RJ (Rohan James) De Vera automotive bio

business: I started my own out of home high performance parts mail order company at 17. I became a partner in a retail business at 19. I dissolved everything by the time I was 20. That's when I became a consultant working with companies to design new products and in helping market them. These included wheels, body kits, and a number of accessories. I have also worked on various ad campaigns and served as a marketing advisor for a number of companies and corporations.

Today, I partake in many different aspects of business. For the most part, I specialize in creating ideas. Together with different partners I aid in the conceptualization, development, and marketing of various products, events, and projects. I guess you could say that I am a product, marketing, and brand development consultant. I also give insight to the social culture of the tuner/sport compact scene. I work with companies to understand the world and passion of tuning and racing cars! My clients include Microsoft/XBOX (Forza Motorsport Frachise), Pepsi Co. (Street Motion Tour), Valvoline (Team Synpower), American Racing Wheels (Motegi Racing) Denso Sales NA (Denso Iridium Power), American Honda (Honda and Acura Automobiles), as well as some entertainment properties.

    A few years ago I developed a brand called RO_JA (the RO from my first name Rohan and JA from my second name James) and working with Motegi Racing we set out to produce an upscale line of high performance wheels. The wheel business is still a big part of my life. Some time ago I worked with some partners at Bum & Roh, Inc. to create RE Works, a brand consisting of contemporary high performance parts such as suspension upgrades and engine performance upgrades. This brand was sold to American Products Company (aka APC) and was distributed through their vast network of master wholesalers. I am no longer involved in the RE Works brand but its just great to know that I helped create some of that. I am continuing my efforts with the RO_JA Motorsports wheel line. My dream is to one-day offer complete tuned vehicles. Currently such concept cars are built using the moniker "DVR".

    We are also taking the "RO_JA" brand into new avenues that include performance parts, fashion, and toys. A line of RO_JA aero kits is produced and distributed by Versus Motorsports. Funline Merchandise Company (a division of Action Toys) and Revell Monogram produces a line of RJ De Vera toy cars (die cast, slot car sets, and RC cars) that feature the RO_JA Motorsports brand and Speedwell Footwear produces special edition RO_JA shoes. I am also working to do a line of automotive themed fashion gear. The first clothing products that will be launched in 2005 under a company called GreaseMonkey Outfitting Co. and will be a line of officially licensed Honda merchandise designed for the youth market. This line will be available through Honda Dealership outlets and direct to retail via an e-Commerce site. It has been so exciting to see my brand go so far and I look forward to the things to come in the future. I just hope to continually invigorate and inspire the youth in this automotive youth car culture.

    Today my firm is called Image Makers, LLC and under that I continue my work as a product, brand, lifestyle, and marketing consultant giving input in whatever I can while producing ideas, concepts, and project cars to further the brand presence of various companies to this car culture market and the mainstream. I enjoy being part of the whole creative process and hope that enthusiasts around the globe like and are inspired by the things that I have and will produce

spokesperson: beginning in 2003, I became an official spokesperson for Pepsi Beverage Co. I continue to represent their Pepsi brand in the car culture community at the Hot Import Night events and through my modified car projects. Every year we build two RJ de Vera/Pepsi vehicles, one for show and one as a giveaway. I would have never dreamed of this but that's true for many things that have happened to me. I am looking forward to continuing my work as a Pepsi spokesperson and car customizer/automotive stylist and hope that I am able to greatly assist in the development and promotion of the Pepsi brand. I am also a spokesperson and product user for a number of multiple automobile aftermarket companies. These include Valvoline Synpower, Denso Iridium Power, RO_JA Motorsports, BF Goodrich Tires, Motegi Racing, Versus Motorsport/Pure Styling, Veilside, Speedwell Footwear, American Honda (HFP line), and Acura Automobiles (A-Spec line). I represent some great companies that make great product. It is a joy to work with such great people that make really outstanding products.

