Posted by Elena del Valle on August 11, 2006
A Taco Testimony cover
Photo: Rio Nuevo Publishers
Denise Chavez who defines her roots as being from New Mexico, Texas, and México is the author of the newly released A Taco Testimony Meditation on Family, Food and Culture (Rio Nuevo Publishers). The 207-softcover book on “ruminations on a life lived among tacos” is set in the U.S.-Mexico border and written as a memoir to the author’s parents and family. Although it includes some recipes it is not a cookbook. The cover price is $16.95.
A Taco Testimony is peppered with words in Spanish and recepies. Although it has menu like section titles it is about Chavez’ memories of growing up in a Mexican American home more than it is about Mexican food.
An award-winning fiction writer, playwright, actress, and teacher, Chávez considers herself a “performance writer.” In 1995 her first novel, Face of an Angel, won the American Book Award. She authored the novel Loving Pedro Infante, as well as nonfiction, fiction for children, and more than 45 plays.
According to her biography, her writing and many community projects have been supported by the Fulbright Commission, the Lannan Foundation, and a Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Award. Chávez founded the Cultural Center of Mesilla and the Border Book Festival, of which she is executive director. She lives with her husband in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Click here to buy A Taco Testimony: Meditations on Family, Food and Culture
Posted by Elena del Valle on August 10, 2006
El Gran Combo
Photos: El Gran Combo, Mariachi Plata de Las Vegas
The world of Latin music is coming to Las Vegas with Las Vegas Caliente, a two-day multi-genre festival, Friday, August 11 and Saturday, August 12. The event, produced by Worldwide Vegas in association with Telemundo and Pochteca Media, will feature 14 bands from different Latin music genres including Salsa, Mariachi, Mexican Regional, Reggaeton, and Latin Jazz in four venues throughout the Vegas Strip. Producers are hopeful that this could add a new element to the city.
“There are people who are music fans, and if they are fans of Latin genres, this is going to help out city and introduce city to people who haven’t been there,” said Minerva Partida, media director for Pochteca Media. “You think of Vegas, you think of gambling, but there are many things they can do.”
One of the things going for Las Vegas Caliente is that Las Vegas is one of the preferred leisure destinations for Hispanics, which represent one of the fastest growing segments of U.S. tourism.
Mariachi Plata de Las Vegas
“I’ve seen growth and everyone is excited as Hispanics come from different parts, such as Central America or South America, and there are different varieties to fulfill musical taste,” said Partida. “Expectations are to continue event for following year and start new trend in Vegas.”
The concerts for Las Vegas Caliente are Salsa Vegas at the Stardust Hotel and Casino, Viva Vegas at Cox Pavilion, Mariachi Vegas at Cashman Theater, and Latin Jazz Vegas at Mandalay Bay’s House of Blues. The artists include El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, Jose Alberto “El Canario,” Mañana de Havana, Banda El Limon, Los Freddy’s, Mariachi Plata, Suzette Marquez, and Zulema Villela Rick Arroyo. Tickets cost $20 in advance and $30 at the door. — Sergio Carmona
Posted by Elena del Valle on August 9, 2006
José Rivera Font, general manager Yahoo! North Latin America
Photo: Yahoo!
Coral Gables and Hialeah, Florida — Yahoo! Telemundo, leaning on Toyota sponsorship muscle, is launching a Hispanic short film festival, the Yahoo! Telemundo Short Film Festival. This festival is designed as a competition which promoters promise will enable Hispanic filmmakers to showcase their independently produced work to millions online, and allow online visitors to cast votes for the best short films in four different genres.
The winning U.S. filmmaker will travel to the Sundance Film Festival January 25 to 29, 2007; and the winning short will be featured on the Yahoo! Telemundo front page for 24 hours and on Telemundo and Mun2 networks.
Filmmaking enthusiasts have until September 5, 2006 to submit their two-to-ten minute short films on Yahoo! Telemundo Cine, the recently re-launched online movie channel. Films can be submitted in English or Spanish, or both, in the following categories: Comedy, Horror, Action/Drama and Animation. The online voting begins September 11 and runs through October 20.
“The Yahoo! Telemundo Short Film Festival was created for filmmakers in need of an outlet for their boundless creativity, talent and imagination,” said José Rivera Font, general manager, Yahoo! North Latin America.
“We are committed to the next generation of creatives whose stories need to be heard, with no limitation of language or media, by giving them access to a media world only Yahoo! Telemundo can offer. This is a groundbreaking competition where we may find the next Alfonso Cuarón or Alejandro González Iñárritu,” said Antoinette Zel, senior executive vice president, network strategy, Telemundo.
Festival organizers hope online visitors will vote weekly for their favorite film in each of the four genres. During the final week, the films with the greatest number of votes in each genre will compete to become the overall users’ choice. The short film which earns the most votes will air on Telemundo’s broadcast network in its Weekend Prime Time Movie Block and on mun2’s soon to be premiered movie-driven show, “Have you Cine?”
“We are targeting a market that is young, fresh and full of creative energy, much like the spirit evident in the new Yaris,” said Teri Hill, car advertising manager, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
Toyota, the exclusive sponsor of the festival, is learning on the Festival and Yahoo! networks’ 12.8 million U.S. Hispanic online visitors* to promote Yaris, its new sub-compact model. The sponsorship is part of a multi-channel marketing campaign created by Conill, Toyota’s Latino communications agency. Additional information is available online at Yahoo!Telemundo Festival
*comScore Media Metrix, May 2006
Posted by Elena del Valle on August 8, 2006
Luis Baraldi, CEO, Baral
Photo: Baral Group Studios
Coral Springs, Florida – “Mexico Lindo y Futbol,” produced in the Baral Group Studios in Coral Springs, Florida and in Mexico City, covers soccer, the lives of Mexicans living in the U.S., their culture, and their interest in Mexican soccer. The program, which claims a viewer ship of 11 million homes, has been broadcast since May 2006 on GolTV Monday through Friday at 11 p.m.
“This program gives us a chance to show Mexico through various points of view. Soccer is a universal sport and the leagues in Mexico are among the most important in the world,” said Luis Baraldi, CEO, Baral. “However we don’t only show soccer since Producer Alina Baraldi and Exec Producer Julio Sonino from GolTV can be very creative in including the culture, and lifestyles from the major Mexican cities, and the beauty of Mexico and how they relate to soccer.”
The show anchor is Javier Vargas. Other staff include co-anchor Gerardo Ruiz, and Paloma Marquez from the studios in Coral Springs. Vargas reports on soccer while Marquez focuses on Mexicans living in the U.S., their cultures, and their continued dedication to Mexican soccer. Gustavo Ramírez España, Santiago Cortes, Víctor González, Guillermo Portillo, and Alfonso Hidalgo are the Mexican correspondents and Luis Arrieta is the reporter in Los Angeles, California.
Other programs produced by Baral Group include, “Tenis Con Clerc”-ESPN, “A Year in the Life of Lorena Ochoa” for ESPN and“Soccer Legends” for HBO and Canal+. GolTV is devoted exclusively to soccer, 24 hours a day, broadcasting over 1,500 games per year, in English and Spanish. Baral Inc. specializes in the production of programming for various networks in the U.S. and Latin America.
Posted by Elena del Valle on August 7, 2006
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Latin pop rock singer Diana Mera and Lorena Schmit, public relations professional, SGM Records
A podcast interview with singer Diana Mera and Lorena Schmit of SGM records, is available in the Podcast Section of Hispanic Marketing & Public Relations, HispanicMPR.com. During the podcast, they discuss Diana’s career and marketing music to Latinos with Elena del Valle, host of the HispanicMPR.com podcast.
Diana 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. Diana, who always had a great desire to sing, started her career in TV 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.
Diana is also a composer and an actor. She was participated in a play written by Eve Ensler and was nominated as best actress for “The Vagina Monologues.” Diana is recording her second music album with two-time Grammy winning producer Gustavo Borner and Dany Tomas composer of hits that have been recorded by celebrities like Araceli Arambula, Cristian Castro, Diego Torres, Lara Fabian and many others. Song writer Claudia Brant is also collaborating in the new album.
Lorena Schmit recently joined SGM Records as a publicist and works closely with the public relations team to generate national and international television, print, radio and tour press for artists like Diana. Lorena has 16 years of experience in communications and public relations.
Lorena comes from Más Arizona, Channel 55 in Phoenix where she worked as programming director, news anchor and producer for six years. As programming director she had the opportunity to work directly with record labels and artist managers since the station broadcasts music videos and entertainment news 75 percent of the air time.
She began her public relations career in 1990 as a spokesperson for the government of the State of Mexico. Her responsibilities included coordinating media interviews and representing the governor’s office at public events. Lorena later joined the “Sistema de Radio y Televisión Mexiquense” in Toluca, Mexico as a public relations manager. Within a couple of years she was offered a position as reporter and later she became a news anchor.
In 1997, Lorena accepted a contract with Univision Phoenix and moved to the United States to become the news anchor for “Noticias 33”, 5 pm and 10pm editions, Monday through Friday. Three years later she left Univision to go to Telemundo KDRX Ch. 48 also in Phoenix, Arizona where she joined the news team as a news anchor and reporter.
We’re excited to include a short preview of “Conmigo,” one of the songs from Diana’s next album, following the interview. Enjoy!
