Ramon Zayas and Christian Cazares join Telemundo Philadelphia

As you know Telemundo Philadelphia has been going through tremendous (and great) changes. They recently announced hiring 15 new positions; but now three have been taken. According to MediaBistro.com, "Telemundo Philadelphia has made two key hires ahead of the launch of local newscasts next year: Claribel Collazo joins the station as assistant news director and Ramon Zayas (pictured) has been named 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. anchor." Zayas is no stranger to Telemundo; he comes from Miami, where he has been the anchor of “Un Nuevo Dia” since 2011. A familiar face will definitely help with the first months of ratings.

And just recently announced, reporter Christian Cazares is leaving KVVU-TV in Las Vegas, NV to join Telemundo Philadelphia. Although he won't be an anchor, he'll be one of many new reporters for the local owned-and-operated station.  The moves come months after the Telemundo Station Group completed the acquisition of its Philadelphia affiliate, WWSI-TV, from ZGS Communications.

Buzzfeed launches en español

We live in a world where companies and media outlets are attempting to reach Latino audiences. And Buzzfeed is up next! No details about why but it's sort of self-explanatory. According to a Facebook post by Adrian Carasquillo, Buzzfeed Breaking News Reporter, "BuzzFeed Español is here, which means two things. Reaction badges like this that are perfect BUT ALSO if you prize your work productivity you might not want to head there."

In addition to articles in Spanish and some being translated, gotta love the reaction stickers! If you're an avid Buzzfeed reader you know these come with the brand loyalty. And they look even more amazing en español. The stickers include: JAJAJA, Genial, Dios Mio, Lindo, Fallo and WTF. Love the JAJA and WTF. They just make sense.

Will you be reading en español? In English? Or both?

VIDEO: Paranormal Activity cinco

Looks like the Paranormal Activity franchise has taken a leap of faith. Just when you expect for it to be over, they come back. The newest film titled Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones debuts January 2014 and is a spin off centered around a Latino family in California. Hispanic Marketing much? The movie attempts to bring it back to the original films as well. Somehow the spirits also reach other families. Another feature the franchise hosts is a social media campaign which includes posting a photo of paranormal activity in your town, include #TheMarkedOnes and tag the name of your city. The top city? Of course it's Los Angeles, CA. Not just because it's a high Latino population, but it's Hollywood for goodness sake.

Are you looking forward to the film or tired of the franchise? I'm excited about it only because (I hope) it dives into the santeria world.

The Evolution of Leadership Within the [Philly] Puerto Rican community

If you're into Puerto Rican history, then don't miss out on Taller Puertorriqueño's upcoming Meet the Author Series: The Evolution of Leadership Within the Puerto Rican Community. Ariel Arnau will be discusing his article, The Evolution of Leadership Within the Puerto Rican Community of Philadelphia, 1950s-1970s. This presentation discusses the generational change in community leadership and the conflicts over control in Philadelphia's Puerto Rican community. 

During my nine years in Philadelphia I met great leaders in the community. Most of Philly's Latino community is Puerto Rican which coincides with their leadership. I definitely learned a lot and just like any industry or community, it's changing and every growing. For example, making history in November 2007 with nearly 80% of the vote, with tremendous grassroots and community support, Councilwoman Maria D. Quiñones-Sánchez, became the first Puerto Rican/Latino elected to a district City Council seat and the first Latina to serve on the Philadelphia City Council. And it doesn't stop there. Philadelphia is booming with young Latino leaders.

Mr. Arnau is a graduate student at the CUNY Graduate Center working on a PhD in history. He currently teaches Latin American Studies at Temple University. Click here to read the article in advance.

After 16 years, Colombia returns to the World Cup

Yep. The last time the Colombian National Soccer Team qualified to the World Cup was the 1998 championship in France. An article in Latino Fox News states it best, "Colombia's national soccer team pulled off an improbable comeback in World Cup qualifying, turning a 0-3 deficit against Chile into a 3-3 draw to book a spot in Brazil in 2014."