edit and photography: I started working for Petersen Publishing (now called Primedia) in 1996 for their newly launched Import Car Magazine called Super Street, which is now the largest Import Car Title with a circulation of about 250,000. At first I only covered events and did tech stories. By 1998, I began shooting feature spreads, which I continue to do till this day. I also started to write and shoot for a sister magazine called Max Power, which is now titled Euro Tuner. As I developed as a writer/photographer I continued to work with more magazine titles including publications like Import Racer and Velocity Magazine. I shot my first covers in the year of 2000 for the Primedia LA books (then EMAP USA). In 2003 I started to write some of my own columns and features in numerous magazines in the US and Japan. These included Modified Magazine in North America, HCI in the US, Access Unlimited in the US, L/S Magazine in Japan, and Dress Up Car in Japan. Today I write a monthly column in Modified Magazine. I hope people like what I have to say. I feel that I have good experiences and advice to share with other sport compact enthusiasts. I believe that I can pass on what I have learned to help the tuners of tomorrow.

production work and acting: I started acting by luckily landing a gig in a 30 second spot for an ARCO gas commercial, in year 2000, as a car lover/enthusiast who loves "putting only the best products in the car such as high quality audio equipment but also looks to get the best deals which supposedly translated into ARCO gas." It was great fun to be an actor for a day and I never thought I would ever do it again. It was great money for 3 days of work and the commercial was quite funny. It was a blast. It aired all over the western United States and still plays in RPA's (Agency) lobby.

    I also played a small feature character on the Universal Pictures Film "The Fast and the Furious" as "Danny Yamato, a leader of one of the racing crews who races against the lead hero (Paul Walker) and anti-hero (Vin Diesel) as well as one other character (Rapper Ja-Rule) in a late night high stakes underground street race. I also helped a bit behind the scenes doing a bit of consulting work for the same Universal film. I didn't get to do any work on FF2 as they changed the whole production crew and none of the actors came back to do the second movie except for Paul Walker. I hope to really study the craft one day and to do more roles but the car stuff always seems to come first. What can I say - I just love car culture. I gave some insight to writer Chris Morgan for the FF3 script and hope that it is more gritty and real this third time around.

    In the summer of 2004 I worked with MT2 on a couple of shows. The first was a diary style show where cameras followed me for a week to show what it's like to get ready for a big car show event. The show was called "Life in the Fast Lane" and aired in the US in September 2004. The second was a TRL style show where another host and I took viewers in the exciting car show world of Hot Import Nights by showing viewers what goes on at such a mega event while rolling into music videos that had some sort of car theme.

    Currently I am working on a new concept called Trick it Out for MTV which should air in late 2005. I am also developing a property called Speedline with a talented group of individuals. We hope to launch this concept in various forms of entertainment including a series of manga, a full feature film, a line of toys, and a video game.

automotive styling (project cars):

    Team Kosoku Acura Integra (1994-1998 Project): I purchased my first car in March 93. A blue Acura Integra. It was modified mildly with wheels and a full stereo system. It was involved in an accident 3 months after my 16th birthday. My next car was a white Acura Integra GS-R, which I fully modified from top to bottom. I competed in car shows and raced in this vehicle for about 3 years. It was the vehicle that would make me who I am. It was sold sometime in 1997.

    RO_JA Acura NSX (1998-2005 Project): After, I picked up an Acura NSX in the same year the Integra was sold. I heavily modified this vehicle for shows and races. I still drive this car daily and it has changed colors a number of times. Today it is bright Orange with a black top. It features a full Comptech widebody package and surpercharger system along with a full audio system, RO_JA wheels, and a complete suede interior.

    Versus Motorsport Veilside Honda S2000 (2000-2002 Project): In the early part of 2000, I started working on a project car with Versus Motorsports and Veilside Japan - a Honda S2000 roadster. It was more of a company car assembled to further my business endeavors. The vehicle quickly became an icon being a lead character vehicle in Universal Pictures' "The Fast and the Furious" film as Rick Yun's character vehicle. This car graced so many covers and pages of both automotive and non-automotive magazines. It was sold to Universal Studios and used in " 2 Fast and 2 Furious" film as Devon Aoki's character vehicle.

    Acura RSX Racing Showcase Team (2002-on Project) 2 Car Program: Show RSX and Circuit RSX: In 2002, I began working to build a duo of Acura RSXs (one for circuit and one for show). The show RSX was toured around Japan in 2003 and will be touring the US in 2004 while the racecar has been raced at tracks around the US since 2003. In 2005 the circuit RSX gets revamped to be the ultimate front wheel drive Time Attack machine in hopes of become the fastest front wheel drive time attacker in the US.

