances on NPR's Tiny Desk. Mariachi Flor De Toloache won the Grammy for Best Ranchera Album in 2017.
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Later she began work with New York’s Los Hacheros, torchbearers of the golden age of salsa, a genre having a big resurgence in 2016, for which Los Hacheros are considered to be at the forefront. Their album 'Bambulaye' garnered critical acclaim in the U.S. and their popularity continues to increase. In October 2016 she took Los Hacheros on their first tour in Colombia, where they opened for Ruben Blades and played several cities to great success.
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In 2017 she worked with Guadalajara’s psychedelic jazz outfit Troker, with whom she did 3 US Tours with several high profile performances establishing the band in the U.S. jazz world.
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