In just 240 days, the World Cup travels to Brazil in 12 cities. Brazil and Spain seem to be the favorite. The last time the famous team won the World Cup was in 2002 in Korea/Japan. According to my dad, Brazil needs to do what France did in 1998...cheat. No one can obviously prove this but money and the sport seem to go hand in hand. The World Cup will travel to Russia in 2018 and then Quatar in 2022. Yes. Quatar. The United States was a runner up for both years.

Telemundo Philadelphia growing with 15 new positions

As we all know the local Telemundo affiliate in Philadelphia (WWSI) was purchased by the Telemundo Network making it an owned and operated station. This means more money will be put not the station and the creation of a local news program.

Just announced less than a month ago, the station is planning on hiring 15 people in preparation for the launch of local newscasts next year. The station is hiring 15 people in a variety of roles, including reporter, producer, anchor and photographer. WWSI will launch high definition Spanish language newscasts at 6 and 11 p.m. beginning in January. 

“We’re looking for talented Spanish-speaking journalists who are passionate about delivering the Hispanic community the local news and information that is important and relevant in their lives,” said Eric Lerner, President and General Manager of Telemundo Philadelphia and NBC10 Philadelphia. “This is a unique opportunity to play a role in the launch of a first-time newscast working for a company that is dedicated to serving our communities with quality journalism.”

Previously working at Telemundo Philadelphia I will say it was an amazing experience. TV is not easy. It's fast-paced and you have to be ready when things are changing over and over. It was fun. Also very demanding, I'm sure being part of the network will have,ore demands. Philadelphia's growing Latino population will surely benefit from Telemundo's growing station.

The new employees will be part of NBCUniversal, a leading global media and entertainment company, and will enjoy a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package.  More information about the positions and the application process is available at www.nbcunicareers.com.

The Latin Quarter arrives at Revel Casino Hotel

Today Revel Casino Hotel launched opening of their newest stage production The Latin Quarter Show. The Latin-themed variety show includes Flamenco dancers, dramatic Gauchos, a heart-stopping crossbow act, award winning ballroom dancers, mind blowing quick change artists, gorgeous production show dancers, and a hilarious host comedian, all framed with stunning multimedia.

I must say my favorites including the crossbow act, something I've never seen, and the comedian. Although the crowd was not getting his jokes and they were a bit vulgar, it was hilarious to me. In between the show there are a variety of dancing acts as well. Everything from flamenco to the inevitable Elvis Crespo's Suavemente.

Performances will take place on Thursdays and Fridays at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays at 2, 5 and 8 p.m.Tickets are only $25 and are on sale now! They can be purchased at all Ticketmaster locations, ticketmaster.com and by calling 1-800-745-3000.

Miss America debuts "Celebrating Diversity Through Cultural Competency"

In case you didn't know, I absolutely love Miss America 2014, Nina Davuluri. Crowned in Atlantic City on September 15, 2014, Nina has taken a huge stance on with a platform of diversity and cultural competency. And just recently launched a social media program for her personal platform, "Celebrating Diversity Through Cultural Competency." Nina has been working on these issues for several years and will now use her national platform to raise awareness. When Nina was crowned Miss America, the backlash began. And although she knew it would come since it happened when Nina was crowned Miss New York, she didn't let it faze her.

Nina is asking fans to forward representative thoughts and stories about their experiences on how we as a nation can advance cultural awareness.  People can send information using the hashtag #CirclesOfUnity on Twitter to @MissAmerica, Instagram to @missamericaorg and to Facebook.com/MissAmericaOrganization. 

Nina is also the first Miss America of Indian descent. Ironically there were various articles floating around stating Nina would be too dark to win Miss India.  "She isn't the Miss America of ten years ago and she's not going to be the same ten years down the road," said Nina Davuluri. "I'm so thankful that children watching at home can relate to a new Miss America. They can look at me and see that they can break barriers, be who they are and be successful despite their race or socio-economic status. I want to use this opportunity to encourage positive dialogue among all Americans about the ways in which we are all unique and how that makes us stronger as a country."