    RE Works Toyota MR-S (2001-2002 Project): Also in 2002, along with some partners (Antony Kim and Rakesh Patel at RE Works), we debuted a no holds barred extreme Toyota MR-2 Spyder. This car was shot and featured in no less than 7 different magazine covers around the globe including Max Power UK and Super Street in the US. This car also received a small bit part in the "2 Fast 2 Furious" movie.

    Pepsi Brand Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIIIs (2003-2005 Project): Also added to the list are a quartet of Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIIIs. These Pepsi Brand RJ de Vera tuned rides were a blast to build. One was a super crazy aspirational car that toured the US in 2004 with Pepsi while the other three were down to earth streetable sweepstakes cars that went to some lucky winner through the www.pepsi.com global website.

    Pepsi / Eri Moriyama Mitsubishi Eclipse Show Car (2004-2005 Project): Started in 2004 I worked with Pepsi Model Eri Moriyama to create a female themed Pepsi show car in the form of a Mitsubishi Eclipse. The car features a full tilt audio video in car entertainment center, huge Wilwood brakes, N/X nitrious system, Sparco Seats, BF Goodrich tires, Motegi Racing wheels, and custom Pink pearl paint job. This car will be on tour with Pepsi during the 2004 and 2005 Hot Import Nights Season.

    Veilside ArtnMotion Nissan 350Z (2003-2005 Project): Started in 2003 I again hooked up with Veilside Japan and ArtnMotion teammate Brett Coca to build a sick widebodied Nissan 350Z project. The car will feature mostly Veilside parts and have full audio, supercharger, and interior upgrades. It features crazy widebody flares and 20-inch Veilside wheels. This is one bad ass ride.

    Funline Nissan 350Z Convertible (2003-2004 Project): Together with Funline Merchandising company - we built up a Nissan 350Z convertible to resemble a die cast toy and a real life car. The car features 20 inch RO_JA forged wheels, AP brakes, a twin turbo charged engine, Recaro seats, and aero from Versus Motorspost.

    Valvoline Synpower Nissan 350Z Roadster (2004-2005 Project): Started in 2004. Shawn Williams (from Street Concepts) and I began putting together a great Nissan Roadster that was to tour with Valvoline Synpower for their 2004 Hot Import Nights efforts. The car received a full Veilside kit, Candy Blue paint, a sick stereo system with Pioneer and Fosgate equipment, a Vortech Supercharge kit, Recaro Seats, 8 piston Brembos, Michelin tires, and another new 20 inch RO_JA wheel called the Formula 55.

    RO_JA Motorsports Toyota Supra Turbo (2003-2005 Project): In 2003 I began working on a Toyota Supra turbo for RO_JA Motorsports. The car is used to display and promote the RO_JA Motorsports wheel line. The car features a full Do-Luck kit from Japan, HKS and XS engineering turbo upgrades and tuning, Bride seats, and Pioneer in car entertainment equipment along with Supra specific RO_JA forged wheels. The car makes massive power (about 600+ HP) and with it's bright orange color - it's sure to turn some heads.

    Greddy/ArtnMotion Mazda RX-8 (2004-2005 Project): Together with GPP (Greddy Performance Products) and fellow ArtnMotion teammate Robert Shaw we began a turbo charged RX-8 project in 2004. It is rotary power reborn. The car also features a full Veilside VSD1-GT body kit, Grex 6 piston brake upgrade, Sparco seats, suede interior, and a full JL audio system, and 19 inch RO_JA forged wheels.

    New Upcoming Projects for 2005-2006: Versus Motorsport Mazda 3, Motegi Racing Honda Ridgeline, Designe Veloce Lamborghini Gallardo, Pepsi Mitsubishi Eclipse, DVR Concept TLS (based on Acura TL), DVR Concept Si (based on Honda Civic), DVR Concept RLS (based on Acura RL).

    It's going to be an exciting year with much to look forward to. A series of die cast toy cars have been created after the cars that I have worked on in real life and are produced by Funline Merchandising Co. and Revell Monogram. I'm sure that there will be more cars and things to come so just be on the look out.

sanctioned racing: I started to drag race on the track in 1993 with a NOS powered Acura Integra GS-R. I continued to race this car until 1995. I broke so many motors that I started to concentrate on car shows for a while. In 1997, I attended a few race events with my Acura NSX, which was also NOS powered. In 2001, I continued to race a bit with a supercharged Honda S2000 but nothing super serious.

