News (Noticias) for Business

Just seven months into its launch, Maya Entertainment, a vertically integrated, full-service motion picture production and distribution company targeting the growing entertainment interests of Latinos living in the U.S., has established itself as a force in Hollywood. With a strong executive team of experienced film and television veterans in place, Maya Entertainment is going for the jugular by snatching up several noteworthy films that are garnering industry buzz and critical acclaim.

“This is a very exciting time for us,” said Maya Entertainment founder, Moctesuma Esparza. “We have put together a dream team of industry leaders who understand the complex entertainment tastes of the Latino market. Since the launch we have moved with extraordinary velocity and are already seeing great results. In March we saw the biggest opening for a Latin movie in Puerto Rico with ‘Maldeamores’ until ‘Talento de Barrio’ opened, which not only surpassed ‘Maldeamores’ but also ‘Dark Knight’ on opening weekend.”

The company is the first Latino owned and operated, production, distribution, and exhibition entity in the U.S. to focus specifically on bringing culturally relevant entertainment to the over 45 million Latinos living in the U.S., responsible for purchasing 297 million box office tickets this summer alone.

Maya Entertainment is co-chaired by serial entrepreneur Jeff Valdez, founder and chairman of SiTV, who brings his expertise of the growing young, media-savvy generation of Latinos born in the U.S., that prefer speaking English and have an average age of 18.

“For too many years Hollywood has ‘talked’ about the ‘Latino Wave’; we plan to capitalize on it. Latino youth are among the country’s fastest growing demographic,” said Valdez. “We get the market because our principles and employees are the market.”

Also on board are Jose Martinez, previously of Palm Pictures, heading up acquisitions and business affairs; Michael Harpster, formerly of New Line Cinema, now CEO of Maya Releasing; Jeff Gonzalez, who was CFO at National Lampoon and Trimark, now assumes the role of COO and CFO, and Sonia Rosario, an Emmy-nominated leader in the arena of creative development, who heads up marketing.

Utilizing a multi-platform structure, the company develops and produces content for distribution on all platforms via its various divisions, including Maya Cinemas, Maya Releasing, Maya Entertainment Home Video, and Maya Productions.

“Because of the way we have structured the company, we are able to fully support the life of a film from the production through theatrical release and retail via home video along with numerous other ancillary markets,” said Gonzalez.

Maya Releasing has successfully distributed several key movies this year including HOW THE GARCIA GIRLS SPENT THEIR SUMMER starring “Ugly Betty” star America Ferrera, MALDEAMORES produced by actor Benicio del Toro, AUGUST EVENING, winner of the Cassavetes Award at the 2008 Spirit Awards, urban Latin film TALENTO DE BARRIO, starring Latin phenomenon Daddy Yankee, and AMEXICANO, which made its world premiere at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival. The company plans to leverage its cinemas as outlets for all future theatrical releases.

With its flagship located in Salinas, CA, seven other Maya Cinema theaters are currently under construction in California, New Mexico, Nevada, Chicago, Dallas, and New York. Within five years, Maya Cinemas plans to offer between 400 and 500 screens in Los Angeles, New York and Chicago where film attendance by Latino audiences continues to surpass all other groups.

In addition, via a strategic partnership with Wal-Mart, Maya Entertainment Home Video has effectively tapped into the store’s lucrative DVD business, which accounts for 50% of the domestic market for home entertainment. Already on the shelves is HOW THE GARCIA GIRLS SPENT THEIR SUMMER, which is expected to perform well across demographic lines. All Maya releases are slated for home video distribution via Maya Entertainment Home Video.

To date Maya Entertainment has picked up 30 home video titles and 10 theatrical titles with buzz including SLEEP DEALER, a futuristic Sci-Fi feature, which received the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award and the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. They have also picked up the critically acclaimed FRAUDE MEXICO 2006, by Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee Luis Mandoki, and most recently MANCORA, one of this year’s most talked about films at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.

