Posted by Elena del Valle on March 15, 2006
Photo: LATV
Puerto Rican-born actress Valery Ortiz joined LATV as the host of “LATV Does Hollywood.” Ortiz is currently generating a buzz with her transition to the big screen in the new 20th Century Fox release, “Date Movie.” In the romantic comedy, she stars as Jell-O, a spoof on fellow Latina actress, J-Lo. Ortiz also stars as Madison Duarte on the original half-hour teen drama “South of Nowhere,” which is entering its second season on The N, the nighttime network for teens. The N, a programming arm of MTV Networks is available in 43 million households via cable, digital cable and satellite television.
Other LATV hosts and VJ’s are also making waves on the stage, on television, and as professors. LATV producer/host Giovanni Blanco leads a double life as frontman for popular bilingual funk-dance-rock act Spigga. Patricia Lopez, the host of LATV’s “M2M Live” and “Movimiento con Patricia Lopez”, is a frequent Entertainment Host on “KTLA the WB Morning News.” “LATV Late Night” host Alysha Del Valle is also a traffic reporter for ABC 7 News and a special-events host for LA’s 102.7 KIIS FM. And “Rokamole” host Josh Kun is an associate professor of English at UC Riverside. More information on LATV programming is available at LATV.com
Posted by Elena del Valle on February 17, 2006
Rosalba Verdugo, president and CEO of SGM Records
Photos: SGM Records
SGM Records Record Label & Production Company, LLC appointed Rosalba Verdugo president and chief executive officer. Prior to joining SGM Records, Rosalba Verdugo, a native of Chihuahua, Mexico was director of Contract Services and marketing manager at the Beacon Foundation in Tucson, Arizona. She started with Beacon Group as a program manager in 1993 and began her career as program manager at T.A.D.R.E. in 1988.
“I am privileged to be named president of SGM records. I am certain this will be a successful affiliation. The company has continuously made progress within the industry; I look forward to joining this group of talented people and to experience the remarkable growth” said Verdugo
Verdugo feels her strong marketing background has been key to her successful career. One of her major achievements was significantly increasing contracts with multiple businesses and being responsible for the growth of the company she represented.
Soledad Herrada, SGM Records co-founder
”SGM Records is very fortunate to have Rosalba as a member of its management team; her experience and capabilities are needed to lead the company through its next phase of growth” said Soledad Herrada, SGM Records co-founder.
SGM Records, a record label and production company, conducts digital video production specializing in music videos, TV commercials and public service announcements. It manages and promotes the career of Latin Pop singer Diana Mera who is working on her second album with Grammy award winning producer Gustavo Borner. SGM Records is a young enterprise owned and operated by Hispanic women committed to excel “in all areas of the business by working with the most competitive and dynamic professionals in each field.”
Posted by Elena del Valle on January 31, 2006
Jeff Valdez, chairman and co-Founder of Sí TV
Los Angeles, California – Jeff Valdez, chairman and co-Founder of Sí TV, the first English-language Latino cable network, was named one of Advertising Age’s 2005 "Marketing 50." Sí TV was the only TV Network to make Ad Age’s "Marketing 50" list thanks bold and creative marketing initiatives such as branding Time Square’s Naked Cowboy (a troubadour who roams the area in his briefs, cowboy hat and boots), parking a taco truck directly outside an MTV event, and recruiting Segway scooter teams to roam the National Cable Television Association convention area while wearing video screens which promoted Sí TV.
"I am very pleased to be honored by Advertising Age,” said Valdez. “We have worked very hard to make Sí TV the destination of choice for 18-34 multicultural viewers." In less than two years, Sí TV has launched in several major markets including New York City, New York and surrounding areas; Los Angeles, California; Denver, Colorado; Las Vegas, Nevada; Detroit, Michigan; Fresno, California; Colorado Springs, Colorado; West Palm Beach, Florida; Wilmington, North Carolina; and Bakersfield, California.
Each year, Advertising Age editors select the most innovative and inspiring marketers who have successfully established or repositioned a brand. The honorees are marketers for a wide spectrum of products, services and ideas and are responsible for today’s hottest marketing success stories.
