Posted by Elena del Valle on January 9, 2008
Ana Ortiz
Photos,video: Comcast
Comcast, the Hispanic Federation, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund, launched “Our Time to Vote,” a year-long, non-partisan voter education and registration campaign designed to increase voting in Hispanic communities with cable access. Scroll down to watch a video of the Hispanic oriented public service announcement.
“Comcast recognizes that broader participation in the democratic process is important for our nation, and we are very pleased to launch this partnership to pursue that goal,” said David L. Cohen, executive vice president, Comcast. “This campaign reflects the cable industry’s commitment to strong local communities and to active public citizenship.”
Part of an estimated $5 million multicultural campaign, the program consists of four public service announcements (PSAs). One of the ads features Hispanic entertainers and leaders including George Lopez, Ana Ortiz and Janet Murguía, president and chief executive officer of National Council of La Raza (NCLR), encouraging Hispanic audiences to register to vote. In addition to the ads, the program established two nationally available voter education resources, OurTimeToVote.com webpage and a voter information resources hotline.
George Lopez
The PSA, recorded at this year’s NCLR Alma Awards, will air prior to the 2008 primary elections in Comcast, Time Warner, Cox Communications, Inc. and Bright House Networks markets. A series of “Get out the Vote” spots will run from September 1, 2008, through November 3, 2008, prior to the general election.
“Hispanic voter participation is critical to the election of the next President of the United States and other key leadership positions,” said Congressman Joe Baca, chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. “If our community is going to have a say, now and in the future, on the issues that matter most to us, we must show our empowerment at the polls. This type of unique partnership serves as a great example for other corporations to replicate.”
“Voting is one of our most sacred responsibilities, as we nurture and advance our democracy with every vote cast,” said Congresswoman Illeana Ros-Lehntinen. “Being able to vote and not participating in the process is tantamount to giving up your right on deciding what public official will govern our affairs. I applaud Comcast for their continued leadership in our community and throughout the nation.”
The Comcast Foundation awarded grants to the following national Hispanic organizations to help support their voter outreach efforts: the Hispanic Federation, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund.
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The Hispanic Federation is a membership organization of more than 94 Latino health and human service organizations that focuses efforts on voter education and registration programs during election cycles. The Comcast Foundation grant will assist the Hispanic Federation’s efforts to educate the public on the importance of voter participation through civic participation workshops, forums and other civic activities, expanded voter registration efforts and voter mobilization on Election Day.
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is one of the largest and oldest Hispanic organizations in the United States that works to advance the economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, health and civil rights of Hispanic Americans through community-based programs operating at more than 700 councils nationwide. The Comcast Foundation grant will support the LULAC Democracy Initiative, whose goal is to increase participation rates by immigrant and Latino voters in the 2008 elections.
The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund is a Latino civic organization that promoters U.S. citizenship among Latino legal permanent residents and advocates increased access to the American political system. The Comcast Foundation grant will help to support NALEO Educational Fund’s “Ya Es Hora, Ve y Vota” (“Now is the Time, Go and Vote”) campaign.
“Latinos across the nation are eager to make their voices heard and participate fully in the American political process,” said Arturo Vargas, executive director of the NALEO Educational Fund. “Comcast recognizes this, and we are proud to be partners with them as the NALEO Educational Fund embarks on its largest voter outreach and education effort to date.”
“‘Our Time to Vote’ is designed to bring a wide range of diverse Americans into the voting process,” said Susan Gonzales, corporate senior director of Federal and External Affairs and vice president of the Comcast Foundation. “As a company dedicated to diversity, we are pleased to make this contribution to broadened civic engagement in the African American, Asian American and Pacific Islander and Hispanic communities.”
Comcast focuses its diversity efforts on attracting and retaining a multicultural workforce, developing a diverse supplier group, offering a wide selection of multicultural programming and pledging significant community investments.
Posted by Elena del Valle on January 8, 2008
Charles Gregson, chief executive officer, PR Newswire
Photo: United Business Media
Video: PR Newswire
British company United Business Media bought Miami-based HispaniMark, LLC on behalf of PR Newswire. UBM bought the Florida company from its founders for an initial cash outlay of $5.5 million and the promise of $3 million more based on performance payable over the next three years. Scroll down to watch video news release of Dave Armon, chief operating officer, PR Newswire.