“We want to cultivate and support Latino filmmakers who have powerful stories to tell that audiences everywhere can relate to,” remarked Martinez. “Sleep Dealer and Fraude both have universal themes of struggle and validation that will resonate with Latino and non-Latino audiences alike.”

While the focus has been on acquisitions so far, Maya Entertainment is in active development and will be producing several films in the next year.

About Maya Entertainment
Maya Entertainment, headed by award winning producer Moctesuma Esparza and co-chaired by Jeff Valdez, is the only Latino owned and managed filmed entertainment company specifically focused on the growing U.S. Latino film-going audience. Maya Entertainment will release 8 to 10 films theatrically and 24 straight-to-DVD releases a year and will soon announce its feature film and television production slate, which is currently set to commence production in 2009. Maya Entertainment is the sister company of Maya Cinemas North America, Inc. a movie theater exhibition company featuring state-of-the-art multiplex cinemas with a site in Salinas, CA and new sites soon to be opened in Bakersfield, CA, Fresno, CA, Santa Fe, NM, Chicago, IL, San Antonio, TX, Houston, TX, New York and more. “

Move Networks, the leading provider of Internet television services, today announced the company is working with Televisa, the world’s largest provider of Spanish language television, to deliver live and on-demand sports and entertainment programming on Televisa’s new web portals, making this programming accessible to millions of viewers living in Mexico.
Move Networks’ Internet television streaming technology enables Televisa to deliver world-class online viewer experiences. Televisa’s new sports portal, www.televisadeportes.com, is dedicated to broadcasting widely expanded sports content including live and VOD (video on demand) soccer matches and extreme sports such as motorcycle racing, AAA Wrestling and skateboarding. The new entertainment portal, www.tvolucion.com, offers a variety of VOD content, including prime time television series, news programming, TeleNovelas and classic movies.
Move Networks partnered with Schematic and Microsoft Silverlight to develop Televisa’s new online channels and create a flexible solution for monetizing programming through innovative inclusion of video ads, skins and banners.
“For the viewing public and for Televisa, the player is win-win,” said John Edwards, CEO of Move Networks. “For viewers it’s a pleasure to watch crisp video and at the same time easily browse other exciting viewing options.”
The Move Networks player can be seen on www.televisadeportes.com and www.tvolucion.com beginning Thursday, Sept. 25.
“This is a giant step towards making your computer as much fun to watch as your TV,” said Trevor Kaufman, CEO of the innovative digital agency Schematic. “With top-notch content from Televisa, a superior picture from Move Networks, a powerful platform from Microsoft’s Silverlight, and a best-in-class user experience from Schematic, this new video player is truly greater than the sum of its parts.”
International Growth of Internet Television
Since July, Move Networks has seen a sharp rise in the number of international media companies interested in using its services to deliver high-quality, live and on-demand Internet television to their viewers. Companies which have recently selected Move Networks as their Internet television services provider in international markets include the Channel Bee Network. Channel Bee used Move Networks services to deliver to music fans live, high-definition concert footage from Somerset House in London.
About Move Networks
Move Networks, Inc. is a leading provider of Internet television services that drive the growth and support of online audiences for leading broadcasters and publishers including ABC, the CW, Discovery, ESPN, and Fox. The Internet television technologies and services developed and managed by Move Networks enable leading brands to deliver live and on-demand programming to millions of people without the buffering, stalling, and low-quality viewing experiences common with competing technologies.
About Televisa
Grupo Televisa, S.A.B., is the largest media company in the Spanish-speaking world and a major participant in the international entertainment business. It has interests in television production and broadcasting, production of pay-television networks, international distribution of television programming, direct-to-home satellite services, cable television and telecommunication services, magazine publishing and publishing distribution, radio production and broadcasting, professional sports and live entertainment, feature-film production and distribution, the operation of a horizontal internet portal, and gaming. Grupo Televisa also owns an unconsolidated equity stake in La Sexta, a free-to-air television venture in Spain.
SOURCE: Move Networks, Inc.

