Multicultural Digital Media News

Florida organizations seek to aide art groups and students through online arts education

noreply@blogger.com (Carlos Vassallo) — Wed, 22 Apr 2020 16:49:00 +0000

Plus on-air TV programming for Orange County residents

The Florida Alliance for Arts Education and the Interactive Academy are making digital online platforms available to the arts community in an effort to restore some of the loss of revenue organizations are experiencing during the COVID 19 outbreak.

Entire families will also benefit from an array of art classes (dance, music, theatre, visual arts, etc.) professionally produced in an unprecedented collaboration with Orange County Arts & Culture Affairs Department and Orange TV. Orange County residents will have the option to watch the classes streaming to their TV or upgrade to having their own interactive Digital Media Room (DMR). Each DMR owner (fees apply) has the option to form a study group and invite 3 friends to join the “room” through webcams, interacting with each other during the class.

Numerous studies have shown that participating in any art form can significantly reduce stress, decrease mental health issues, and increase overall quality of life. With the onset of responses to the COVID 19 outbreak, this is particularly important today. This opportunity gives everyone access to affordable, safe, private, and convenient arts education through a new and immersive approach.

The Florida Alliance for Arts Education’s mission is to “improve, enhance, and promote arts education throughout the state of Florida. It is a non-profit organization with 30 years’ experience working with the Florida Dept. of Education and the Dept. of State Division of Cultural Affairs and is the recipient of a GuideStar Gold Seal of Transparency.

The FAAE will maintain class scheduling, registration, and course payments. Additional funding generated from enrollment and charitable contributions will allow the FAAE the granting of virtual scholarships to underprivileged families.
Leiland Theriot, the FAAE’s Executive Director, is extending an invitation to art groups to apply at their website www.faae.org.

Additionally, Ms. Theriot stated “Our students’ safety is of the utmost importance. Course instructors are screened and the platform is secured for safety and privacy. Students and their families can be assured that the learning environment meets expectations in accordance with the FERPA”.

Terry Olson, head of the Arts & Culture Affairs Department for Orange County, stated that “This program elevates virtual learning to the professional level it deserves.”

Ricardo Canchola, President of the Interactive Academy, noted that “we are committed to deploying the most advanced telepresence platforms today.” Then he added, “It is important to remind students to use an Ethernet portal in order to get smoother internet connectivity.”

Our studio hours run from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, so space is currently limited to the number of classes we will professionally produce. Nonetheless, we are working on additional programs and times in order to fill art groups teaching needs outside the Central Florida area.

Students can visit the www.faae.org website and browse through an array of lessons that include, but are not limited to: Acting for Dancers, Ballet, Modern Dance, Acting, Singing, Violin, etc. Classes are being added periodically, so make sure to visit the website to view new and exciting courses.

About the Florida Alliance for Arts Education
Since 1981, the Florida Alliance for Arts Education (FAAE) has worked to bring schools and communities together to improve, enhance and promote lifelong learning, in and through the arts, from birth through adulthood.

Arts are essential to the vitality and quality of life in schools and communities. Education is even more powerful when it includes art instruction and broad-based cultural programs.

As the statewide umbrella organization for arts education, FAAE touches thousands of lives each year, serving educators, administrators, students, families, and advocates in rural and urban communities throughout Florida.

FAAE works with leading institutions such as the Florida Department of Education and Florida Department of State Division of Cultural Affairs and supports statewide campaigns such as the Florida Grade-Level Reading Campaign and the Florida Rural Economic Development Initiative. www.faae.org

About the Interactive Academy
The Interactive Academy (www.1apa.com) is always evolving as it continues to thrive to become the catalyst to a better world by facilitating the finest online education for mankind. Therefore, we are pleased to be working with reputable organizations to introduce to the world other areas of study beyond the performing arts which are a vital part of human enlightenment in the areas of languages, the arts, science, and technology.

Opera Orlando - This is awesome - Sponsored Section

noreply@blogger.com (Carlos Vassallo) — Mon, 12 Feb 2018 15:37:00 +0000

Live interactive online opera classes to kids and teenagers across the nation. The inaugural educational series will begin March 19th and will run for ten weeks.

How Augmented Reality Can Save Jobs

noreply@blogger.com (Carlos Vassallo) — Wed, 04 Oct 2017 16:37:00 +0000

With the rise in groundbreaking technologies like augmented reality, or AR, many industries fear the displacement of human workers to make way for digital solutions. However, if history is any precedence (e.g. inventions like the printing press, smartphone, and Internet), the advantages enjoyed from such developments not only outweigh the negatives, but also rarely act as a complete replacement for real manpower.