HispaniMark, expected to have revenues of $2 million in 2007, owns Hispanic PR Wire, LatinClips, and Hispanic Digital Network as well as two other companies not mentioned in the sales announcement. UBM executives expect the acquisition to meet the company’s 8 percent post-tax cost of capital acquisition criterion in its first year of ownership.
“The acquisition of Hispanic PR Wire, LatinClips and Hispanic Digital Network is in line with PR Newswire’s mission to enhance our multicultural services in the U.S. and internationally through a combination of organic development and acquiring leading companies,” said Charles Gregson, chief executive officer, PR Newswire.
“Best in Class Hispanic Strategies” audio recording
Presenters Carlos Santiago and Derene Allen
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Find out what makes 25 percent of the top 500 Hispanic market advertisers out perform the remaining companies
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Discover what questions to ask, steps to take to be a Best in Class company
Click here for information on “Best in Class Hispanic Strategies” audio recording
In July 2007, PR Newswire purchased Notilog, a Latin American Spanish- and Portuguese-language electronic media monitoring and analytics firm. PR Newswire executives hope the newly acquired companies will help it penetrate the growing Hispanic market in the United States and Latin America.
Hispanic PR Wire, a news release distributor, generates 70 percent of HispaniMark revenues. Prior to the purchase, Hispanic PR Wire offered distribution in partnership with BusinessWire, Black PR Wire and USAsian Wire. LatinClips offers media monitoring services and Hispanic Digital Network is an Internet advertising network for U.S. Hispanic newspapers, magazines and media portals. As part of the buy-out, four senior staff members from the three companies HispaniMark sold PR Newswire will stay on board, Christine Clavijo-Kish, Bill Gato, Dalia Paratore Salazar and Manny Ruiz.
“For Hispanic media it’s going to be a great ride because we have believed in the power of Hispanic media for seven years,” said Christine Clavijo-Kish, formerly chief executive officer of LatinClips; now senior vice president, Multicultural Markets, PR Newswire. “And we have built resources around delivering news, monitoring news, creating websites for Hispanic media.”
Christine Clavijo-Kish, senior vice president, Multicultural Markets, PR Newswire
Company executives hope the combined forces of PR Newswire and Hispanic PR Wire will reach more than 3,000 unique media outlets and websites that have an interest in Hispanic news. According to PR Newswire, there are 30 wire services and news syndicates, 550 TV shows, 175 cable and satellite TV shows, 1,000 Spanish language radio shows, 875 newspapers, 625 magazines, and an untold number of websites targeting Latinos in the United States.
PR Newswire Association LLC sells electronic distribution, targeting, measurement and broadcast services for tens of thousands of corporate, government, association, labor, non profit customers. United Business Media, a business media company, employs 5,000 staff in 30 countries. The company has two principal areas of business activity: PR Newswire and CMP & Commonwealth, a business to business event, publications, online media and business information services company.
UBM is listed on the London Stock Exchange. In 2006, the company reported continuing businesses generated revenues of almost £740 million with continuing operating profit of £137 million.
Posted by Elena del Valle on December 17, 2007
Click on image to enlarge
Photo, video and song: SGM Records
When she performs, singer Diana Mera wears From Eye to I shirts and hoodies designed by Honey Tavassoli, a 24 year old born in Iran and raised in Tustin, California known in the fashion industry as Honey T. The two artists established a promotional agreement through which Mera showcases her favorite Hotney T. clothing line items when she performs.
Mera shows off some of the clothing items in the music video “20 Pedacitos” while she sings the song by the same name. Scroll down to watch the music video “20 Pedacitos” and to listen to the song by the same name.
“Besides loving the designs, Honey is wonderful and has created pieces specifically for me when I had photo sessions, she is fabulously talented and like her name, very sweet,” said Mera.
“Latino Family Dynamics” audio recording
Brenda Hurley and Liria Barbosa
Discuss
- Latino purchasing habits and products they favor
- Latino family characteristics
- Latinos and extended families
- Division of duties, responsibilities within the family
- Who is the decision maker in the Latino family
- Who is the information provider in the Latino family
Click here to find out about Latino purchasing habits and “Latino Family Dynamics”
Honey T designs T-shirts, jackets and tank tops with original drawings and paintings of her own inspiration. She then makes her paintings ready to print on the T-Shirts. Honey T original art is pressed in the fabrics that Mera wears, together with her iconic ties and chucks. Honey T clothes, made in the United States, cost between $13 to $40 and are available on the designer’s website.
