Age: 11
Hometown: Brooklyn and Colón, Panama
Now Lives: In an apartment in the Bushwick section of
Brooklyn with her mother, father and four siblings.
Claim to Fame: Guerra, who is known to her fans as Jazzy, is
a self-styled “kid reporter” who has scored interviews with celebrities including
Alicia Keys, Tom Holland and Denzel Washington. Her spunky on-the-street
interviews are posted on her “Jazzys World TV” social media channels, which
include Instagram (about 76,700 followers), TikTok (about 114,500) and YouTube
(about 24,000). She once asked soccer player David Beckham “the most hilarious
thing” he’s done as a father (dressing up as the Easter Bunny for his children)
and basketball player Carmelo Anthony his “biggest pet peeve” (being woken up
while sleeping). “I think that it’s really cool how they take time out of their
busy schedule and out of their busy day just to talk to an 11-year-old little
kid,” she said.
Big Break: When she was 9, her father, Luis De Hoyos, a
mental health therapist, took her to various meet and greets to get autographs
from athletes. She would ask them questions about their careers and struck up
an easy rapport. She and her father decided to start a YouTube show, with her
father filming and editing the videos. Her first interview was Gregg Popovich,
head coach of the San Antonio Spurs, before their game against the New York
Knicks at Madison Square Garden. She declined to share how she snags her
subjects (“It’s my secret recipe”) but hinted that it involved waiting for
hours, including early mornings before school.
Latest Project: In November, Guerra interviewed Jay-Z
outside his Manhattan office for about two minutes and asked him what it takes
to be successful. “Believe in yourself, even before anyone else believes in
you,” Jay-Z said, adding: “You got to have ultimate confidence, like you do.
You’re very confident.” The video garnered hundreds of thousands of views on
YouTube and Instagram and was shared widely on Twitter. “It helped catapult her
career and what she’s doing,” De Hoyos said. “She’s really, really grateful.”
Next Thing: Guerra will be a presenter for Nike Playlist for
Kids, a YouTube series where children and professional athletes play active
games and sports.
Down Time: Guerra is a sixth grader at a Brooklyn public
school, and some of her former teachers have commented on her videos. “Jazzy
told me her classmates are recognising her in school,” De Hoyos said, adding
that she was recently invited to sit with the seventh and eighth graders at
lunch. She also likes to play video games, including Madden NFL and Fortnite,
and hang out with friends. She has recently become a fan of watching boxing and
is starting to train as well. “I’m learning more about the sport,” she said. “I
think I want to interview more boxers in the future, just to get some tips.”
© 2021 The New York Times Company
