Music executive, Serial Entrepreneur, Public Speaker and Philanthropist

Johnny Marines is a native New Yorker from the Lower East Side and was a monumental force in the meteoric rise to stardom for the Latin American group Aventura and global Bachata star, Romeo Santos better known as the “King of Bachata”.

Before entering the music business, Johnny Marines started his career as an NYPD police officer and was later promoted to the rank of sergeant. During his tenure as a police officer, which included the height of the crack epidemic in the 90s. Throughout his career, he was awarded 12 Excellent Police Duty medals as well as 4 Meritorious Police Duty medals and 4 separate Bribery arrests.

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Romeo Santos launched his solo career in 2011 with the critically acclaimed album, “Formula Vol. 1” which is quadruple platinum and has five #1 hits. Romeo won several awards such as, the Billboard Award for the Latin Album of the year, MTV VMA Award as Best Latino Music Artist, 2 Premio Juventud Awards, 3 Latin Billboard Awards. His Formula Vol. 1 Tour was sold out domestically and internationally, visiting over 60 cities and 3 sold out shows at the World's Most Famous Arena, Madison Square Garden. In 2013, Johnny and Romeo were invited to the White House for the Musica Latina event in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. In 2014, Romeo released his second Album, Formula Vol, 2 which is five times platinum and has also won several awards. He had a record-breaking 21 nominations for the Latin Billboard Awards, taking home 10 of them. Romeo’s world tour for his second album was sold out which even included two historic nights at Yankee Stadium making him the first Latin artist to ever headline and sell out a show at the world’s most prestigious ballpark. The success of Marines’ work ethic can be measured by Romeo Santos’ rapid growth which continued to extend into new markets across the world. Johnny was selected 3 times as a “Latin Power Player” by Billboard for being one of the 30 most influential people in Latin music.

 

 

In 2016, Johnny and Romeo launched a newly formed Latin division for Jay Z’s entertainment company, Roc Nation. Romeo served as CEO, while Johnny served as the president for the Latin division. During Johnny’s tenure as president, he overlooked operational budgets and signed multiple Latin talents.

 

Despite all of his success, Johnny Marines has not forgotten his humble roots he came from. Johnny has dedicated a large portion of his time, effort and resources to giving back to his community. In conjunction with Aventura, Marines has co-funded toy drives in New York and the Dominican Republic; he has donated turkeys for hundreds of needy families during the holidays; several times a year, Johnny and his mother ship barrels of food to the Dominican Republic and school supplies to low income families to provide them with the tools they need to focus and acquire a quality education; and he has helped coordinate Aventura’s hospital visits to sick children throughout the Metropolitan Area.

 

In 2017, Johnny helped create and fund a non-profit, Lower East Side Sports Academy, in the Lower East Side of Manhattan which partnered with the NYC Police Athletic League and has over 300 young people participating in its third season this summer. Johnny went on to establish the Johnny Marines Blessings Foundation, which is established to foster, support, and fund educational advancement initiatives within New York City.

 

Johnny has shared his story and communicates how he came to be the manager of the most influential Latin American group and solo artist of our generation. Johnny speaks sincerely of his struggles and mistakes not only growing up in the Lower East Side, but also of the impediments he has had to overcome once in the music industry. Marines’ lectures on the importance of diligence and always putting your best work forward, and relays his messages in ways that people from all walks of life can relate. Johnny’s story is a true testament to the American Dream, that with hard work, dedication and motivation, anything truly is possible. Johnny has spoken on numerous occasions at Harvard, Columbia, Syracuse, Lehman College, and St. John’s University.

 

More recently, Johnny has grown into a serial entrepreneur who owns several nightlife/restaurant venues. He is also a real estate investor creating generational wealth through real estate. He is currently in the process of developing several rental units throughout the country. Johnny is also a tech investor who serves as a strategic partner for several tech startup companies. He also serves on the advisory board of the music app called Trubify and for the alcohol beverage company Yave tequila.