“We had to look for something original within the simple image Diana has; I thought Honey T’s clothes were excellent because the printed designs in the shirts are unique, she personally draws them, it’s very interesting.” said Jorge Torres, Mera’s publicist.
Mera, a singer, composer and an actor, was born in Quito, Ecuador. She was raised in Lima, Peru and lived in México, Venezuela, and Switzerland prior to arriving in the U.S. were she now resides. She started her career in television shows such as “Despierta América” on Univisión and “De Mañanita” on Telemundo. Four of her music videos have appeared in VHUNO and MTV Español. She has appeared on radio and television shows like “El Gordo y La Flaca,” “América en Vivo,” Univisión Radio, Caracol and Cadena Azul and on Cristina Saralegui’s show.
Posted by Elena del Valle on December 7, 2007
Filmmakers Erika Bagnarello and Sarah Duran
Photos: Women In Film
Videos: Xochitl Gonzalez
The national alliance organization of Women In Film (WIF) and General Motors Corporation (GM) recently selected five winners of the second annual WIF/GM 2007 Opening Doors/Abriendo Puertas: The Acceleration Grant for Emerging Latina Filmmakers. Scroll down to watch “Countdown” and “Stuck” short videos courtesy of one of this year’s grant recipients, Xochitl Gonzalez.
The grant, a project of the WIF/GM Alliance, was created to support talented filmmakers from Latina/Hispanic communities and other under-represented groups. The WIF/GM grant is presented to five up-and-coming Latina filmmakers, chosen through an application process overseen by a WIF selection committee of professional filmmakers and entertainment industry executives from the New York-based chapter of WIF, New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT).
Grant recipients were chosen from among numerous submissions from across the U.S., U.S. territories and three foreign countries. Applicants included women of Brazilian, Cuban, Columbian, Costa Rican, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Spanish and Peruvian heritage. This year’s winners are Erika Bagnarello from Heredia, Costa Rica; Sarah Duran, Xochitl Gonzalez and Brenda Zuniga from Los Angeles, California; and Michelle Malley-Campos from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The grant promises recipients the opportunity to learn about the business of filmmaking through a six-day, full-immersion mentoring program, shepherded by members of NYWIFT, including some of the industry’s better known and women filmmakers.
Filmmakers Brenda Zuniga and Michelle Malley-Campos
“Once again, we are tremendously impressed with the depth of talent among Latina women across the country and in other territories and countries. Women In Film steadfastly believes in mentoring, fostering and supporting exceptional women who want to work in the entertainment industry. And the emphasis of the grant is to support emerging filmmakers from diverse communities. We applaud this year’s winners and look forward to their future contributions to our industry,” said Judith James, chair of the WIF/GM Alliance.
A native of Costa Rica, Bagnarello is a graduate of Florida State University and a former Fulbright Scholar. In 2006, she was awarded an honorable mention in the Latino category of the Directors Guild of America’s Student Awards for her short, The Melting Pot. Her thesis film Inner Sight, won second place in the student category at the 2007 Palm Beach International Film Festival and was chosen to screen at this year’s Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival. Bagnarello’s current project, Flyways, tells the story of a Costa Rican woman illegally immigrating to the U.S. with her daughter via a cruise ship.
“Emotional Branding: How to capture the heart and mind of the Hispanic consumer” audio recording
“Emotional Branding” was recorded January 2007 during the Strategic Research Institute 13th Annual Blockbuster Marketing to U.S. Hispanic and Latin America conference in Miami, Florida. Receive a free downloadable copy by completing our Visitor Survey.
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A graduate of Cal State Northridge, Duran was recently accepted as one of 16 participants in the 2007 Producers Guild of America’s Diversity Workshop for her feature screenplay The Search for Santiago. She was selected to attend the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP) 2007 signature program, the Latino Producers Academy, as a feature production fellow. Duran’s first short film, Red Phoenix, premiered at the 2006 Los Angeles Film Festival and her second short, Girls Night Out, won the grand prize in the 2006 Mercury/NALIP Latino Short Film Challenge. She is working on her first feature-length screenplay which she hopes to direct.
Filmmaker Xochitl Gonzalez
Gonzalez received an MFA in directing from the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. She directed two award-winning narrative 35 millimeter shorts, “Countdown” and “Stuck.” Scroll down to watch the her short films. Her films have screened on KCET’s Fine Cut series and at the Film Independent P:I Showcase, Newport Beach Film Festival, San Diego Film Festival and Durango Film Festival. Gonzalez completed screenplays she hopes to direct for a feature film, Dr. Kevin, and a television pilot, The V.A. Spa.