All the complaints surrounding technology displacing workers, especially in Silicon Valley, should also be regarded in terms of skillset. The number one reason jobs remain unfilled today is due to lack of experience, with lack of hard and soft skills also ranking within the top five most influential reasons for vacancies.

In order to address the growing need of more skilled and technology-adept employees, AR applications for work can be just the tool needed to complement human workers. With applications that range from training to enhancing safety on the job, AR technologies can help to solve the conflict between unfilled positions and frustrated people searching for jobs.

What AR Does
Unlike virtual reality, which puts the user in an entirely unfamiliar environment, augmented reality overlays artificial elements over a real-life setting. Essentially, it enhances the world around you.

The first example of AR becoming popularized in consumer culture was Pokemon Go. Using just a smartphone, users were able to see Pokemon characters dotting the landscape in front of them through their phone’s screen. This game not only made augmented reality an accessible concept to the masses, but also initiated the development of other AR hardware. Creating unique AR devices can allow the technology to be applied to a variety of industries and effectively help a wider range of employees and enterprises.

Using Augmented Reality for Training
AR technology provides a means of experiential teaching. Instead of risking the disassociation that often occurs between learning in a classroom and learning on the job, AR allows employees to learn as they work.

One way this is being accomplished in the robotics sector is by having workers wear AR glasses as they go through training. When working with a new device or machine, the glasses provide an overlay of instruction and information to the user. They can be shown precisely what to do while actually performing the action, instead of learning about what to do hours or days prior to experiencing it. This means that people can quickly pick up and carry out complex work assignments without need to costly or overly complex training, transferring knowledge from experience workers to new hires more efficiently than ever before.

AR for Enterprises
The repeated processes and assembly line-like structure of enterprise manufacturing demands a different solution from AR. It essentially comes down to scaling augmented reality technology and ensuring it applies to all realms of the business.

In order to accomplish this feat, AR developers must consult with enterprises closely to design solutions that are user-friendly, accomplish the task at hand, and can be measured for continued improvement new applications. Establishing a system by which AR can be adapted for the user and industry is essential.

Augmented reality still has a ways to go before it is implemented on a mass scale for businesses. Already, however, its applications within enterprises and occupations for training employees, enhancing communication, and boosting efficiency are noteworthy. AR may be just the solution we need to fill the void of skilled workers and provide jobs to those searching.

In advertising, marketing diversity needs a boost in Tampa Bay, nationally

noreply@blogger.com (Carlos Vassallo) — Mon, 24 Jul 2017 14:47:00 +0000

TAMPA — Trimeka Benjamin was focused on a career in broadcast journalism when she entered Bethune-Cookman University.

But when Benjamin discovered the beginning salaries for journalists, she switched her major to business.

Today, Benjamin is the chief executive owner of Swim Digital Group, a Tampa-based marketing company.

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PlanetM aligns with FIMBA on Global Sponsorship Deal

noreply@blogger.com (Carlos Vassallo) — Fri, 24 Jun 2016 15:25:00 +0000

New York City: On June 7, 2016 PlanetM signed an exclusive three year agreement with Federation of International Masters Basketball Association (FIMBA) to represent the global basketball federation in securing international sponsors.

Now in its 25th year, the FIMBA organization is widely acclaimed as the premier senior sports federation in the world.

Under terms of the agreement, PlanetM will be responsible for identifying and negotiating contracts with global and international sponsors whose products and services appeal to FIMBA’s affluent, mature, mobile and physically fit basketball demographic.

Carlos Vassallo, Principal of PlanetM, will work closely with Jim Sweeney, who heads up FIMBA in the USA.

FIMBA President, Ruben Lamas, remarked about FIMBA’s newly forged relationship, “We are excited to work with Carlos Vassallo and PlanetM and believe it is a great step toward an even more successful future for FIMBA.”

PlanetM COO, Carlos Vassallo, shared his enthusiasm about representing FIMBA, “We are thrilled to work with FIMBA and grow their brand globally during this exciting time. They have done a phenomenal job promoting basketball worldwide, engaging players from more than 100 countries”.

About FIMBA
FIMBA organizes international basketball tournaments for both men (ages 35+) and women (ages 30+) and promotes an annual maxi or masters basketball day each September. In 2015, the event generated basketball activities in 89 countries.

