2023 Influential Latinos in Media
LOS ANGELES, CA – April 21, 2023. The Imagen Foundation, the leading advocacy organization for Latinos in the entertainment industry, recognized 64 executives and influential individuals at this year’s 13th Annual Influential Latinos in Media event (formerly known as Most Powerful & Influential Latinos in Entertainment) on Saturday, April 22nd, at the MOCA Grand Avenue site of The Museum of Contemporary Art. The event honors senior level executives of Latino descent who have made a significant impact at their companies as well as within the entertainment industry at large.
“For the last 26 years, the Imagen Foundation has spearheaded efforts to highlight the important contributions that Latinos, both in the workforce and as a major revenue-generating audience, bring to the business of entertainment,” said Helen Hernandez, President and Co-Founder of the Imagen Foundation. “We are proud to honor these accomplished individuals as part of Imagen’s mission to promote both what Latinos contribute to the entertainment industry, as well as the need to increase our representation. As the largest minority in the United States, Latinos are crucial to the success of the industry at all levels of the creative process, and Imagen will continue to actively advocate for more representation of Latinos, both in front of and behind the camera.”
The Imagen Foundation has also established The Influential Latinos in Media Hall of Fame, honoring those executives who have made the honorees list five or more times. These individuals are accorded special recognition for their continuous success on the business side of the industry and, along with the other honorees, are helping to pave the way for the next generation of Latino entertainment business professionals.
The Imagen Foundation is the nation’s leading organization recognizing Latinos in all facets of the entertainment industry. Influential Latinos in Media acknowledge the executives who continue to do the work necessary to help the advancement of Latinos in entertainment. Sponsors of this year’s reception include Variety, Disney, Telemundo Network Group, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Comcast NBCUniversal Telemundo, Paramount, Banijay Americas, and Fox Rothschild LLP.
Influential Latinos Hall of Fame Inductees
Santiago Capdepont
Sr. Vice President, Consumer Products, APAC/China, Brand Development Group, Universal Pictures
Claudia Lyon
Executive Vice President, Talent & Casting, CBS Entertainment
Salvador Mendoza
Vice President, Corporate Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, NBCUniversal
Jennifer Ortega
Executive Vice President, Business & Legal Affairs, BET Media Group
Honorees
- Cheche Alara – Music Composer, Producer, Director, Conductor, Audito Media
- Truman Alfaro – Manager & Producer,
- Jose Avina – Sr. Vice President, Legal Affairs, Paramount Pictures
- April Barrett – Sr. Vice President, Production, FIFTH SEASON
- Karen Barroeta – Executive Vice President, Production & Development, Telemundo Global Studios, NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises
- Christine Benitez – Sr. Vice President, Multicultural Marketing, Paramount Pictures
- Joe Bernard – CRO, NGL MiTu
- Tracy Brennan – Agent, Creative Artists Agency
- Victor Javier Caro – Vice President, Convergent Ad-Sales, Paramount Advertising
- Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews – Executive Vice President of Newsgathering, CBS News
- Felix Cisneros – Vice President, Business Operations, Sony Music Entertainment and Managing Principal, Olive Bridge Media Partners
- Felicidad Contreras – Sr. Vice President, Production Finance, FIFTH SEASON
- Clayton Davis – Senior Awards Editor, Variety
- Ronald Day – President, Entertainment and Content Strategy, NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises
- Andre de Abreu – Vice President, Global Business Operations, Crunchyroll
- Javier de Diego – Executive Producer, CNN and HBO Max’s ‘Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?’, CNN Worldwide
- Kate Del Castillo – Actress, Producer, Philanthropist, Activist, Co-Founder, Cholawood
- Bruno Del Granado – Head, Global Latin Music Touring, Creative Artists Agency
- Lourdes Diaz – Chief Creative Officer, AGC Studios
- Christian Divino – Vice President, Sales, The Walt Disney Company
- Ramón Escobar – Senior Vice President, Talent Development and Recruitment, CNN Worldwide
- Beau Ferrari – Chairman, NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises
- Rafael Garcia – Vice President, Original Series Development, Disney Branded Television
- Alycia Elena Garcia – Vice President, Production Safety, Paramount Pictures
- Michelle Garcia – Sr. Vice President, Partnership & Lifecycle Marketing, Paramount+
- Antonio Gimenez Palazon – Sr. Vice President, Global Publicity, Sony Pictures Entertainment
- Patricia Gonzalez – Executive Vice President, In-Theater Marketing, Paramount Pictures
- Maria Teresa Hernandez – Head of Multicultural Marketplace & Sr. Vice President Brand Partnerships, Mirriad
- Kiska Higgs – President, Production and Acquisitions, Focus Features
- Rochelle Holguin Cappello – Sr. Vice President, Creative Music Strategy, Paramount
- Cynthia Hudson – Sr. Vice President and Managing Director, CNN en Español and Hispanic Strategy for CNN/US, CNN en Español
- Sean Jaquez – Sr. Vice President, Content Protection, Sony Pictures Entertainment
- Christina Kolbjornsen – Sr. Vice President, Corporate & External Affairs, Telemundo
- Virginia Lazalde-McPherson – Executive Vice President/Head of Strategy & Business Operations, Showtime Networks, Inc
- Marie Leguizamo – Managing Director, Banijay Mexico & U.S. Hispanic
- María Margarita López – Director, Marketing, Partnerships & VIP+, Variety
- Patsy Loris – Executive Vice President, News, Noticias Telemundo
- Adam Martinez – Vice President, Drama Development, CBS Studios
- Vanessa I. Mendoza – Vice President, Physical Production, Paramount Pictures
- Veronica Molina – Sr. Vice President, News Standards and Practices, CNN Worldwide
- Margie Moreno – Sr. Vice President, Current Series, Warner Bros Television
- Lily Neumeyer – Executive Vice President, Development, MTV Entertainment, Paramount Global
- Santiago Perez Rocha Leon – Head of Scripted Series Post Production, LATAM, Amazon Studios
- Karla Pita Loor – Executive Vice President, Enterprise Inclusion & Social Responsibility, Banijay Americas
- John Pollak – Co-Founder and CEO, Allied Management Group
- Roxanne Pompa – Vice President, International Formats, Paramount Global
- Juan Ponce – Sr. Vice President & General Manager, Telemundo Streaming Studios, NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises
- Areli Quirarte – Sr. Vice President, Music, Paramount Pictures
- Jaime Rodriguez – Vice President, Business Affairs, NBCUniversal
- Joseph Rodriguez – Executive Vice President, Business Affairs & Administration, Paramount Pictures
- Freddy Rolón – Sr. Vice President, Programming & Scheduling, ESPN
- Ana Salas Siegel – Business Advisor, NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises
- Carlos Salcines – Vice President, Multicultural Marketing, Warner Bros. Pictures
- Frank Salinas – Head of Unscripted Post Production, US/Expansion/Specialty Format/Live & Near Live, Amazon Studios
- Christian Sarabia – President, 51 Minds
- Chachi Senior – Head of Development, Truly Original
- Jeff Valdez – Principal, New Cadence Productions
- Heidy Vaquerano – Partner, Fox Rothschild LLP
- Eli Velazquez – Executive Vice President, Executive Vice President of Sports, NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises
- Dion Vlachos – Executive Vice President, Global Toys, CPG, Gaming & Retail, Paramount Global Consumer Products & Experiences