Sí TV is an English-language, Latino network featuring hip and culturally-relevant programming targeting the growing young Latino and multi-cultural TV audience. Voted by Multichannel News as one of the “2005 Top 10 Next Networks,” Sí TV is available nationwide. The network has forged affiliation agreements with Comcast Cable, Adelphia, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications and Echostar. Investors in the network include Time Warner Inc. (NYSE: TWX), SYNCOM Funds, Columbia Capital, Rho Ventures, DND Capital Partners, EchoStar Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH), Llano Partners and company co-founders Jeff Valdez and Barshop Ventures. More information is available at Si TV
Posted by Elena del Valle on January 30, 2006
Sara Rosales, vice president, communications, Mattel Brands
Mattel appointed Sara Rosales to vice president, communications for Mattel Brands. Rosales joined Mattel in 1996, most recently serving as vice president, national promotions and strategic global partnerships, developing brand-building national promotions with leading companies that market to families and youth. In her new role, Rosales will assume direct responsibility for all domestic communications activities for Mattel Brands, including overall brand building programs, public relations initiatives and branded integration and product placement opportunities.
Prior to joining Mattel, Rosales worked for several leading national public relations agencies. She has worked on public relations projects with Univision, AltaMed Health Services, Knott’s Berry Farm, Sega, Absolute Vodka, Nestle, Coca-Cola, Baskin-Robbins, California Avocado Commission and the Tournament of Roses.
Sara was born in New York City, the eldest of three children. She grew up in Eagle Rock, California and considers herself a native of Los Angeles. Her parents were born in Ecuador, making her a first generation American. She learned Spanish at home from her parents who only spoke to her in Spanish. Although Spanish was her first language, Sara learned to speak English in kindergarten. The Mattel portfolio includes some of the world’s leading and best-selling brands, including Barbie(r) and Hot Wheels(r), as well as a wide array of entertainment-inspired toy lines.
Posted by Elena del Valle on January 16, 2006
Isabel González, editor-in-chief of Tu Vida
New York, NY – Isabel González was named editor-in-chief of Tu Vida, an English language bi-annual magazine “outsert” published by Hearst Magazines. The supplement, which was first introduced in November 2005, will be polybagged with select issues of Cosmopolitan, Country Living, Good Housekeeping, Harper’s Bazaar, House Beautiful, Marie Claire, O the Oprah Magazine, Redbook, and SHOP Etc. The publication, which will be sent with June and November 2006 issues of the host magazines, targets women who identify strongly with their Latin heritage and covers topics such as fashion, beauty, home, food, family and celebrity. Tu Vida’s content is almost exclusively in English.
Since July 2000, González has worked at Teen People, where she started the magazine’s Trendspotters™ program and then served as special projects editor. Since 2000, she also contributed fashion, trend, home, travel and lifestyle articles to TIME magazine and, since 2003, to the Washington Post. At Time Inc., González also co-founded the first-ever Hispanic employee affinity group, Hola@Time Inc. In 2001, she was awarded a President’s Award by the company’s chairman for her work on behalf of diversity.
Most recently, González co-authored the book Latin Chic (Rayo/HarperCollins), which was published in October 2005. She has also written about Latin culture and tradition for Bride’s, The Washington Post, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“I’m thrilled to be helping Hearst create a publication focused on Hispanic-American women who have style, passion and appreciate Latin traditions,” said González. “I have no doubt that Tu Vida will get a great response from the women who receive it.”
Hearst Magazines is a unit of The Hearst Corporation (www.hearst.com), one of the world’s largest publishers of monthly magazines, with a total of 19 U.S. titles and 145 international editions. The company also publishes 19 magazines in the United Kingdom through its wholly owned subsidiary, The National Magazine Company Limited.
Posted by Elena del Valle on January 5, 2006
Romina Bongiovanni, president HPRA
Los Angeles, California – The Hispanic Public Relations Association (HPRA) announced that Romina Bongiovanni will again lead the organization, while Leticia Rhi Buckley will be vice president. Returning members of the executive board include Michael Delgado as treasurer and Leticia Marquez as secretary.
“It is difficult to articulate how excited I am when thinking about our present plans for 2006,” said Bongiovanni. “I am honored to have been given the opportunity to serve as your new president.”
According to Bongiovanni, this year the organization plans to strengthen its member base outside Southern California and to launch a national committee. More professional development opportunities are also planned including partnering with the Hispanic Market Pro to hold monthly webminars on diversity and a half-day seminar in Los Angeles with various workshops for entry and mid-level professionals. In October, HPRA will hold its Premio Awards and scholarship dinner, an event that recognizes professionals in the communications industry and awards $10,000 in scholarships.