FIMBA recently hosted Pan Am Games in San Jose, Costa Rica for 157 teams from 19 countries and a European Championship in Belgrade, Serbia for 96 teams from 22 countries.

FIMBA’s 14th bi-annual world championship is scheduled for June 2017. The global event will be held in Montecatini, Italy and is expected to draw 250+ teams from 40+ countries.

About PlanetM
PlanetM is a digitally driven technology and marketing company connecting brands with consumers internationally.

PlanetM’s proprietary technology enables greater brand and fan engagement and can be used across a variety of industries including Sports, Entertainment, Fashion, Travel, Education, Finance among others.

Additionally, PlanetM specializes in event and experiential marketing for global brands. Using a variety of state-of-the art and disruptive applications, PlanetM is able to successfully run multi-lingual and multi-country marketing campaigns.

Contacts:

Jeana Mattei
GM Sports
PlanetM

jeana@planetm.us
212-518-7543

Carlos Vassallo
COO
PlanetM
carlos@planetm.us

212-518-7543

Jim Sweeney
FIMBA
sweeney@fimba.net
727-460-8932

Hispanics will outspend millennials by 2020: Morgan Stanley

noreply@blogger.com (Carlos Vassallo) — Sun, 12 Jun 2016 21:50:00 +0000

Hispanic growth in income and population across all ages will drive increases in consumer spending that will exceed the shopping totals of the millennial demographic by 2020, Morgan Stanley analysts said Monday.

Hispanics should grow their “share of consumer wallet,” otherwise known as retail spending, by 1.6 percentage points by 2020 outpacing millennial growth of 0.6 percentage points and growth for whites over the age of 65 of 0.4 percentage points, Morgan Stanley said in a research report.

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Latin America Loves Facebook

noreply@blogger.com (Carlos Vassallo) — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 04:46:00 +0000

eMarketer last estimated social media usage in Latin America in July 2015. Facebook is set to reach 39.0% of the total population of the region this year—equivalent to 69.5% of internet users and a dramatic 93.0% of social network users.

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Are You In The Digital Driver’s Seat?

noreply@blogger.com (Carlos Vassallo) — Fri, 26 Feb 2016 14:41:00 +0000

Don’t lose advertising dollars to digital. Take control with practical strategies you can pitch tomorrow. Many stations complain that they’re losing revenue to digital platforms, yet Hispanic broadcasters actually have an edge: Surveys show Hispanic consumers index among the highest in terms of digital use in almost every category.

How well do you understand your digital assets and how to combine them in seamless campaign strategies to engage both advertisers and consumers?

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Dropbox Is 2% Black, 5% Hispanic, According To 2015 Diversity Report

noreply@blogger.com (Carlos Vassallo) — Sun, 07 Feb 2016 15:02:00 +0000

Dropbox just released its diversity report for 2015 on the company’s blog, citing some progress around having more women in leadership positions, with 25 percent of the VPs at the company being women, but an overall decline in percentage of women. Last year, Dropbox was 33.9 percent women worldwide. This year, that percentage has dropped to 32 percent worldwide.

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Predictions On The Future Of Digital Media

noreply@blogger.com (Carlos Vassallo) — Thu, 28 Jan 2016 18:39:00 +0000

Several millions of premium headsets (not just Google Cardboards) will be sold by major consumer electronics companies that have invested billions of dollars to create market demand. It will feel like the early days of the game console market. While gamer experiences will dominate VR in 2016, live action VR will also show promise as the language of VR story-telling develops.

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Digital Media Trends That Will Define 2016 by Peter Csathy

noreply@blogger.com (Carlos Vassallo) — Wed, 27 Jan 2016 22:02:00 +0000

Unlike the mega-M&A that dominated digital media in 2014 (Disney/Maker Studios, Apple/Beats Music, Facebook/Oculus), one story dominated digital media in 2015: Netflix and an increasing number of premium content-focused over-the-top video services ascended and accelerated the unbundling of decades-old pay TV packages and business models.

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Top 10 Infographics of 2015 on MarketingProfs

noreply@blogger.com (Carlos Vassallo) — Wed, 27 Jan 2016 03:35:00 +0000

Below we present a listing of the top infographics published on MarketingProfs in 2015.

"Top" means, in this case, popular; and "popular" means most viewed by subscribers of our newsletter, MarketingProfs Today.

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Hot Marketing Trends You Need to Know for 2016

noreply@blogger.com (Carlos Vassallo) — Wed, 27 Jan 2016 03:30:00 +0000

Understanding the following hot marketing trends and planning for them can help you succeed in 2016.

