ABOUT

MAILON RIVERA

Founder/CEO, Director of Philanthropy

Mailon Rivera (pronounced "May-Lahn") is a regenerative community builder and cultural architect whose three decades as an actor, creative producer, and barefoot alchemist have all fed the same throughline: turning hard-won experience into systems that lift others up.

As founder of Urban Alchemy 360°, Mailon built "a curious collective of conspirators, collaborators, and agents of change" — providing ghost production, brand identity, edutainment, and full creative services to purpose-driven businesses, nonprofits, and social enterprises nationwide. He also hosts The Barefoot Alchemist, a podcast blending grounded conversation, cultural curiosity, and sonic discovery.

Born in New York City, Mailon's real journey began as a former foster child and welfare baby, a reluctant street kid, lifelong B-Boy, and intensely civic-minded teen who eventually — after a few "distractions" — bloomed into an autodidactic, polymathic adult and influential Cultural Creative on a mission. That mission? To transform lives, communities, and systems — one act of alchemy at a time.

Today, Mailon steers a pioneering US-based joint venture between C4GS-ZEDlife — a vibrant and "melanated" collective of community builders, innovators, and green-tech investors — and ZEDpower, LLC, an internationally renowned leader in zero-carbon housing solutions, co-founded alongside Adria Fox and London-based architect Bill Dunster. That work recently won a $1 million California Energy Commission EPIC grant: "These projects are part of a larger effort to create sustainable, intentional, clean energy-generating communities throughout California — with zero energy bills for families who need it most. This project will be an example for other cities to replicate."

With his signature deep, resonant voice, Mailon has appeared in dozens of hit television series, including NCIS, CSI: Miami, The Shield, and many others across BET, NBC, HBO, and more. His stage credits include The Murder of Emmett Till: 50 Years Later at the Crossroads Theatre, and Race, Rap and Redemption — an interdisciplinary multimedia production by USC's Visions and Voices Arts and Humanities Initiative featuring Ice Cube and Saul Williams, exploring the intersection of performance, social justice, and language.

With over 30 years of experience as a cultural producer, creative visionary, and advocate for at-risk adults, Mailon also proudly serves as a board member for several organizations elevating nonprofits, businesses, and fellow entrepreneurs focused on human connection, social equity, and community empowerment.

Mailon divides his time between Los Angeles, San Diego, London and Brooklyn, NY — and other funky little planets where he feels comfortable in his skin.

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