To listen to the interview, scroll down until you see “Podcast” on the right hand side, then select “HMPR Diana Mera and Lorena Schmit,” hit the play button or download it 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 to disk. The podcast will remain listed in the August 2006 section of the podcast archive.
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Posted by Elena del Valle on August 4, 2006
Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán
Photos: Adrian Mealand, Richard Haughton
Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) will air “Mariachi: The Spirit of Mexico,” on August 6. The program made its national premiere on May 3, 2003 and features presentations from the 9th Annual International Mariachi Festival, a ten-day program held in Guadalajara in September 2002. Operatic Tenor Placido Domingo, who is a mariachi enthusiast, narrates the program.
“I have loved Mariachi ever since I first came to Mexico from Spain as a child. When I courted my wife, I hired mariachi singers to serenade her just as lovers do today. So how could I pass up a chance to experience the greatest mariachi festival in the world,” said Domingo, who also performed his favorite Mariachi song, “Paloma Querida.”
Plácido Domingo
The music list of “Mariachi” ranges from passionate love songs where performers are covered in red and white rose petals to celebratory anthems of Mexican culture. The program includes some of the festival’s 500 mariachis performing in concert halls and street markets. These include Mariachi America, Mariachi Los Caballeros , Mariachi Los Camperos, Mariachi Nuevo Tecalitlan, Mariachi Real Jalisco, and Mariachi Vargas performing such songs as “El Mariachi, Pajarillo, (LittleBird),” “La Negra (The Dark-Skinned Girl),” “La Fiesta del Mariachi,” and “Guadalajara.”
The program was produced by WLIW New York in association with KCET Hollywood. More information on television listings can be found on PBS.org — Sergio Carmona
Posted by Elena del Valle on August 3, 2006
Elena del Valle and Martha E. Galindo
Photos: LNA, Galindo Publicidad
The Boca Raton News, a South Florida daily, recently published an article about HispanicMPR.com in the Business Section. Written by Staff Writer Corey Siggins, the article was entitled “Website helps PR firms reach out to Hispanic community.”
The article described the HispanicMPR.com website and its features such as email subscription, podcast and new Resources Section. Siggins interviewed Elena del Valle, HispanicMPR.com editor, and Martha Galindo, CEO, Galindo Publicidad and HispanicMPR.com subscriber for the article, which was published in the print and online editions of the Boca Raton News on July 28, 2006.
The Boca Raton News focuses on local happenings in Boca Raton and Delray Beach, Florida. The article is available online at Boca Raton News
Posted by Elena del Valle on August 2, 2006
Matias Perel, founder and president, Latinthre3
Photo: Latinthre3
Marketers who want to discover how to target Hispanics with search engine marketing now have the opportunity to listen to an online presentation, “Search Engine Marketing to Hispanics” on HispanicMPR.com. Matias Perel, Latinthre3 founder and president, provides insights into search engine marketing targeting Hispanics during a 37-minute presentation. A 51-minute interview with Perel is also included as well as instructions to download the file in MP3 format. The presentation and interview are available for purchase on the HispanicMPR.com Resources Section for $89.95 in a downloadable format and $119.95 on CD.
“I think listeners can learn what are the challenges about targeting Hispanics through search engine marketing,” said Perel. “The goal is to communicate how to market to Hispanics by taking advantage through search engine marketing.”
In “Search Engine Marketing to Hispanics,” Perel describes what makes search engine marketing valuable to reach the young and fast growing Latino online consumer market. He discusses topics that include language and cultural diversity, trademark terms, local targeting, and the search engine optimization challenge. He also covers the general characteristics of 16 million Latino online users, types of online access among Hispanics, language preferences of Latino online users, and income levels of Hispanic online users.
A Hispanic market expert, Perel is a past board member of the Miami chapter of the International Advertising Association and has served on the Hispanic committee of the Internet Advertising Bureau. He has also been invited to participate in seminars and conferences in his native country of Argentina and is frequently interviewed on CNN en Español.
“Search Engine Marketing to Hispanics,” is the latest addition to the HispanicMPR.com Resources Section launched in April 2006. Initial offerings include presentations by experts and leaders in the field. Michele Valdovinos, vice president of research and marketing, Phoenix Cultural Access Group, and co-author of a chapter titled “A Snapshot of the U.S. Hispanic Market” and Elena del Valle, MBA, principal, LNA World Communications, and editor of the Hispanic Marketing & Public Relations book present “Hispanic Market Overview.” Dora O. Tovar, MPA, president, Tovar Public Relations, and contributing author of the “Hispanic Public Relations and Its Emergence as an Industry” chapter presents “The Next Step: Secondary Latino Markets.”