One hot trend is virtual reality.

"As virtual reality becomes scaled and highly adopted, it will seamlessly integrate digital imagery with the real world—significantly impacting how you can engage customers," states Microsoft in the following infographic.

Wearable tech is also trending

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The Hispanic Millennial Power Behind Vine, Snapchat And Periscope

noreply@blogger.com (Carlos Vassallo) — Mon, 28 Dec 2015 16:07:00 +0000

We’ve heard it time and time again: Hispanic Millennials are a driving force on social media, especially as they are early tech adopters and have a higher usage of social media than their non-Hispanic counterparts.

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Six Ways to Include Video in Your Marketing Strategy

noreply@blogger.com (Carlos Vassallo) — Sat, 19 Dec 2015 18:59:00 +0000

With 79% of Internet traffic expected to consist of video by 2018, there's little disputing that video has a bright future in marketing.

Video content is engaging and easy to consume, and it helps you connect to the people that matter most—your audience.

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Are Mobile Emails Paying Off for Marketers?

noreply@blogger.com (Carlos Vassallo) — Sat, 12 Dec 2015 16:20:00 +0000

Consumers are not only engaging with marketing emails on mobile devices more than ever before but also converting at better rates, according to a recent report from Yesmail.

The report was based on data from millions of emails sent by Yesmail customers in 3Q15, as well as historical data from previous quarters.

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Six Huge Lead-Generation Pitfalls That Are Hurting Your Business

noreply@blogger.com (Carlos Vassallo) — Sat, 12 Dec 2015 16:09:00 +0000

If your company has a sales team, you're likely all too familiar with the phrase "feed the beast" and that never-ending quest to fill the pipeline with quality leads (the keyword being "quality"). Every company has a target audience, and you not only need to know who that is but actually reach it.

That, of course, is more easily said than done.

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3 Ways To Help Your CMO Understand Why Multicultural Marketing Is Essential

noreply@blogger.com (Carlos Vassallo) — Fri, 11 Dec 2015 19:21:00 +0000

Most marketers understand that America’s demographics are evolving rapidly, as the majority of growth and nearly 40% of the American population is Asian, African-American, or Hispanic. But what’s astounding is that Asians and Hispanics together accounted for two-thirds of total economic spending growth from 2013 to 2014.

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This #YearOnTwitter

noreply@blogger.com (Carlos Vassallo) — Tue, 08 Dec 2015 21:48:00 +0000

As always, the world united this year in moments of triumph, activism, support, and fascination, and Twitter is where we gathered for all of it. Whether people were making a hashtag into a global movement or expressing wonder over the color of a dress, we all used Twitter this year in awe-inspiring ways.

Today, with our exclusive image partner @GettyImages, we’ve unveiled the #YearOnTwitter at 2015.twitter.com. It’s a place to look back at the most Retweeted Tweets, the most popular trends (and emojis!), and how 2015 unfolded across the world on Twitter.

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Four Mistakes That Can Kill Your Brand Campaigns

noreply@blogger.com (Carlos Vassallo) — Sun, 06 Dec 2015 14:08:00 +0000

It's no secret that the days of just "the three screens" are long gone. When that world died, the old wisdom of targeted, by-the-numbers ad buys died, too.

So, instead, these days we hear a lot of talk about brand-centric conversations and always-on marketing. And the people using those buzzwords often have no idea what they mean. I know that because I regularly see marketers ignore the implications of those concept and go right on making branding mistakes that undercut their marketing goals.

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SBS Relaunches Pandora-Like LaMusica App for Latin Listeners

noreply@blogger.com (Carlos Vassallo) — Sat, 05 Dec 2015 00:46:00 +0000

Spanish Broadcasting System, home to powerful Spanish language network SBS, has finally unveiled the new LaMusica, a mobile radio streaming app aimed at millennial Latinos.

A rebooted LaMusica officially went live at midnight (Dec. 1), with a catalog of over 23 million songs and hundreds of playlists, plus live streams of SBS’ U.S. and Puerto Rican radio stations.

The service, of course, is the upstart in a world dominated by Spotify, Pandora and Apple Music, but LaMusica has several key differentiators.

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How Telemundo nearly tripled its YouTube audience this year

noreply@blogger.com (Carlos Vassallo) — Tue, 01 Dec 2015 02:47:00 +0000

The Spanish-language network’s main YouTube channel, which crossed 1 million subscribers over the Thanksgiving holiday, added more than 613,000 subscribers between January 1 and October 31. Over the same period, the channel also generated 460 million views (up 262 percent from the previous year) and more than 3.1 billion minutes in watch time (up 278 percent).

