Nuestro Stories co-Founder Manny Ruiz, who will oversee the Nuestro Studios productions team, is the innovator who put the spotlight on the Latino social media and influencer marketing industries when he founded Hispanicize in 2010. “We innovated the Latino social media and influencer marketing industries with Hispanicize. Today we will apply that same tenacity and entrepreneurship to crack the code for Latinos in Hollywood,” Ruiz said. “In collaboration with like-minded filmmakers, actors, producers, and media companies, Nuestro Studios will help unleash the bottled-up dreams and great stories of countless Latino storytellers.”

Nuestro Studios marks a bold evolution from the Nuestro Stories platform with storytelling capabilities that now span premium branded content, original films, series, documentaries, and podcasts.

First Productions Slated

Nuestro Studios’ first slate of productions launches with three original films, Bistec: A Dissident’s Tale’ written by Ruiz tells a quirky cat-and-mouse story of Cuba’s most prominent dissident, and the Communist neighborhood snitch who’s sworn to stop him. The feature film, which includes an original audio series, will be scored by six-time Emmy-winning conductor Alberto Bade. Cuban filmmaker, writer, and documentarian Ernesto Fundora of Cuba Suena is on board as associate producer, and head of photography.

Also in production is the short film El Clavito which tells the dark tale of a young couple who make a strange compromise to buy their dream home for $1. El Clavito was co-written by the late Mel Santiesteban and Ruiz.

Ther podcast Fantastic Fails is on queue for production. The insightful and entertaining podcast will be devoted to showcasing entrepreneurs’ biggest business ideas that failed, and the lessons learned, is being hosted and co-executive produced by Jesse Martinez, founder of the Latinx Startup Alliance.

Nuestro Studios will produce both the five-part audio series for Bistec and the original serial podcast Fantastic Fails with the award-winning team of Studio Ochenta led by Lory Martinez.

The company’s expansion, Nuestro Studio has promoted the multi-hyphenated producer, and senior editor at Nuestro Stories, Efrain Gonzalez to partner and vice president of Nuestro Studios productions. Gonzalez’ signature talent is seen on many of Nuestro Stories’ current premium snackable documentaries online.

Nuestro Studios’ approach will initially lean on commercial-friendly content that can be packaged for the branding partnerships Nuestro Stories has cultivated. Nuestro Stories’ powerful capability in social media, adtech, influencers, and press release wire through Noticias Newswire, already affords the company substantial leverage to solve many of WOM and marketing-related hurdles Latino content platforms and producers typically face.

“We’re already on phase two, which is to ensure maximum amplification and views for the productions we’re creating or collaborating on,” said Gonzalez. “Aggressively solving for the distribution of content on streamers, online, and elsewhere is what we’re addressing for the marketplace and what excites us most.”

Despite Latinos representing 19% of the total U.S. population and being enthusiastic moviegoers, their presence on the big screen remains disproportionately low (Hollywood Diversity Report 2023) with leads predominantly White in 66.7% of films on streaming platforms. Latinos were represented in only 6.1% of these roles. Nuestro Studios was created with these stats in mind, and hope to positively help raise the percentages with their content dedicated to the U.S. Latino audience.

Nuestro Stories is the flagship brand of the diverse-owned Brilla Media Ventures. Nuestro Stories produces snackable videos, stories, and social media content daily focused on Latino origins and histories, and through its Nuestro Studios will also now create branded and original films, documentaries, series, and podcasts. Nuestro Stories is led by Angela Sustaita-Ruiz and Manny Ruiz, creators of Hispanicize.

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Dubbed as a “virtual gathering of Latina influencers, celebrities, community leaders, (and) entrepreneurs” in the United States, the event will cover leadership, power, equality and entertainment. It will also feature success stories and hold an awards ceremony. It will take place April 21.

Alba and Ferrara are two of Hollywood’s most prominent Latina stars.

Alba is a Golden-Globe nominated, prolific actor and founder of a multi-billion dollar company.  

AN ‘ANGEL’ TAKES OFF
Her breakout role was the lead in the sci-fi superhero series Dark Angel, directed by Oscar-winning Titanic director James Cameron. This role earned her a nod to the award handed out by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Her movie credits include Robert Rodriguez’s acclaimed drama Sin City, the rom-com Valentine’s Day, the thriller The Killer Inside Me, the children’s action film Spy Kids 4-D: All the Time in the World and the superhero franchise Fantastic Four. More recently, she starred in the police comedy-drama LA’s Finest, which she helped co-produce.

The actress has also banked on her fame to go into business. In 2012 she co-founded The Honest Company, which specializes in household goods, diapers, and body care products and is now reportedly valued at about $2 billion. Alba has also been involved in activism encouraging youths to vote and supporting causes like safe chemicals and same-sex marriage, children’s education in Africa and the non-profits Habitat for Humanity and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. 

