Meet David Rousseau, mastermind behind music videos for Pitbull, Shakira

David Rousseau fell in love with the music videos that graced the TV screen when MTV actually showed them. He would go home from school and pour over them, studied them and figured out what worked and what didn’t.

It became his passion that would grow into reality.

Rousseau, now 41, grew up in Miami’s Little Havana and he knew a lot of people who worked in the local music business. For several years he worked for a way in and finally got his shot when he met a young Cuban-American rapper named Armando Christian Perez.

“It was being at the right place at the right time (and hard work),” he told Fox News Latino about the rapper who would be later known as Pitbull.

The dup teamed up for the single “Be Quiet” which was released in 2005/2006 when Pitbull was still relatively unknown and still developing his sound.

“It was such a small video. I think it was less than what we now pay for catering,” Rousseau said. “When we work together, we always bring it up and it keeps us humble.”

“Be Quiet” led to other videos with the rapper like the ultra-famous hit “I Know You Want Me (Calle 8)” which has accumulated more than 237 million views on YouTube.

The duo is about to launch their newest collaboration for Pitbull’s upcoming single “FREE.K,” which Rousseau promises will turn the tables on the rapper and let the women have the power.

“He wanted to spotlight his dancers that go on tour with him so the girls are flipping it and taking charge. It’s a different approach but we wanted it about empowering women. Let them be the ‘FREE.K’,” he said.

Now, Rousseau’s rolodex includes the likes of superstars Marc Anthony, Christina Aguilera, Enrique Iglesias, MAGIC!, Shakira, Nicki Minaj and Ne-Yo. His work as gotten him nominated for five MTV Video Music Awards.

“I have the best seat in the house. I get to experience what makes them special,” he said. “Like Marc, he sings live everything, so it’s like having a private concert.”

Rousseau calls himself a “mutt” and “a melting arroz con pollo” because he was born in Venezuela to Cuban parents, grew up in Miami and has a French last name. He said his family has been extremely supportive of his work and keep pushing him.

“They see how much I work. They see the sacrifice. It’s not as glamorous you would think – drinking coffee to stay awake,” he said. “But they are immensely proud. They are my biggest fan.”

Down the pipeline, Rousseau will be working with Pitbull for a visit Florida campaign to promote the beaches and sites of his home-state and is in the process of developing a TV show about a Cuban baseball player who defects and arrives to the U.S.

“It will be about what like would really be like for him, coming here and trying to make it,” he said.

Rousseau has been working solidly for more than a decade with all the accolades. He said he recently added up how many views his videos have received on YouTube and it has reached more than 4.5 billion.

“It’s so crazy,” he said. “I only looked to have 4 people see it not 4 billion.”