The numbers are more remarkable considering the YouTube channel only launched in September 2011. Telemundo credits the growth to integrating social into its overall digital programming and distribution strategy.

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Television is getting more diverse. Here’s why it’s good for the business.

noreply@blogger.com (Carlos Vassallo) — Sun, 29 Nov 2015 14:55:00 +0000

This year, it became impossible to turn on your television without noticing a major sea change: People of color are the stars of shows on almost every network and streaming service. It’s the year Hollywood (er, for the most part) stopped making excuses for its all-white shows and dabbled in diversity.

Who knows if it will last? But here’s a reason it should: Television isn’t just getting more diverse. It’s finally beginning to feel authentic.

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Adsmovil's Rapid Growth Proves Importance of Mobile Hispanic Market

noreply@blogger.com (Carlos Vassallo) — Thu, 26 Nov 2015 21:16:00 +0000

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - Nov 24, 2015) - Brands looking to increase their share of the Latin American and the U.S. Hispanic markets will be pleased to know that Adsmovil, the leader in mobile advertisement in the Americas, is experiencing unparalleled growth as it marks its 5th anniversary.

The company is projected to surpass $15 million in revenue by year's end -- a growth in sales of more than more than 50% over 2014. In 2015, Adsmovil formed important partnerships with Sizmek, TailTarget and PubMatic, and opened operations in Spain. In April the company launched the Adsmovil Ad Exchange, the first mobile ad exchange focused exclusively on Hispanics. Adsmovil won both a Gold Smartie from the Mobile Marketing Association and a FOMLA from the Festival of Media LATAM for an innovative campaign it ran in Ecuador on behalf of Unilever Magnum. In addition, the company won two bronze Smarties for a campaign it ran in Brazil for Reckitt Benckiser.
"We've helped more than 500 advertisers reach their audiences with more than 5,000 campaigns," said Adsmovil CEO Alberto 'Banano' Pardo. "Moreover, as Professor Eduardo Gamarra recently explained, our company is poised to serve as the strategic connector for the Latino vote in the upcoming U.S. Presidential election."

"Mobile marketing strategy, content integration and advertising will be vital in the years to come," said independent marketing consultant Juan Carlos Giraldo. "Adsmovil is pioneering the way brands and content creators are interacting with the increasingly mobile Hispanic audience." Portions of this story appeared first in ExchangeWire.br.

The nations where Adsmovil has made great strides in the past five years:
Brazil: Adsmovil ran more than 1,000 campaigns in Brazil for more than 150 advertisers and brands. Despite that nation's financial crisis, Adsmovil expects to increase revenue by 30% in the coming year. As mentioned above, the company won two MMA Smarties in Brazil with its client Reckitt Benckiser.
United States: Adsmovil is part of the massive growth in the mobile industry in the U.S. this year. Brands like General Motors and Unilever have a big appetite for Hispanic audiences, and they understand that mobile is crucial.

Mexico: Sales have grown 40% over the previous year. Seven Adsmovil staffers are working with such brands as Unilever, Diageo and Coca-Cola.

Ecuador: Adsmovil's campaign for Unilever Magnum won a FOMLA and a Gold MMA Smartie.
Spain: The company opened operations in Madrid in September.

About Adsmovil
Adsmovil, a Cisneros Interactive company, is the leading company in Mobile Advertising Solutions in U.S. Hispanic, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina and other Latin American markets, and recently opened an office in Spain. It has pioneered the way brands and content owners interact with the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking audiences throughout the United States and Latin America via their mobile devices. Adsmovil effectively develops mobile advertising campaigns, in addition to providing mobile solutions and creative resources that enhance the interaction between brands and consumers across the Americas, utilizing innovative Latin content and digital platforms to effectively engage users across the region. For more information, please visit: www.adsmovil.com and @Adsmovil on Twitter.

Is 2015 The Best Year Yet For Hispanic Digital Marketing?

noreply@blogger.com (Carlos Vassallo) — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 00:16:00 +0000

With the holidays around the corner and 2015 coming to a close, I took some time to reflect back on what’s happened in Hispanic digital marketing. I must say, it was quite a year.

The Hispanic digital marketing industry has evolved exponentially this year as more and more brands realize that to grow, they must win with online Hispanics. As a result, brands are increasing their investments in Hispanic digital marketing, which in turn has sparked innovation and growth across the Hispanic digital industry.

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