DESIGNER BIO
This suave charmer's musical and performance talents make us swoon. (And, of course, those eyes...) Mix that with his sharp multi-culturally-inspired style, and we've got one spicy Extreme designer.
Before breaking ground as a star designer on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Eduardo Xol was an accomplished keyboardist and percussionist. Raised in East Los Angeles, he was one of the youngest musicians to be scouted and selected to perform with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, at the age of only 10. But his passion for the arts extends beyond playing music: While studying theatre arts at UCLA, he produced several hit musical theatre and comedy revues that toured throughout the U.S. Shortly thereafter he headed south to Latin America, where he found fame as a star of music, television and videos. He starred in several worldwide-syndicated telenovelas (soap operas), including Sentimientos Ajenos, La Jaula de Oro and Acapulco Cuerpo y Alma.
During his time in Mexico, Eduardo also found time to produce music and videos. His production company worked with music producer Benny Rietveld of Carlos Santana fame and Mexican superstars Luis Miguel and Pilar Montenegro. His partnership with BMG Latin produced his first solo album, La Pasión, for which he was nominated for Premio Lo Nuestro’s Artist of the Year, alongside Gloria Estefan and Ricky Martin. His representation of the United States at the International Music Festival at Viña Del Mar, Chile brought his appeal to a worldwide audience. Soon, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar and Somos magazines featured the charming and down to earth Xol as one of Latin America’s most eligible and gorgeous bachelors.
Over the last few years, Eduardo has transferred his experience in musical composition and television production into the world of lifestyle and design. He has appeared on Good Morning America and in countless newspaper and magazine articles including being named one of the "50 Most Beautiful" by People en Español and among the 100 Most Influential Hispanics in America by Hispanic Magazine.
Eduardo has partnered with The Occasion Group, Taylor Corporation's leading paper goods and stationery division, to design a line of Quinceanera and specialty invitations. His first book, Home Sense, was published in 2007 in both English and Spanish, and was awarded Best Self-Help Book and received Honorable Mention in the Art & Design category at the 2008 International Latino Book Awards. His recently published second book, Extreme Entertaining Made Simple, focuses on entertaining for the senses and includes a CD of originally composed and licensed music befitting various events.
In spite of his busy schedule, Eduardo brings his wealth of diverse artistic training, education and years of activism with the Bilingual Arts Movement to his role as founder of the ALUMNI Media Group, a non-profit organization that brings media and the arts to students in underserved communities who might otherwise not be given the experience. Eduardo recently became the spokesperson for a multimedia campaign for DIRECTV.
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