A SUNDANCE WINNER
Ferrera, for her part, is a Golden-Globe-winning actress who in recent years has put on a hat as a producer and executive director of projects that are either Latino-themed or have main characters who are Latinos. Her feature film debut was as the lead in her breakout role in 2002 at Sundance in the award-winning drama Real Women Have Curves, written by Josefina Lopez and for which she won the Special Jury Prize for Best Actress. 

Ferrera’s TV breakthrough role was in Ugly Betty. The Salma Hayek-exec directed TV series won Ferrera three coveted prizes for best actress: a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild Award and an Emmy—the first Latina to earn the honor in that category.

After Ugly Betty, she went to star in the independent limited series Christine and had a recurring role in the law drama The Good Wife. She also voiced Astrid Hofferson in the DreamWorks Animation franchise How to Train Your Dragon, including the feature films, shorts and TV series. Her film credits also include Cesar Chavez, in which she plays Helen Chavez, the wife of the farmworker and labor leader, and the two The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants films. 

Ferrera donned the hats of executive producer and director for two recent series, NBC’s Superstore, in which she also stars as Amy Sosa, and Netflix’s Gentefied, a drama about gentrification in East Los Angeles—also making an appearance in one episode. 

As an activist, Ferrera has supported getting out the Latino vote, immigration advocacy and women’s rights. She was the opening speaker at the 2017 Women’s March on Washington.

MORE STARS & LEADERS
Several other Latina actresses will also be joining #LatinasRepresent. They are Dascha Polanco and Diane Guerrero (Orange Is the New Black), Julissa Calderon (Gentefied), Melissa Fumero (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Cristela Alonzo (Cristela), Giselle Blondet (Mujeres Asesinas) and Julissa Bermudez (Hunters). 

The event will also feature prominent Latina leaders like Dolores Huerta, co-founder of United Farm Workers and head of the Dolores Huerta Foundation, and Janet Murguia, president of UnidosUS, the Hispanic advocacy organization formerly known as the National Council of La Raza. 

Other women participating in the event are Univision anchor Yarel Ramos and the up-and-coming singer Mariah Angeliq.

Hispanicize Media Group, the organizer of #LatinasRepresent, is owned by NGL Collective, actor John Leguizamo’s independent media and entertainment company.

#LatinasRepresent is a free event. To register, click here.

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A re-envisioned Hispanicize will highlight the history and successes of the past nine years while introducing new and exciting elements, led by NGL who are pioneers in the Latinx media, marketing, and entertainment space.

Hispanicize will remain true to its roots of celebrating Latinx culture while serving as a forum for launching social media trends, mentoring entrepreneurs and digital influencers, providing a learning platform for Latinx students, empowering Latinas, as well as honoring those in the Latinx community who are doing amazing work in their respective fields. This year’s event will attract thousands of attendees and will be jam-packed with Latinx celebrities and influencers who will use their collective voices to amplify messages of empowerment and unity.  

Hispanicize award programs and surprise performances will serve as the event’s centerpieces that will also feature a tightly programmed agenda of panels and keynotes spanning topics such as Social Media, TV & Film, Music, Tech & Gaming, Media & Marketing, Diversity & Inclusion, Entrepreneurship, and select custom-curated sponsored panels. Hispanicize 2019 will offer sponsors a platform to have bigger and bolder opportunities than ever before where they can engage the ever-growing Latinx Millennial and Gen-Z audience.  

“NGL’s acquisition of HMG really sets us head and shoulders apart from the other Latinx entities in our space with an offering that now includes NGL Live, NGL Social, NGL Media and NGL Studios,” said David Chitel, CEO and Founder, NGL Collective. “Advertisers and their array of agency partners seeking a cross-platform connection to the Latinx audience can now find it all in one place with NGL Collective.”

Past participants and sponsors of Hispanicize have included Dulce Candy, Julian Castro, Chino y Nacho,Rosario Dawson, Chiqui Delgado, Emilio Estefan, Luis Fonsi, Luis Guzman, Gente de Zona, Perez Hilton, LeJuan James, Juanes, Mario Lopez, Rosy McMichael, Soledad O’Brian, Lele Pons, Jessy Terrero, and Wisin as well as top executives from AARP, Aflac, Amazon, Buzzfeed, Carnival, Disney, Facebook, Ford Motor Company, HP, Johnnie Walker, Metro PCS,Microsoft, Nascar, Nielson, Prudential, Roku, Telemundo, Toyota, Unilever, United Airlines, Univision and among others Wells Fargo. 

“It’s particularly gratifying and humbling to carry the Hispanicize torch into the future, continuing to grow its influence and awareness, as it is a special and important voice in the industry,” added Chitel.

For more information about the 10^th Anniversary Hispanicize, visit www.HispanicizeEvent.com. Follow Hispanicize on Instagram and Twitter and join the conversation #Hispz19. 

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