Federico Subervi, Ph.D., professor at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Texas State University-San Marcos and co-author of the “Latino Media: A Cultural Connection” chapter and del Valle, contributing author of the “Cultural Understanding Key to Effective Media Training” chapter present “Latino Media and Hispanic Media Training.” Joel Bary, CEO and board member of LatinMedios.com, Alex Carvallo, U.S. Hispanic media manager for Consumer Marketing at Intel Americas, and Perel discuss “Marketing to Hispanics Online.” Additional information is available online at HispanicMPR.com . — Sergio Carmona
Posted by Elena del Valle on August 1, 2006
Hip Hop Hoodios
Photo: Hip Hop Hoodios
The Jewish community in the United States is relatively small. When broken into the Latino-Jewish community it’s much smaller. Then there is the mixture of the hip hop and Jewish communities. Out of a hybrid of these cultures came the Hip Hop Hoodios. The Hoodios next stop will be a free performance at this year’s Latin Alternative Music Conference (LAMC) on August 3, 2006 at El Museo Del Barrio in Spanish Harlem. The free performance is sponspored by the LAMC.
The bicoastal group led by Josh Norek of Colombian decent and Abraham Velez of Puerto Rican decent is part of a collective of Latino hip hop artists based out of New York and Los Angeles. The group mixes Latin rhythms with hip hop beats, topped with trilingual lyrics (English, Spanish and Hebrew).
The Hoodios have been garnering recognition since their 2002 debut album “Raza Hoodia.” The self-released album sold 5,000 copies. This is impressive considering it was completed in one weekend on a $500 dollar budget. For the second release, “Agua Pa’ La Gente,” there was a lot more money and time thanks to the Hoodios signing on with Jazzheads Records. The group spent a year working on the album, produced by Happy Sanchez, which includes 12 new tracks and a money back guarantee.
Although according to the Hoodios the majority of their followers are Latinos they are also recognized by the Jewish community. They were one of the first Latin groups invited to perform at the Salute To Israel Parade in June of 2005. The annual parade down 5th Avenue in New York City included a float blasting the sounds of “Nose Jobs” and other Hoodios tracks. — Melissa Gonzalez.
Posted by Elena del Valle on July 31, 2006
Ileana Oroza and Leonard Ferreira, Ph.D., University of Miami
Photos: Ileana Oroza, Leonardo Ferreira, Ph.D.
A podcast interview with Leonardo Ferreira, Ph.D and Ileana Oroza, University of Miami journalism professors, is available in the Podcast Section of Hispanic Marketing & Public Relations, HispanicMPR.com. During the podcast, they discuss Hispanic market journalism and the University’s Spanish language graduate journalism program with Elena del Valle, host of the HispanicMPR.com podcast.
Leonardo received his Ph.D. in mass media from Michigan State University and his J.D. from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia Law School. While completing his graduate studies, he was awarded an Excellence-in-Teaching Citation by the Michigan State University Office of the Provost and a Martin Luther King Jr. -César Chávez-Rosa Parks Fellowship by the Michigan Department of Education.
Devoted to the study of Inter-American media policy, Dr. Ferreira has worked on academic projects with the United Nations Children’s Fund, the Dominican Republic’s Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (FUNGLODE), Fleischman & Hillard Inc., and the Telecommunications Research Center (CINTEL) in the Andean countries. He is a regular contributor to the BBC’s Servicio Latinoamericano on communication issues. He is author of Centuries of Silence the Story of Latin American Journalism, scheduled to be released in late 2006 in the United States.
Ileana joined the School of Communication faculty in January 2000. For the previous 22 years, she was on the staff of The Miami Herald. In her last position at The Herald, as assistant managing editor, she supervised newsroom operations in the evenings and was responsible for the Universal Desk and A section content. She was foreign editor and arts and entertainment editor and served on the editorial board of The Miami Herald. She began her Herald career at El Herald, where she served as city editor, features editor and general assignment reporter.
Before working at The Herald, she was a producer of public affairs programs at WPLG-Channel 10. She has an M.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a B.A. from Newcomb College, Tulane University, both in English literature. She spent her junior year at the University of Sheffield, England.
Ileana was a Thomas J. Watson fellow in Europe, 1971-72; a Woodrow Wilson Fellow at Chapel Hill, 1972-73; and a National Arts Journalism Fellow at Columbia University in New York, 1995-96. She was on the board of the National Arts Journalism Program from 1996 to 2002. She is a member of the boards of the Cintas Foundation and the Miami Design Preservation League.
To listen to the interview, scroll down until you see the “Podcast” on the right hand side, then select “HMPR Leonardo Ferreira, Ph.D and Ileana Oroza” hit the play button or download it 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 to disk. The podcast will remain listed in the July 2006 section of the podcast.
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