    I have some minor experience on circuit tracks in streetcars, open wheel Formula cars, and shifter karts. I also developed an Acura RSX Circuit Car that raced in the NASA Honda Challenge series and some time attack events. The car is a fully built road racer and is usually driven by Honda Challenge Champion Andy Hope. Once in a while I take the helm and do some racing or lapping myself. The project was created to showcase the engineering, durability, and abilities of our product and technology partners. The RSX circuit car is powered by the same K20 powerplant found in the Acura RSX Type-S but built top to bottom and features a full HKS turbo system. The car makes about 450 HP. Partners for the Acura RSX Circuit Car include RO_JA Motorsports, Versus Motorsport/Pure Styling, AEBS, HKS USA, MOB Works, Valvoline Synpower, Denso, Comptech, Endless/Zeal, Hondata, Toda, Stoptech, and Sparco.

    I hope to continue improving my driver's skill in any avenue of racing. What can I say - I just love racing but definitely need much more seat time. I am looking to get some minor experience in Rally driving and drifting in 2006 and 2007. I can never learn enough. I believe that getting seat time and going through the challenges of the racing environment not only helps me become a better driver (as I really hope to better my skills) but also helps me become a better product developer. The lessons learned in racing help me conceptualize and develop much better and more useful products. Putting my product concepts through the rigors of racing helps me understand how things really work in the real world environment and also helps me better understand the needs of consumers.

car crews: I founded Team Kosoku in August 1994. Within the span of 4 years, we built team Kosoku into one of the most well known clubs in the Import show circuit and racing scene. We were unstoppable at car shows taking home a number of awards and had a good number of accomplishments in the racing side with JoJo Callos' at the time daily driven Honda Civic. In 1998, the team name was given to a crewmember to produce a series of products and the team was dissolved.

    In 1999, my mother, some friends, and I decided to put together ArtnMotion. This club would be much smaller in number but much higher in caliber. Bringing together the best people and personalities in the industry along with their high caliber cars, we have accomplished what took 4 years with Team Kosoku in a span of 1 year. With in the last few years, the club has accumulated over 250+ awards between individuals and the team as whole. At the end of 2000, we retired from overall team competition changing our focus towards charity projects and individual businesses. Still together as a team, some members continue to compete for individual awards and members still get together to display and to develop projects to help expose the scene, themselves, and their sponsors.

events: I started attending the first series of organized sanctioned import races called the Battle of the Imports in 1993. I also attended the first ever Import Car shows (Import Showoff), which began in 1995. Since then I have continued to race and show at various events and I have also contributed heavily in the production of some of the events. I developed the vendor program for Import Showoff series, took care of car show management for the PME (Performance Motorsport Expo) series of shows, and was the car show manager for NIRA (National Import Racing Association - a nation wide series of import races) for the 99 season. Currently I attend over 20-30 events a year. From car shows, to races, to trade shows. I travel around North America, Japan, and Europe to help promote my self-titled RO_JA and DVR brand along with my partners and sponsors.

featured: In regards to Import car culture, my family and I have been featured in numerous print editorials and broadcasted segments. These include:
PRINT:
Autoweek, LA Times, Wallstreet Journal, USA Today, A Magazine US, Yolk Magazine US, Advertising News, Super Street US, Option Japan, CAR Magazine UK, Genroku Japan, Auto Culture Belgium, Street Performance Belgium, Max Power UK, Redline UK, Max Power US, Street Tuning France, Maxi Tuning France-Italy-Spain, Import Tuner US, Turbo Magazine US, Import Racer US, Sport Compact Car US, HCI US, Stance US, Auto Sound and Security US, Mini Truckin US, Performance Auto and Sound Canada, LS Magazine Japan, Young Version Japan, D Car Japan

BROADCAST
UPN, Access Hollywood, E Entertainment, Speed Vision Network, The Learning Channel, MTV, MTV 2, CTN, VH1 various international broadcasting programs, documentaries, radio, and so on.

DVD / Video
On the Scene, Grip Video, Street Fury Onyx, Fast and Furious 1, Full Throttle

That's my life so far, only time will tell what else will come to be.

rj de vera