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Watch video – Mexican film examines interpersonal issues, death, love, religion

Posted by Elena del Valle on May 28, 2010


Nora’s Will poster


José looking through binoculars in Nora’s Will

Photos, video: Menemsha Films

Cinco días sin Nora, titled Nora’s Will in English, is at first glance a film about love and what happens when a woman controls events from the grave, well some events in the lives of her loved ones anyway. On closer inspection, the Spanish language movie with English subtitles provides an opportunity for introspection withing a sad background, peppered with comic moments, of thorny issues relating to death, interpersonal relationships, selfishness, jealousy, professional ethics, suicide and society’s attitude toward it, Jewish and Catholic rites of passage, and hypocrisy that transcend a family’s life.

First time director Mariana Chenillo dedicated 92 minutes to the Mexican movie, first shown in 2008 and now being released by Menemsha Films in select theaters in South Florida. It is scheduled to be in theaters in New York in September and available on DVD later this year.Scroll down to watch a trailer of the film in Spanish with English subtitles.

Nora’s Will stood out at this year’s Ariel Awards held in Mexico City in April. At the event, the Mexican Film Academy named Cinco Dias Sin Nora Best Picture of the Year, Best First Work, and Best Original Screenplay. The judges also recognized its cast, score and make up with awards for Best Actor (Fernando Luján), Best Supporting Actress (Angelina Peláez), Best Original Score and Best Makeup. Chenillo, who wrote and directed the film, is the first woman director to win an Ariel Award for Best Picture.

Jose and Nora in their youth in Nora’s Will

Before dying, Nora, a Jewish woman, develops a plan to make José, her ex-husband, take care of her corpse. What she didn’t plan was that someone discovers a mysterious photograph forgotten under the bed. The incriminating photograph leads to an unexpected outcome which the movie maker designed to remind viewers that “the biggest love stories are sometimes hidden in the smallest places.” But is it a love story?

Director Mariana Chenillo

Chenillo, born in Mexico City in 1977, entered the Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica of Mexico City in 1995, where she specialized in film directing. Since then, she has worked as a script girl, production manager, and as a production coordinator with several film directors. As a teacher, she has worked at the Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica since 2005.

She was able to make the film with grant funding from the National Fund for the Arts and Culture (Jóvenes Creadores 2003-2004), the TyPa Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Hubert Bals Fund, the Mexican Film Institute, the Project Development Program for Operas Primas organized by the Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica, and the FIDECINE public fund. The movie was shot in October and November of 2007.

25th Annual Imagen Awards

Posted by Elena del Valle on May 27, 2010

Information provided by our Event Partner


25th Annual Imagen Awards
Sunday, August 15th
Century Plaza Hotel in Century City, California

The Imagen (Spanish for “image’) Foundation will be celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the prestigious Imagen Awards, to honor positive portrayals of Latinos and Latino culture in television and film, at a gala luncheon on Sunday, August 15th, at the Century Plaza Hotel in Century City, California.

The Imagen (pronounced ee-MAH-hen) Awards program was established in 1985 from a suggestion by veteran television producer Norman Lear (“All in the Family,” “The Jeffersons”) to encourage and recognize positive portrayals of Latinos in the media. Later, as The Imagen Foundation, it expanded its programs and initiatives to further its mission to serve as a bridge between the Latino community and the entertainment industry – providing access, education, and resources for Latinos in the industry as well as those seeking careers in entertainment.

Over the years, The Imagen Awards event has honored such prestigious artists as Cesar Romero, Rita Moreno, Ricardo Montalban, Martin Sheen, Placido Domingo, Penelope Cruz, Salma Hayek, Lalo Schifrin and Celia Cruz. Recent honorees include Kenny Ortega, America Ferrera, George Lopez, Nielsen Media Research and the Disney/ABC Television Group.

If you would like your company or brand to have visibility at this high-profile, star-studded event, various levels of sponsorship are available. Please contact Margie Hernandez at (310) 890-3125 or by email at margie.hernandez@yahoo.com .

Talent/press inquiries should be directed to Madeline Padilla at (818) 823-8781 or by email at mpadilla004@roadrunner.com .

More information on the awards event is available on the Imagen website www.imagen.org or by calling the Imagen office at (626) 376-9751. You can also follow Imagen on Twitter at twitter.com/imagenfound as well as on Facebook.

Unleashing the Financial Purchasing Power of the Growing U.S. Hispanic Population

Posted by Elena del Valle on May 26, 2010

Opening the Door with Relevant Products and Services Part One (Part Two will be published next week)

By Ricardo Quayat
Executive Creative Director, Rauxa Roja

Ricardo Quayat, executive creative director, Rauxa Roja

Photo: Rauxa Roja

Today’s Hispanic consumer has more household wealth and economic influence than ever before. U.S. businesses – and particularly financial institutions – are taking notice, placing more importance on the development of appropriate methods to attract and keep customers in this growing segment. In fact, with U.S. Hispanics expected to control almost $1 trillion in purchasing power by 20101, banks are scrambling to maximize this huge under-served marketplace with culturally relevant products and services.

Younger than the general population, and on the move in socioeconomic terms, this emerging market has the potential to redefine mainstream banking programs and products. And by understanding cultural subtleties and nuances, bank marketers can develop data-driven, culture-based strategies and tactics for precisely targeted campaigns with messaging that appeals to Hispanic prospects and customers on both an emotional and rational level.

Click here to read the entire article

In Part Two of this two-part series Ricardo Quayat will explore the cultural differences that affect the Hispanic consumer and how banks and financial institutions can effectively tap into this rapidly growing and financially sound market with relevant messages, products and services.

2010 Hispanic Retail 360 Summit – new location

Posted by Elena del Valle on May 25, 2010

Information provided by our Event Partner

Branding to the Trillion Dollar U.S. Latino Market
2010 Hispanic Retail 360 Summit
August 8-10, 2010
Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine, San Diego, Calif.

The Hispanic Retail 360 Summit, now in its sixth year, is the retail industry’s premier event for retailers and marketers looking to grow their business with the Latino consumer market in the U.S. It is a high-level Conference & Tabletop Exhibition including an informative conference program and opportunities for face-to-face interaction between retailers, suppliers and experts in Latino marketing.

The conference provides retailers and suppliers a complete 360 degree look at the Hispanic shopper, using data from The Nielsen Company, retailer case studies, and noted experts on demographics, buying behavior, segmentation, marketing, merchandising, product sourcing, store design and in-store marketing to Latino consumers.

Special rate of $599 will be honored for HispanicMPR subscribers.

Go to www.hispanicretail360.com to register and use the code HISMPR to receive this special rate.

For more information on registering or sponsorship opportunities contact Michael Hatherill at 646-654-7501 or MHatherill@csnews.com.

Listen to podcast interview with Rebecca E. Tellez-Higgins, director, Research Discovery Networks U.S. Hispanic Group about mi mundo en espanol

Posted by Elena del Valle on May 24, 2010

Rebecca E. Tellez-Higgins, director, Research Discovery Networks U.S. Hispanic Group

Photo: Discovery Networks

A podcast interview with Rebecca E. Tellez-Higgins, director, Research Discovery Networks U.S. Hispanic Group is available in the Podcast Section of Hispanic Marketing & Public Relations, HispanicMPR.com. During the podcast, Rebecca discusses the Mi Mundo Es en Español study about Discovery en español viewers with Elena del Valle, host of the HispanicMPR.com podcast.

Rebecca is charged with providing insightful and actionable research strategies for all divisions of the Company. While at Discovery, she was a Cable Beacon award winner with the Discovery U.S. Hispanic’s group’s “Moving Forward,” an in-depth look at issues facing Hispanic’s today with interviews of 21 key Hispanic and non-Hispanic thought leaders. Most recently, she championed an extensive research study using varied techniques (quantitative, qualitative focus groups and ethnography) to communicate a comprehensive look at the Discovery en Español viewer. The study can be seen at mimundoes.com.

Prior to Discovery she was a web brand consultant for Liberty Mutual, estimated to be the eight largest insurer in the world. At Liberty Mutual, Rebecca was in charge of libertymutual.com. She and a team of designers relaunched the site and increased web traffic by over a 100 percent. In order to truly understand the user’s experience, she was responsible for the analysis of all site traffic which included measurement online (analysis of web logs, online surveys) and offline (focus groups, phone surveys and other field studies).

To listen to the interview, scroll down until you see “Podcast” on the right hand side, then select “HMPR Rebecca Tellez-Higgins” click on the play button below or download the MP3 file to your iPod or MP3 player to listen on the go, in your car or at home. To download it, click on the arrow of the recording you wish to copy and save it to disk. The podcast will remain listed in the May 2010 section of the podcast archive.

