At a young age, Karim Alvizo knew his heart belonged to the arts. Born and raised in the folkloric town of Cd. Mante, Tamaulipas Mexico, Karim always found he was surrounded by vibrant colors, authentic people, and breathtaking views of nature often overlooked by a passing eye. He started taking note of the uncommon, yet innately beautiful aspects of life and wanted a way to capture their essence without distorting their beauty.
Following in his mother’s footsteps in creativity, Karim was enrolled in several art classes ranging from painting to theater. It was during this time he learned how to work the emotions of an audience, turn a blank piece of parchment into an eye-catching design and make a moment into a memory on film. However, Karim understood the importance of transforming passion into practice due to some business-savvy advice his father gave him one late summer afternoon. He told him to always keep a sound business mind and learn to promote his artistic skills through practical avenues.
With both of his parent’s influence and loving support behind him, Karim took the initiative and studied technical drawing for three years at a prep school in Mexico. After he earned enough experience in visual architectonic compositions and gained a better understanding of the skills needed to succeed in such a dynamic field, the rising artist took his passion to a new level.
After graduating from Waskow High School in Belton, TX, he applied, was accepted, and moved to the fourth largest city in the United States to study his inherent passion at The Art Institute of Houston. Through his classes and extracurricular activities, Karim honed in on his skills and learned the fundamentals behind advertising, such as graphic design, website development, and interactive media. However, he still stayed true to his favorite aspects of the arts with a high emphasis on photography and video. It was during his time as an undergrad he met one of the most influential people in his life, Ann Fisher. She was the Chair of First Year Studies at The Art Institute of Houston who showed him the importance of upholding the highest standards of professionalism and character, regardless of circumstances. She was not only his professor but friend and mentor. With her guidance and advice, Karim graduated from The Art Institute of Houston with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interactive Media and took first place in The Art Institute’s 2009 Best in Houston Portfolio Show Award.
Karim earned a Master of Science in International Marketing Management from Boston University and two MBA certificates from the Tecnologico de Monterrey (ITESM). During this time, he traveled to Kenya, Bahamas, Tanzania, Cuba, Canada, The Netherlands, Mexico, and many cities across the United States learning from different cultures and adapting to collaborate with other people's perspectives. This is where Karim discovered that capturing the essence of nature and cultures is important to let the world know about respect for diversity.
Over the past several years, Karim has worked in marketing for various global corporations; taught continuing ed classes at Baylor University, had his photos featured in National Geographic and Boston Global; developed several national and international marketing campaigns; and is currently collaborating with a group of Latin American influencers on a documentary displaying the hardships in human nature, illuminating controversial topics to spark intellectual conversations.
Through his past and future work, Karim hopes to merge cultural differences with innovative strategies while providing educational aid to those living in impoverished countries. He donates school supplies to small villages in Mexico, Tanzania, Cuba, and Colombia that do not have the money or resources needed to promote the arts to their youth population. This philanthropist understands the importance of needing a strong root to purpose as well as the encouragement from others to follow through with your dreams. It is why one of his life goals is to bring the same kind of positive reinforcement he received as a child growing up in Mexico to others who need it around the world.
Karim is a man of many talents. He can make a charcoal drawing take someone’s breath away, turn a common painting into a masterpiece, launch a result-driven marketing campaign and give a stage performance that leaves the audience wanting more. He is a son, a husband, a leader but more importantly a man of compassion.
Following in his mother’s footsteps in creativity, Karim was enrolled in several art classes ranging from painting to theater. It was during this time he learned how to work the emotions of an audience, turn a blank piece of parchment into an eye-catching design and make a moment into a memory on film. However, Karim understood the importance of transforming passion into practice due to some business-savvy advice his father gave him one late summer afternoon. He told him to always keep a sound business mind and learn to promote his artistic skills through practical avenues.
With both of his parent’s influence and loving support behind him, Karim took the initiative and studied technical drawing for three years at a prep school in Mexico. After he earned enough experience in visual architectonic compositions and gained a better understanding of the skills needed to succeed in such a dynamic field, the rising artist took his passion to a new level.
After graduating from Waskow High School in Belton, TX, he applied, was accepted, and moved to the fourth largest city in the United States to study his inherent passion at The Art Institute of Houston. Through his classes and extracurricular activities, Karim honed in on his skills and learned the fundamentals behind advertising, such as graphic design, website development, and interactive media. However, he still stayed true to his favorite aspects of the arts with a high emphasis on photography and video. It was during his time as an undergrad he met one of the most influential people in his life, Ann Fisher. She was the Chair of First Year Studies at The Art Institute of Houston who showed him the importance of upholding the highest standards of professionalism and character, regardless of circumstances. She was not only his professor but friend and mentor. With her guidance and advice, Karim graduated from The Art Institute of Houston with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interactive Media and took first place in The Art Institute’s 2009 Best in Houston Portfolio Show Award.
Karim earned a Master of Science in International Marketing Management from Boston University and two MBA certificates from the Tecnologico de Monterrey (ITESM). During this time, he traveled to Kenya, Bahamas, Tanzania, Cuba, Canada, The Netherlands, Mexico, and many cities across the United States learning from different cultures and adapting to collaborate with other people's perspectives. This is where Karim discovered that capturing the essence of nature and cultures is important to let the world know about respect for diversity.
Over the past several years, Karim has worked in marketing for various global corporations; taught continuing ed classes at Baylor University, had his photos featured in National Geographic and Boston Global; developed several national and international marketing campaigns; and is currently collaborating with a group of Latin American influencers on a documentary displaying the hardships in human nature, illuminating controversial topics to spark intellectual conversations.
Through his past and future work, Karim hopes to merge cultural differences with innovative strategies while providing educational aid to those living in impoverished countries. He donates school supplies to small villages in Mexico, Tanzania, Cuba, and Colombia that do not have the money or resources needed to promote the arts to their youth population. This philanthropist understands the importance of needing a strong root to purpose as well as the encouragement from others to follow through with your dreams. It is why one of his life goals is to bring the same kind of positive reinforcement he received as a child growing up in Mexico to others who need it around the world.
Karim is a man of many talents. He can make a charcoal drawing take someone’s breath away, turn a common painting into a masterpiece, launch a result-driven marketing campaign and give a stage performance that leaves the audience wanting more. He is a son, a husband, a leader but more importantly a man of compassion.
— This bio was written by Michelle Levine