LOS ANGELES, CA - October 6, 2016 – (HISPANICIZE WRE) - Golden Globe-winning actor Gael García Bernal will anchor a line-up of cultural thought leaders, celebs and influencers from the industries of marketing, social media, entertainment and journalism that that will speak at Hispanicize L.A. Oct. 12.

Presented in partnership with Sensis and ThinkNow Research, the full day event will take place at The Well, 1006 S. Olive St. in the heart of downtown Los Angeles. Industry professionals only can rsvp at http://bit.ly/HispzLArsvp.

“Hispanicize L.A. will take an unflinching look at the topics, trends, research and newsmakers that bookmark where we are as Latinos this Hispanic Heritage Month 2016,” said Manny Ruiz, CEO of Hispanicize Media Group and creative director of the Hispanicize event. “We’re thrilled to have collaborated with Sensis and ThinkNow Research to create an agenda that is full of high level networking, key learnings, marketing insights and entertainment that is worthy of L.A. in every way.”

AGENDA (subject to changes)

Visit www.HispzLA.com for full session descriptions.

TUESDAY, OCT. 11
SPECIAL VIP EVENING SCREENING OF ‘DESIERTO’ WITH GAEL GARCIA BERNAL AND JONAS CUARON

Golden Globe-winning actor, director and producer Gael García Bernal, acclaimed producer Jonás Cuarón (Gravity) and other celebs will join Hispanicize and STX Productions for a special VIP screening of ‘Desierto.’ This event is by private invite of Hispanicize organizers only. Media and digital influencers may inquire to participate by emailing candy@dimemedia.net.

WEDNESDAY, OCT 12
The Well - 1006 S. Olive St., Los Angeles, CA

Starting at 8:30 a.m.
REGISTRATION

8:30 to 9:30 a.m.
NETWORKING / LIGHT BREAKFAST

9:30 to 10:15 a.m.
AGENCY EXECUTIVES DIGITAL AND SOCIAL MEDIA TOWN HALL

In this rapid fire town hall, we’ll dive into digital and social media marketing trends and how they are impacting the world of multiculturals, integrated, consumer and influencer marketing.

Panelists:
Javier Farfan, Marketing Thought Leader
Willy Villarreal, Vice President and Head of Multicultural, Brand Marketing + Communications, PMK•BNC
Vicky Fite, Multicultural Practice Director at MSLGROUP

10:15 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
TADIN TEA BREAK

10:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
A CONVERSATION WITH OZZIE AREU (sponsored by City National Bank)

Ozzie Areu, a Cuban-American who rose from a humble job as a Hollywood security guard to become one of Tinseltown’s top executive producers and the longtime President of Tyler Perry Studios, has a story that is worthy of its own film.

Areu began his career in Hollywood as a security officer for Warner Bros. after his application to the Los Angeles Police Academy was turned down on a bizarre technicality. After taking on security duties and working on NBC production sets for some of the most popular sitcoms of all time, including “Friends,” Areu became an assistant and trusted advisor to some of Tinseltown’s leading entertainers such as Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston and eventually Tyler Perry, who in 2006 named him President of his burgeoning studio.

Today Areu spearheads Tyler Perry Studios; an American film production studio headquartered in Atlanta, along with 34th Street films, a Tyler Perry Production arm. He has produced numerous films and hit television shows, many of which highlight key issues that ethnic minorities face in the United States today through storytelling and family-friendly entertainment.

11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
WHERE IS THE LATINO JESSE JACKSON WHEN YOU NEED HIM? TOWN HALL

Regardless of who wins the presidency this November, 2016 will go down as a disturbing year for the Latino community. Even though we are the largest diverse community in the nation the presidential election cycle has exposed how we have little clout, respect and visibility to show for our numbers. Put bluntly, our community needs an identifiable, coherent, unifying leader who will help us harness our voice and our power but is that even possible? In this national town hall co-presented by Hispanicize and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists we’ll take an unfiltered look at what’s truly at stake by the status quo, how to reboot Latino leadership and how to do it.

Moderator:
Mekahlo Medina, Immediate Past President of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and Digital Anchor of NBC Los Angeles

Panelists:
Ana Valdez, Executive Director Latino Donor Collaborative, Inc.
Jorge Narvaez, Reality Changers
Fred Sotelo, COO, Global Source Energy
Manny Ruiz, CEO, Hispanicize Media Group
Helen Torres, Executive Director, HOPE

12:00 to 1 p.m.
LUNCH NETWORKER

1:00 to 1:30 p.m.
AN INSIDE LOOK AT FORD’S LATINAS ON THE MOVE

Ford has long been one of the stalwarts of Hispanic marketing. In this session the brand and several influential Latinas will share how the automaker is engaging Hispanic women through their ‘Latinas on the Move’ campaign.

Panelists:
Melissa Fumero (Amy Santiago on Brooklyn Nine-Nine)

1:30 to 2:15 p.m.
YOUR COMMUNITY IS TRENDING: MUSIC INSIDERS ON ‘FINDING YOUR TRIBE’

Community is Everything. The importance of finding your people + learning how to ask for what you want. Music is a social art so to be successful in the music business you must learn how to find the right people to build with then learn how to go after what you want.

Socio-economic trends can tell us a lot about what consumers want and need. Being able to identity your personal community is directly correlated to your marketing ability. The research starts at home.