Move Networks
Peggy M. Hayes, 801-209-8813
phayes@movenetworks.com
or
Televisa Interactive Media
Amparo Doormann, +52 55 52613670
adoorman@televisa.com.mx
“

Today accentmarketing announced the launch of the Federal Citizen Information Center’s new public service announcement campaign promoting the government’s official information sources in Spanish: GobiernoUSA.gov and 1 (800) FED-INFO.  GobiernoUSA.gov provides easy-to-search access to thousands of official U.S. local, state, and federal government Web sites in Spanish that detail available government benefits and services.  Those who do not have access to the internet or prefer to speak to an information specialist in Spanish can call 1 (800) FED-INFO (1-800-333-4636).

The PSA campaign, titled “Perdido” (Lost), consists of television, print, and radio spots created in Spanish that will be running for one year. Available in different lengths (60, 30, 20, 25 and 10 seconds), the campaign features a floating balloon character to illustrate how lost someone can feel, particularly if they are new to the United States when they try to understand or obtain government services and information.  Upon coming across the GobiernoUSA.gov Website or phone number, the balloon man transforms to a human being, indicating that with this information he is now “grounded” or “enlightened.” The transformation to a human tells the viewer that with the right information you no longer feel lost. The ‘Lost’ concept is also carried through radio and print executions.

“As a Hispanic integrated communications agency, we are thrilled to have the opportunity to develop campaigns that will inform our Hispanic community on how they can gain access to information on the services the US government can provide them and their families as Hispanics settle and thrive in the US,” said Maria Romero, President, accentmarketing.

ABOUT FCIC
For over 35 years, the Federal Citizen Information Center, part of the General Services Administration, has been a trusted one-stop source for answers to questions about consumer problems and government services. Consumers can get the information they need in three ways: by calling toll-free 1 (800) FED-INFO, through printed publications, or through information posted on FCIC’s family of Web sites:
www.USA.gov
www.pueblo.gsa.gov
www.kids.gov
www.consumeraction.gov
www.consumidor.gov

About accentmarketing
Established in 1993, accentmarketing (www.accentmarketing.com <http://www.accentmarketing.com> ) is a full-service Hispanic Integrated Marketing Communications agency with a staff of 70 throughout its offices in Miami, Detroit and Los Angeles. A member of The Interpublic Group of Companies, minority-owned accentmarketing employs a multinational and multicultural staff.  The agency’s client roster includes: the American Heart Association, Alltel Wireless, Brown-Forman, General Motors, Kaiser Permanente, Farmers Insurance, the United States Navy and USA.gov.

###

EDITOR’S NOTE

To request hi-resolution photos, TV spots (:60, :30, :20, :15, :10 lengths), radio spots (:60, :30, :15 lengths), print frame grabs and print advertisements, please send an email to aphillips@accentmarketing.com or call (305) 537-2252.



Details of “Perdido” (Lost) TV Campaign:

1. Title:  “Perdido” (Lost)
2. Agency: accentmarketing
3. Client: Federal Citizen Information Center (FCIC)
4. Duration: Yearlong PSA campaign launching on September 1, 2008
5. Length of Spots: :60, :30, :20, :15, :10
6. Launch Date: September 1, 2008
7. Markets where it will air: Nationally
8. Creative Director: Juan Carlos Piedrahita
9. Senior Copywriter: Daniel Stewart
10. Art Director: Andres Henao
11. Account Group Director: Ana Maria Montero
12. Account Supervisor: Idalia San Juan
13. Producer:  Jorge Espinosa
14. Production House: Tunche Films
15. Director:  Cesar Zelada
16. Director of Photography: Antonio Robles, 3D Artist, Tunche Films
    

For more information please contact:

