Mike Oquendo (originator of the “Mikey O Show”) is a Chicago born and raised proud Puerto Rican with great love for his city and its people. Mike is an accomplished producer of Comedy, Theater and Music, not only in Chicago but across the country. He previously served on the Board for the National Academy of the Recording Arts & Sciences, which created the first Latin Grammy Awards and also served on the Chicago Latino Theater Alliance board which produces 'Destinos', the largest Latino Theater Festival in the country. Mike has also been a concept contributor for WTTW, HBO Latino, MSNBC, and WGN.

Mike has staged productions in Florida, New York, Puerto Rico, New Jersey, and Connecticut. His 2019 Off-Broadway production of "Made in Puerto Rico" with Prosecutor turned Comedian Eli Castro sold out for seven straight weeks in New York City, and his second Off-Broadway production at the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater ran for five weeks in 2024.

Mike is the only Chicago Latino to ever produce a sold out run at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C and his recent taping of the John Leguizamo MSNBC special “Leguizamo Does America” which filmed its “Chicago” episode in Humboldt Park, aired in 2023.

Mike is also a captivating and engaging public speaker and his emcee credits include the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus Foundation, the International Latino Cultural Center, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, the University of Chicago, and the Illinois Institute of Technology, among many others. Mike’s philosophy is that entrepreneurship and community engagement can live side by side to grow healthy neighborhood partnerships that are rich in diversity and equity. Mike regularly volunteers with numerous organizations in Chicago and his “Comedians for Communities” raises thousands of dollars yearly for Chicago non-profits.

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