Malley-Campos is a graduate of New York University’s film program. Her senior thesis, the short narrative When Chickens Bark, was was awarded “Outstanding Achievement” at the 2007 International Student Film Festival. She is working in the Puerto Rican production office for the film, The Argentine, directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Benicio Del Toro.
A graduate of the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, Zuniga is exhibiting her thesis film, Santa Teresa, at the Los Angeles International Short Film Festival and the DC Shorts Film Festival. She is working as a cinematographer and camera assistant in feature film production. Zuniga’s goal is to write and direct feature films.
“By providing the opportunity to attend dedicated workshops and to network with professionals from all aspects of the filmmaking industry,” said Terry Lawler, executive director of NYWIFT, “these grants will provide these women with a broad base of skills and knowledge of how to turn creative ideas into reality.”
Founded in 1973 in Los Angeles, Women In Film is a non-profit organization dedicated to women in the global entertainment industry. Its purpose is to empower, promote, nurture and mentor women in the industry through a network of valuable contacts, events, programs, workshops, finishing funds and scholarships.
The Women In Film/General Motors Alliance was created to support women in the entertainment industry and to expand Women In Film chapter programs across the country. The multi-year initiative was announced in Los Angeles in January 2005 and is supporting programs such as the Film Finishing Fund, Women’s Film Preservation Fund, Legacy Series, scholarships, mentorships and local WIF chapter award events across the nation. General Motors Corporation is the National Presenting Sponsor of Women In Film.
Click on the play button to watch “Countdown” and “Stuck” short videos courtesy of Xochitl Gonzalez.
Posted by Elena del Valle on November 16, 2007
Posted by Elena del Valle on November 9, 2007
“Frekuensia Kolombiana” poster
Photos/video: Frekuensia Kolombiana, Choquib Town, Por Razones de Estado
The United States premiere of a 58-minute documentary film that explores traditional forms of Colombian music and their relationship to hip hop will be at this year’s International Latino Film Festival in the San Francisco Bay Area. Produced in Spanish with English subtitles, “Frekuensia Kolombiana” will be screened Saturday, November 17 at 8 pm at the Macla Castellano Playhouse in San Jose, California. Scroll down to watch the film trailer.
Promoters are planning a tour of the film for early 2008 with stops in Chicago, New York, Dallas, Austin, Miami, Los Angeles and Puerto Rico. Also in the works is a special fundraising event and screening in Chicago to raise funds for non profit hip hop organizations in Colombia.
Por Razones de Estado, producers of political lyrics of Colombian hip hop
According to promotional materials, the film uses interviews, events, situations and landscapes to uncover the voice of the street in Colombia and a youth that “constructs from exclusion a movement of hope and truth.” The documentary showcases Camajan Club, Por Razones de Estado, DJ Fresh, Fondo Blanco, Choc Quib Town, K Music, Por Razones de Estado, SMA, Kamahan Club, La HeroiK and Zona Marginal.
Directed by Vanessa Gocksch and produced by Vanessa Gocksch and Walter Hernandez “Frekuensia Kolombiana” is the second documentary by Gocksch about this theme in Colombia. The first, “Testimonios Hip Hop Colombiano: Año 2000,” won Best Documentary Short in the first edition of the H20 Film Festival in New York City. In the United States, the film is represented by Tinta Roja Projects.
Afro-Colombian hip hop group Choquib Town from Quibdo on the Pacific coast of Colombia
Gocksch is based in Cartagena de Indias on the Caribbean coast of Colombia. She studied visual arts with an emphasis in sculpture at Florida International University, La Cambre and Universidad Autonoma de Mexico. She has worked with sculpture, etching, photography, installation, performance and video. Her work has been exhibited in galleries and festivals in Mexico, Colombia, United States, Canada, Finland and England. In 2000, she began working with multimedia. She performs as a video jockey under the name of Pata de Perro, and develops the communication project Intermundos.
Hernandez, a professor in a Bogota university, has been an active participant and creator of Colombian hip hop since 1989. He has produced events such as Rapkiya, one of the first hip hop events on the Caribbean coast of Colombia and hosted hip hop radio programs in Barranquilla and Bogotá, Colombia.