Watch video – Bruckheimer, Disney release Middle Eastern themed adventure movie

Posted by Elena del Valle on May 21, 2010

The Prince of Persia poster

Photos, video: ThinkLatino, Andrew Cooper SMPSP, Disney Enterprises, Inc. Jerry Bruckheimer Inc.

Current thorny political issues with Iran notwithstanding mega successful Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer and Disney Enterprises teamed up to make the Prince of Persia: the Sands of Time, a Middle Eastern themed adventure movie based on a video game and due to be released in theaters nationwide May 28, 2010. Scroll down to watch a trailer of the movie.

Like its namesake video game the movie follows an adventure seeking prince and a princess working together to prevent an angry despot from possibly destroying the world. The movie stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Dastan, the young prince, and Gemma Arterton, as the mysterious princess Tamina. They join forces to protect a powerful and ancient dagger capable of reversing time and allowing its possessor to rule the world.

Also in the film, directed by Mike Newell (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire), are Sir Ben Kingsley and Alfred Molina. The screenplay was by Boaz Yakin and Doug Miro and Carlo Bernard from a screen story by Jordan Mechner. The executive producers are Mike Stenson, Chad Oman, John August, Jordan Mechner, Patrick McCormick and Eric McLeod.

Gyllenhaal and Arterton in Prince of Persia

Academy Award-nominated Gyllenhaal is winner of the 2006 Best Supporting Actor award from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and the National Board of Review. He also earned Oscar and Screen Actors Guild SAG Award nominations for his performance as Jack Twist in Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain. Gyllenhaal recently completed production on Duncan Jones’ Source Code opposite Michelle Monaghan, and Ed Zwick’s Love and Other Drugs opposite Anne Hathaway due to be released by Twentieth Century Fox November 24, 2010.

Arterton made her feature-film debut in the role of Kelly, the head girl in St. Trinian’s, directed by Oliver Parker and Barnaby Thompson. In 2008, she played Agent Fields in Quantum of Solace, starring Daniel Craig in his second outing as Agent 007, as well as in the title role in BBC’s adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles. Arterton had a supporting role in Guy Ritchie’s RocknRolla, and appeared in Pirate Radio.

To reach minorities head to suburbs

Posted by Elena del Valle on May 19, 2010

New York City is among the major cities drawing new white residents

Photos: New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, Wikimedia

Many Americans may be surprised to know that since 2000 most of the growth in our country, 83 percent, has been driven by minorities. Researchers estimate that by the middle of this century today’s minorities will be the majority of the country’s population. Already the majority of children in large cities is from minorities. At the same time, there are significant changes in the demographic breakdown of our 100 largest urban and suburban areas. Although during the recession fewer people are moving than during normal times in the last years there have been population shifts worth noting.

I first heard about the trend toward urban center renewal during a podcast interview with Steve Bergsman, author, After The Fall: Opportunities and Strategies for Real Estate Investing in the Coming Decade earlier this year (see Listen to interview with Author Steve Bergsman) One of the changes in America’s demographic distribution in the coming years, he said, would be a renewed interest in urban centers and a falling out of favor of suburbs. According to Steve, this urban regrowth would be driven in part by the high price of gasoline. He has been proven right, at least in the major metropolitan areas of our country where many people are being drawn to live.

A recent Brookings Institution analysis of census data between 2000 and 2008 indicates many young whites are heading to the cities in search of employment, public transportation and city ambiance while Asians, Hispanics and blacks are increasingly found in the country’s suburbs. Although the suburbs are still identified as white for the first time a majority of racial and ethnic groups in large metropolitan areas lives outside the cities.

Washington D.C.’s white resident population grew 5 percentage points

The suburbs continue to be the home of Baby Boomers aged 55 to 64 and now claim a large percent of a less desirable demographic for marketers, the poor. Surprisingly, the suburbs are where the largest poor population in the country can be found. Of course, the changes do not affect all cities. According to May 9, 2010 The Associated Press article, Washington, D.C. and Atlanta gained the most whites (5 percentage points each) followed by New York, San Francisco, and Boston. Other cities in the white flight scope include Portland, Oregon, Raleigh, North Carolina and Austin, Texas.

The Brookings Institution, a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, D.C., is dedicated to conducting research to advance three goals: “Strengthen American democracy; foster the economic and social welfare, security and opportunity of all Americans and; secure a more open, safe, prosperous and cooperative international system.”

Funding core issue on news executives’ minds

Posted by Elena del Valle on May 17, 2010

Staff cuts not withstanding many media outlets have survived the transition from traditional formats to today’s multimedia mix. It may be that the new formats brought some changes for the better such as increased efficiency. For example, at some media outlets a single enterprising young journalist reports, produces and captures video footage for his or her story. And newspaper editors express satisfaction with the new technology oriented staff that have been brought on board in recent years and their willingness to try new things.

In spite of that future funding is a source of concern for many news executives when it comes to the long term viability of their media outlets, according to a recent study. Alternative funding options, including government financing, are not appealing for them and they worry about their outlet’s survival over the next decade unless they are able to figure out a viable source of funding to replace the old business model.

Two thirds of survey respondents had serious reservations about receiving government subsidies and 78 percent were not interested in accepting funding from interest groups. About 50 percent were worried about funds from government tax credits and more 33 percent had doubts about private donations.

Online most of the media efforts are focused, according to the participants in the survey, on traditional sources of revenue such as display and banner ads. These remain the main area of effort and the one survey respondents had the highest hopes would yield results. Another area under consideration was revenue from products outside of news.

The results of the survey, conducted by Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism in association with the American Society of News Editors (ASNE) and the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA), were released last month.

“Our mantra this year is experiment and fail quickly,” said a newspaper news executive who participated in the survey. “Don’t be afraid of change and don’t stick with something too long if it doesn’t work.”

“Outside funding options are a bad idea overall,” said a broadcast news executive survey respondent. “They are being used to ‘save’ old models of journalism that are no longer economically viable and will die out over time no matter what.”

Interestingly, there were significant differences between the attitudes of survey respondents from newspaper-based newsrooms and those of broadcast outlets including their view of journalism’s future. Broadcast news executives were more pessimistic with almost twice as many respondents who viewed journalism as headed in the wrong direction compared to those who thought it is headed in the right direction. Newspaper news executives were slightly more optimistic.

Many executives in marketing, advertising and public relations may believe the future of media is closely linked to their career future and seek an understanding of the possible direction of print and broadcast media to better serve their clients and their professional futures.

The researchers received responses from 353 journalism executives from the ASNE or RTDNA membership lists after inviting them to participate in the online survey by email between December 2009 through January 2010. Of the 353 news executives 36 percent were ASNE members and 24 percent were RTDNA members.

Hispanic behavior specialist discusses Latino employee management

Posted by Elena del Valle on May 14, 2010

Managing Hispanic and Latino Employees

Photo: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.

Louis E. V. Nevaer, author of several books and director of Hispanic Economics, wrote Managing Hispanic and Latino Employees A Guide to Hiring, Traing, Motivating, Supervising and Supporting the Fastest Growing Workforce Group (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, $24.95) a book, published January 2010 about managing Hispanic employees. Relying on estimates that 25 percent of the domestic workforce is of Latino heritage and researcher predictions that Hispanic workers will represent more than half of the country’s workforce by 2050, the writer promises practical advice and his conclusions, based on research data, of what he believes are unique cultural issues in hiring, motivating, training, supervising, developing, retaining, and managing Hispanic workers.

“American business is confronting a crisis of confidence in its ability to identify, cultivate and nurture Hispanic Talent. In 2005, Hispanics in comprised 14 percent of the nation’s population, but constituted 22 percent of workers today,” said Nevaer by email from Mexico when asked why he wrote the book. “That Hispanics are almost a decade younger than the population at large means that Hispanics, Latinos and Latin American immigrants, disproportionately, are of working age, either leaving college and entering the workforce, or well on their way to establishing their careers; and Hispanics in 2050 will represent 32 percent of the nation’s population, but will comprise 55 percent of workers.

As America’s Baby Boomers and Generation X-ers mature and retire, Hispanics and Latinos, native born and Latin American immigrants alike, will dominate the workforce. This book is blueprint for helping organizations throughout the U.S. deal adequately with the changing American workforce.”

The 269-page softcover book is divided into three parts, The Hispanic Employee and American Demographics, The Strategies and Skills for Supervising Nonexempt Hispanic Employees, and The Hispanic Employee and the Organization’s Future; and 10 chapters.

Author Louis E. V. Nevaer

The author opens the book with a quote from Nobel laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez’ famous novel One Hundred Years of Solitude and a Note on the Nomenclature in which he clarifies his use of the terms Latino, Hispanic and Latin in the book. He identifies Latinos as English dominant U.S.-born Hispanics; Hispanics as those of Latin American or Iberian ancestry fluent in Spanish; and Latins as those born in Latin America who migrated to the United States.

Nevaer is a contributor to Pacific News Service and New American Media. He is the author of over a dozen books, including HR and the New Hispanic Workforce and The Rise of the Hispanic Market in the United States.


Click here to buy Managing Hispanic and Latino Employees


Watch videos – Heineken launches new Tecate Spanish language ad campaign targeting men 21 to 34

Posted by Elena del Valle on May 12, 2010


A moment in the Box ad from the Anthem 3 campaign

Photos, video: Heineken USA Inc., Adrenalina

In mid April 2010, Heineken USA Inc. launched Anthem 3, a Spanish language Tecate beer ad campaign targeting Mexican men, ages 21 to 34, who have lived in the U.S. less than 10 years. Three 30-second ads were designed to depict the journey of Mexican men trying to establish a new life in the United States while celebrating their character. The new ads, available on Tecate.com and scheduled to air for one year on television, were meant to be a natural evolution from a similar campaign, Con Carácter (With Character), the company launched two years ago. Scroll down to watch the Boxing and Gran Manzana ads in Spanish.

Created by Adrenalina, Tecate’s New York City-based advertising agency the 30-second spots feature everyday characters such as Ezequiel Peña, a construction worker; Tomas Ortega, a window washer; and Jose Dominguez, a truck driver. Each storyline was developed to showcase the “individual boldness, masculinity, and character” these men man need to face life’s challenges. The producers hope that since the ads are set in New York and Los Angeles, consumers may relate to the situations the portray. To enforce the branding the characters toast their accomplishments with a Tecate at the end of each Spanish-language commercial.


A moment in the Tío Sam ad from the Anthem 3 campaign

The ad team hired Mexican director and producer Simón Bross, best known for his commercial work, to create the TV ads. In addition to the three Anthem 3 spots, the brand also developed a boxing- and soccer-themed commercial to support Tecate’s platforms. The first spot was scheduled to air April 12 on national and regional Spanish-language networks Univision, Telemundo, Azteca America, Galavision, and ESPN Deportes.


Christian McMahan, CMO, Heineken USA

“Tecate understands the challenges Mexican men face from the moment they wake up. Our approach with this campaign, which differs from previous Anthem ads, was to develop situation-relevant communication delivered by everyday individuals that will help establish a stronger emotional connection with our consumers,” said Christian McMahan, chief marketing officer, Heineken USA.

The campaign also includes new radio commercials that are a follow up to the Disclaimer spot, one of a series of radio ads rolled out in 2009. Each ad was designed to target consumers during various touch points of their day. The messages poke fun at men with ritualistic morning, day, or evening behaviors that some may consider less than manly or lacking character.

The radio ads are due to air on Univision Radio and other national and regional Spanish-language radio networks. Television, radio and out-of-home ads will be placed by Tecate’s media buying and planning agency MediaVest 42 Degrees.


Manuel Wernicky, president, CIO and managing partner, Adrenalina

“Two years ago when we started this campaign, we brought these men out of the shadows. This year, we’ve given them a name,” said Manuel Wernicky, president, chief ideas officer and managing partner, Adrenalina.

The commercial titles, produced by Cortez Brothers/García Bross in two months, are Gran Manzana, Toro, Box, Fútbol and Tío Sam. Staff involved in the project include: Eduardo Martinez, director of photography; Ivar Rodríguez, associate creative director; Ismael Díaz, art director; Julian García, copywriter; José Escobar, agency producer; Yonathan Bendesky, senior brand leader; and Ed Rivero, executive producer, Production House. The post production was the work of Wild Child Post.

Heineken USA Inc. is a subsidiary of Heineken International BV importer of: Heineken beers, Amstel Light, Newcastle Brown Ale, Tecate, Tecate Light, Dos Equis, Sol, Carta Blanca and Bohemia brands from FEMSA Cerveza of Mexico. Adrenalina New York is part of the MDC Partners network.