Memorial Service Planned For Matthew Rodriguez

Memorial services are being held for Matthew Rodriguez, senior VPof marketing and creative at Twentieth Television, at the Zanuck Theater on the Fox Studios Lot this Friday, Nov. 21, at 11 a.m. Rodriguez, 39, passed away on Friday, Nov. 14, after a brief bout with cancer.

“Matthew lived life to the fullest and he will be greatly missed by one and all. He was an outstanding talent who truly brought joy and laughter to everyone that he met. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family,” said Bob Cook, Twentieth’s president and COO in a statement.

Rodriguez had worked for Twentieth since 1994 and was responsible for overseeing all consumer and corporate marketing and promotional activities for the distributor’s library of first-run and off-net programs. He also managed all marketing activities for News Corp.’s MyNetwork TV.

During his 14-year tenure with Twentieth, Rodriguez won numerous awards, including a PROMAX World Class Award in 2003 for his on-air promotional campaign for Cops.  In 2004, Rodriguez’s campaign for Divorce Court’s sixth season garnered a Gracie Allen Award from American Women in Radio & Television. 

Born January 20, 1969, in Encino, California, Rodriguez is survived by his partner, Richard Tuttelmondo, his mother Cheryl, father Lupe, brother David and sister Jamie. 

Twentieth is asking all comers to RSVP to RSVP@20thTV.com by noon on Thursday, Nov. 20, in order to handle security concerns ahead of time. Twentieth also asks that all attendees arrive by 10:30 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations are requested for Downtown Dog Rescue at www.DowntownDogRescue.com.

Paige Albiniak

Contributing editor Paige Albiniak has been covering the business of television for more than 25 years. She is a longtime contributor to Next TV, Broadcasting + Cable and Multichannel News. She concurrently serves as editorial director for The Global Entertainment Marketing Academy of Arts & Sciences (G.E.M.A.). She has written for such publications as TVNewsCheck, The New York Post, Variety, CBS Watch and more. Albiniak was B+C’s Los Angeles bureau chief from September 2002 to 2004, and an associate editor covering Congress and lobbying for the magazine in Washington, D.C., from January 1997 - September 2002.