Romina Bongiovanni, a multicultural public relations professional with expertise in the mainstream, Hispanic and African American markets, has more than six years of experience in the field. She is senior account supervisor and western region manager for Edelman Diversity Solutions, where she oversees strategy development and planning for clients such as Starbucks, Merck, Loreto Bay and the New Mexico Tourism Board. She manages new business development for Edelman’s diversity practice in the western region. Prior to Edelman, Bongiovanni worked at RL Public Relations where she was responsible for planning and executing public relations campaigns for clients such as Sears, Roebuck & Co., the California Milk Processor Board (Got Milk?), the National Honey Board and Johnnie Walker.
Leticia Rhi Buckley has had extensive experience in the general and Hispanic markets, with a 12-year career that has included positions at KROQ-FM, Ticketmaster and more recently, running her own marketing and public relations firm, The Selling Point. She is currently director of Marketing and Communications for the Music Center of Los Angeles County where she oversees all marketing efforts for the dance at the music Center series, Speaker Series, family programming and informal arts initiatives including community and media outreach. Leticia has been featured on KTLA’s “Making It: Minority Success Stories” and was named as one of Hispanic Magazine’s 100 most successful Latinas in the nation in 2002. Michael Delgado is senior account executive with La Agencia de Orcí and Leticia Marquez is senior media relations officer at the University of California at Los Angeles.
HPRA was founded in 1984 as a nonprofit organization to establish a network of Hispanics employed in the public relations profession in the Southern California area. HPRA has more than 150 members representing public relations, marketing and advertising professionals from agencies, government, non-profit and corporate companies. HPRA is dedicated to the advancement of Hispanic professionals and provides educational seminars and workshops throughout the year. HPRA also grants scholarships to Hispanic students attending Southern California universities and honors notable individuals in the communications field at its annual PRemio Awards.
Posted by Elena del Valle on December 21, 2005
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Hiram Enrique, product manager for Yahoo! en español news
Yahoo! en español hired Hiram Enriquez, a member of CNN en español’s founding team of journalists, as the company’s product manager for Noticias (News). In this position, Enriquez will spearhead the overall expansion of Yahoo! en español’s Noticias site.
“The English-language Yahoo! News site has been a perennial category leader and with Hiram’s extensive experience in media and technology we plan to continue that success on the Spanish-language side,” said Jose Rivera Font, general manager for Yahoo! North Latin America. “Hiram will broaden the scope of Yahoo! Noticias as we offer a greater variety of features and personalized content that is compelling and relevant to our users.”
Prior to his arrival at Yahoo! en español, Enriquez was host and producer of “Zona Digital,” a show he created for CNN en español which focuses on the Internet and personal technology. In addition, he served as producer and correspondent for the news network’s business and finance shows, “Economía y Finanzas” and “En Efectivo.”
“For years, I have reported on the convergence of varying forms of media and the impact of new communication technologies on our daily lives,” said Enriquez. “We are now at a very exciting stage in the development of this new medium, fulfilling some of the Internet’s old promises and opening new opportunities. I am thrilled to now be at Yahoo! to help put into practice some of these innovations.”
Enriquez’s achievements in the field of journalism include a recent interview with Bill Gates for “Zona Digital,” coverage of the war in Iraq and the space shuttle Columbia, the September 11 terrorist attacks, and NASA’s missions to Mars. A native of Cuba, Enriquez earned a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Havana and an M.A. in Mass Communication from Georgia State University. He also attended graduate school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Yahoo! en español is one of the 25 worldwide properties of Yahoo! Inc. and is part of Yahoo!’s U.S. Hispanic network. The Yahoo! network is one of the most trafficked Internet destination for U.S. Hispanics,* boasting more than 11 million Hispanic monthly users in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Yahoo! seeks to provide online products and services essential to users’ lives, and offers a broad range of tools and marketing solutions for businesses to connect with Internet users around the world. Yahoo! Inc. is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California and Yahoo! en español is based in Coral Gables, Florida.
* comScore Media Metrics (November 2005)
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Posted by Elena del Valle on December 15, 2005
Andrea Echeverri
Colombian rock icon Andrea Echeverri was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Latin Pop Album category. The Awards will air on CBS on February 8, 2006. Andrea Echeverri’s self-titled solo debut recently received a Latin Grammy nomination and 4 MTVLA nominations. She was also nominated for two Premio Lo Nuestro Awards for the same album "Andrea Echeverri" (Nacional Records). One of the highest-rated annual television special among Hispanics in the U.S the Premio Lo Nuestro Awards are scheduled to air February 23, 2006. Echeverri was nominated for Premio Lo Nuestro “Rock Album of the Year” and “Song of the Year (for the single “A eme O”).