Aïda Phillips
accentmarketing
305.537.2252
aphillips@accentmarketing.com
“

US Hispanic teens aged 12-17 represent 2.5 million subscribers, according to MultiMedia Intelligence. This is an increasingly important segment of wireless consumers, with a subscriber growth rate of two to three times that of the overall US teen market over the next 5 years.
“Teens overall are a critical wireless market segment, as initial subscriber and handset relationships can establish lifelong purchasing patterns,” according to Frank Dickson, Chief Research Officer for MultiMedia Intelligence. “Within the teen segment, Hispanic teens have unique wireless usage characteristics.”
Key findings regarding Hispanic teen wireless subscribers include:
– Hispanic teens represent 16% of the overall US teen market.
– By the age of 15, penetration of wireless services among US Hispanic teens is 64% - by the age of 17, the penetration rate rises to 78%.
– The US Hispanic teen is much more likely to use advanced telephony functions than other US teens, but less likely to use their camera phone.
– Like the broader US teen market, Hispanic teens ask their phones to do more, from text messaging to purchasing content and feature a higher overall Average Revenue per User (ARPU).
The report, “Spotlight on the Hispanic Wireless Teen: The 12-17 US Hispanic Teen Wireless Subscribers, Revenue, ARPU and Content” analyzes the US Hispanic 12-17 year old teen wireless market.
This research results from MultiMedia Intelligence’s strategic partnership with Experian. The partnership combines MultiMedia Intelligence’s vast industry expertise, market sizing, forecasting models and databases with Experian’s Simmons National Consumer data on behavior, psychographics, lifestyles, opinions and attitudes.

For more information, visit www.MultiMediaIntelligence.com
or contact
Mark Kirstein
(480) 626-1685
Mark@MultiMediaIntelligence.com.
“

NASCAR is one of the top five sports in the U.S., and Hispanics are America’s fastest growing demographic — yet NASCAR has historically underperformed among the Latino population. To show how this relationship can be nurtured by the NASCAR industry — including teams, tracks, marketers, and media companies — Top-25 research firm Knowledge Networks and leading independent sports marketing agency rEvolution will soon release the first nationally representative, in-depth, syndicated study of Latinos’ feelings about NASCAR.
NASCAR itself is one of the charter subscribers to this unprecedented study, which addresses key questions such as:
– What draws in Hispanic fans? What are the barriers to fandom among Hispanics? What are the sport’s main competitors within this population?
– How do Hispanic NASCAR fans compare to other NASCAR fans in how they engage with the sport?
– Which sponsors have generated the most awareness among Hispanic NASCAR fans? How does this compare to other NASCAR fans?
– NASCAR is known for having the most “sponsor-friendly” fans — does this carry through to Hispanic NASCAR fans?
The research portion of the new NASCAR study is being conducted in both Spanish and English on KnowledgePanel(R) — the only online panel representative of all facets of the U.S. population — and KnowledgePanelLatino(SM), which applies KN’s uniquely representative methodology to the U.S. Latino population. Both KN’s and rEvolution’s leadership expect to provide their NASCAR clients with unprecedented data on Latino fans as a means to refining current sponsorship strategies, as well as having better information prior to activating new sponsorships in racing.
“This report will reveal many opportunities for overcoming barriers to growing the Hispanic fan-base and increasing the passion for NASCAR among Latinos who are already fans,” said John Rowady, President of rEvolution. “The rEvolution/KN alliance provides an excellent combination of research precision and consultative understanding of the sport and its sponsorships.”
“We are pleased to be teaming with rEvolution in offering insights and analyses that are unique to our companies — a truly representative look at U.S. Hispanic NASCAR fans, plus unmatched consultative perspective on making the most of a NASCAR sponsorship,” said Patricia Graham, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Knowledge Networks. “Finding the best ways to engage Latino consumers is a top priority for every kind of consumer marketer, and NASCAR has the potential to become a key platform for reaching this important target.”
Last June, rEvolution and Knowledge Networks announced a strategic alliance to deliver the next generation of sponsorship research and consulting services by arming clients with crucial data and strategic insights in order to maximize the ROI of their sponsorship investments.
To find out more about becoming a subscriber to the Hispanic NASCAR report,
contact Patricia Graham (EVP and CMO, Knowledge Networks) at
pgraham@knowledgenetworks.com or (312) 416-3660, or Darren Marshall (Senior
Vice President, Research, rEvolution) at dmarshall@revolutionworld.com or
(203) 894-8991. “