Angel Fabián Rivera

From the Beaches of Aguada to the Spotlight in Atlanta

By Daniela Cintron

Published May 22, 2025
Last Updated May 23, 2025

For Angel Fabián Rivera, Puerto Rico is more than a birthplace — it’s a rhythm, a flavor, a way of life. “Boricua es sazón, Boricua es adobo, Boricua es sofrito,” he says with a grin, naming the essential ingredients of his culture the same way someone might recite poetry. Born and raised in Aguada, on the west coast of Puerto Rico, Rivera has carried that flavor with him through every chapter of his creative journey — from his early acting days on the island to his growing footprint in Atlanta’s entertainment scene.

“I did acting for a couple of years in Puerto Rico,” he recalls. “Then I booked my first feature film with Lionsgate. That’s when I told myself, I can do film. Let’s go somewhere I can really grow.” He considered the traditional industry giants — New York and Los Angeles — but Atlanta, with its rising status as the “Hollywood of the South,” offered a different kind of promise: a space to create, collaborate and build something new from the ground up.

He’s been in Atlanta for four years now, and in that time, he’s not only acted — his first passion — but also embraced a broader mission: amplifying Latino voices in media, culture and community. Rivera launched Lights Camera Latino, a podcast born from his experience hosting the New York Latino Film Festival. “That moment really opened my eyes to something new,” he says. “It showed me I had another voice, another platform.”

He didn’t stop there. Determined to foster real connection among Latinos in the city, Rivera also created The Latino Circle, a networking space where culture meets community. “We get Latinos together in a room — networking mixers, events about salsa music, cooking, storytelling — anything Latino-related,” he explains. The goal is simple: to build bridges, celebrate identity and empower people to see themselves in one another.

You can also find Rivera at the Alliance Theatre, where he has worked for two years as both an actor and teaching artist. He’s particularly passionate about working with Latino youth, many of whom are seeing someone like themselves on stage or in a classroom for the first time. “They tell me, ‘I love that I can relate to someone,’” he says. “Sometimes we take that for granted, but we shouldn’t. You’re making a mark on someone’s life.”

For Rivera, Puerto Rican identity is an enduring pride you carry no matter how far from the island you go. “There’s a saying in Puerto Rico: Sería Boricua aunque naciera en la luna.” Even if I were born on the moon, I’d still be Boricua. That phrase, he says, captures the essence of a heritage that defies distance. “If you have Puerto Rican blood in you, that’s all we need to know. It’s salsa, it’s playa, it’s sol, it’s calor. That’s the beauty of our culture.”

Rivera may be far from Aguada’s sandy shores, but his path, infused with Puerto Rican spirit and anchored in community, is unmistakably Boricua. Whether through film, theater, podcasting or mentorship, he’s leaving a mark on Atlanta that smells a little like sofrito and sounds a lot like salsa.

Meet other Puerto Rican creatives in Atlanta.

Daniela is the content manager and bilingual editor for Discover Atlanta. As an award-winning bilingual journalist, she is passionate about shinning light on untold stories about culture, food and Atlanta.