Her debut solo album “Andrea Echeverri” was released by Nacional Records, the new ADA/Warner Music Group-distributed label. The announcement marks Nacional’s first Grammy nomination, a coup for the label, as Andrea Echeverri is also the label’s first album release.
Best known as the frontwoman for acclaimed Colombian Latin alternative band Aterciopelados, Andrea Echeverri has captivated audiences with her "potently melodic brand of feminism." After the success of "Gozo Poderoso," which landed Aterciopelados on the Top 10 of the Billboard Top Latin Albums Sales chart as well as a coveted appearance on the "Tonight Show with Jay Leno," Echeverri took time off for the birth of her first child Milagros, who has become an inspiration. The result is the self-titled album “Andrea Echeverri,” Andrea’s first solo release. The disc, produced by Hector Buitrago from Aterciopelados and mixed by Thom Russo (Juanes, Kinky, Johnny Cash), also features a remix from Richard Blair (Sidestepper). Andrea Echeverri and Aterciopelados fans can look forward to a special iTunes-only release of an acoustic live session recently recorded in the iTunes studio available beginning on Dec. 20, 2005.
Posted by Elena del Valle on October 27, 2005
Cristina Saralegui, host of "The Cristina Show"
Miami, FL (October, 2005). Cristina Saralegui, host of Univision’s top-rated The Cristina Show, was unanimously elected into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame, which each year honors those who have made significant contributions to the electronic arts. Cristina joins luminaries in the Hall of Fame Roster such as Johnny Carson, Tom Brokaw, Ted Koppel, Dan Rather, Dick Clark and Jackie Gleason.
“The Reed Television Group is extremely proud to recognize Cristina’s accomplishments in more than 16 years as host of ‘The Cristina Show’,” said Charlie Koones, president of the Reed Television Group. “Through the medium of television, Cristina has educated, enlightened and entertained millions of people. Her induction into the Hall of Fame is well-deserved.”
“It is one of the greatest honors of my life to be inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame,” said Cristina. “Throughout my television career, I have tried to entertain my people and sometimes perhaps slip in a little information they can use. I thank the Reed Television Group for this great recognition.”
The Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame was established 15 years ago to honor professionals in all reaches of Radio, Television, Cable and Satellite who have been the pioneers, innovators and stars of the media. The 15th annual Hall of Fame dinner will take place on Monday evening, October 24 in New York’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Proceeds from the formal dinner will benefit The Broadcasters’ Foundation and Cable Positive.
Other 2005 inductees are: Dick Ebersol, chairman, NBC Universal Sports and Olympics; Tom Joyner, host of Tom Joyner Morning Show and chairman of BEACH Media, Inc.; Ken Lowe, president and CEO of The E.W. Scripps Company; Steve Mosko, president of Sony Pictures Television; Dick Parsons, chairman and CEO of Time Warner, Inc.; William Shatner, actor, director, producer and writer; Dennis Swanson, executive vice president and COO of Viacom Television Stations Group; Anne Sweeney, co-Chairman of Disney Media Networks and president of Disney-ABC Television Group and Michael Willner, president and CEO of Insight Communications.
A winner of 11 EMMY® awards, Cristina Saralegui made her television debut in 1989, as host and executive producer of “The Cristina Show" on Univision, the nation’s leading Spanish-language television network. Her talk show attracted millions of viewers and after 16 years on the air and more than 3,000 shows, “The Cristina Show” remains the number one U.S.-produced talk show on Spanish-language television in America. It is also seen throughout Latin America, in many European countries and enjoys an estimated audience of 100 million viewers worldwide. In the U.S.,“The Cristina Show” airs Monday nights at 10 p.m. (EST) on the Univision Network.
Cristina was recently named one of the “25 Most Influential Hispanics” in the U.S. by Time magazine. Cristina and her husband and manager Marcos Avila recently inaugurated Blue Dolphin Studios in Miami, the home of “The Cristina Show.” It is also the headquarters for her monthly magazine Cristina la Revista and Cristina’s bilingual website, www.cristinaonline.com.
Posted by Elena del Valle on October 17, 2005
Michele Valdovinos, contributing author Hispanic Marketing & Public Relations
Michele Valdovinos, co-author of the chapter titled "A Snapshot of the U.S. Hispanic Market" in Hispanic Marketing & Public Relations, is attending the SRI 12th Annual Ethni & Multicultural Marketing Summit taking place in the Wyndham Northwest Chicago in Itasca, Illinois this week, October 17-19. Book readers and anyone interested in learning more about the project and her chapter are invited to contact Michele during the Conference events or by leaving a comment on their bio pages on this website.