Panelists:
Pili Montilla, TV Host + music aficionado
Chuey Martinez, Radio Host (102.7 KISS FM, iHeart Radio + Sirius XM)
Ruben Garcia, Executive + Head of Diversity, CAA
Gil Gastelum, Artist Manager +Indie Label Exec, Cosmica
Victoria La Mala, Regional Mexican Singer-Songwriter + Performer

2:15 to 3:00 p.m.
LATINO COMEDY CREATORS REVEAL SECRETS TO PRODUCING BRANDED VIRAL CONTENT

Question: What do you get when you put some of the nation’s best Latina and Latino comedy creators in a room?

Answer: A fun and insightful discussion about the way comedy creators are building creative, viral branded content that resonates with Hispanic audiences.

In this panel you will learn:
The secret to building great comedy content
Trends in comedy creation. What’s hot and what’s not.
Examples of great comedy-brand collaborations and why they work.
How comedy creators and brands walk the fine line between being funny, risqué and out of bounds
How comedy content plays across different social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Snap

Salice Rose - @SaliceRose
Eddie Garcia - OMG, It's Eddie G!
Jairo and Bryan, Mexican Gueys - @mexicangueys_
Jay Mendoza - @MrJayMendoza
Oscar Miranda - @TheOscarMiranda

3:00 to 3:30 p.m.
INDEPENDENT DISTRIBUTION, LATINOS DOING IT THEMSELVES

In Hollywood, you've got blockbusters. For Latinos, we've become the door-busters and change-busters who are creating our own lanes. Meet the people who are not only creatively seeking new methods of investment but are independently distributing content with the support of major exhibitors... their way.

Panelists:
Kki Melendez, Co-founder, Latin Hollywood Films
Fanny Véliz, Co-Founder|Producer, Avenida Productions
Ivan Orlic,CEO, Seine Pictures

3:30 to 4:00 p.m.
FRESH AVOCADO SMOOTHIE BREAK

4:00 to 5:00 p.m.
WE ARE GEN Z - A DEEP DIVE INTO CROSS-CULTURAL GEN

Sensis and ThinkNow Research will present results from their groundbreaking new study — the We Are Gen Z Report. This study on America’s newest emerging market will focus on the attitudes and behaviors of this cross-cultural generation born between 1995 and 2005. This is the first time in American history that we will have a generation where the minority will become the majority*. This is an important time and a game-changing generation. Join us for this insightful session.

Panelists:
Jose Villa, President,
Mario Carrasco, Research Partner, ThinkNow

5:00 to 5:45 p.m.
GEN Z LIVE FOCUS GROUP

Hear about Gen Z from Gen Zers! ThinkNow Research will moderate a live focus group with cross-cultural Gen Zers who will discuss what is (and isn’t) important to them as it relates to brands, their culture and influencers. Sensis with ThinkNow Research co-authored the We Are Gen Z Report — a look into the attitudes and behaviors of cross-cultural Gen Z.

Moderator:
Mario Carrasco, Research Partner, ThinkNow.

5:45 to 6:15 p.m.
ASK ‘EM ANYTHING: AN AUDIENCE Q&A WITH LATINO MILLENNIAL INFLUENCERS

When you talk about digital influencers, Latina and Latino millennials are the most important demographic that brands and marketers want to work with. In this session, we’re giving the audience a chance to ask several top L.A. influencers all the questions they want. What Hispanic millennial influencers think about culture, products, news and other brand and marketing questions may surprise you!

Alexys Gabrielle - Johns / Cody & Lexy on YouTube and @alexysgabrielle on Instagram
Dennis Pastorizo - Host of LATV Network’s "The Zoo"
Natalie James - AKA ​N​JinLA, Food, Music, & Travel Personality - @NJinLA on Instagram

6:15 to 6:30 p.m.
SPONSOR BREAK

6:30 to 9 p.m.
HISPANICIZE L.A. NETWORKING RECEPTION (presented by Ford)

Hispanicize L.A. is produced in partnership with a coalition of media partners that includes Latin Heat Media, DiMe Media, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ), SBS/La Musica, Nylon Español, HispanicAd.com, Hispanic Kitchen, Popful, and the Hispanic PR Blog. The free, one-day event will culminate with a major social media networking reception. Lizza Monet Morales of XoxoLizza will serve as the mistress of ceremonies for Hispanicize L.A.

The event’s automotive and technology innovation partner is Ford Motor Company. The event’s official bank partner is City National Bank. Additional event sponsors include gold sponsor Prudential Financial as well as Dreamwork’s Trolls, Aguacates Frescos – Saborea Uno Hoy, TADIN Herb & Tea Co., Mountain Dew and the new app Verifyer.

The Oct. 12 Hispanicize L.A. event is free and only for professionals in the industry of social media, marketing, journalism, film and music. To RSVP, visit http://bit.ly/HispzLArsvp. Due to space limitations Hispanicize organizers request that you don’t RSVP unless you are certain you plan to attend.

For sponsorship information about Hispanicize L.A. email sponsorships@hispanicize.com.

About Hispanicize Media Group
Hispanicize Media Group, LLC (HMG) works with leading brands and advertisers to navigate the rapidly evolving, trillion dollar U.S. Hispanic market by offering branded media opportunities, brand integrations, digital marketing campaigns and social influencer management through its on and offline platforms that include the annual Hispanicize event, DiMe Media and Hispanic Kitchen.

HMG’s award-winning management team is credited with pioneering the U.S. Hispanic social media industry and creating culturally resonating and engaging content for today’s Latino consumers. HMG is headquartered in Miami with offices in New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta.