The first English-language celebrity magazine focused on U.S. Latinos

Los Angeles, CA--(HISPANIC PR WIRE)--November 29, 2007--“Who are the hottest celebrities? The trendsetters? Who is the number one film-going audience? What group of viewers is impacting TV ratings? If you answered U.S. Latinos, you know our market,” said Bel Hernandez, co-founder of Latin Heat, the first and only entertainment trade publication in the U.S. to focus on Latino talent. Hernandez was talking about a new publication VIP Latino, whose time she feels has come. “VIP Latino is an English-Language celebrity magazine that will deliver the latest news in and about Hollywood and the hottest celebrity events that Latinos want to read about.”

VIP Latino begins publishing as an insert in Latino Future Magazine, a national lifestyle magazine out of Arizona, and will launch as a stand-alone title in the fall of 2008. Latino Future Magazine publisher Matt Molina understood the potential and will give his 25,000 plus readership the first look of the newbie publication. In this manner, the publishers’ plan is to sign up enough subscribers to attract the advertisers to come on board for the official launch.

Brenda Herrera, who has served as Latin Heat’s Director of Marketing and Promotions for four years, will be on board as co-publisher of VIP Latino. “We knew the time had come to tap into this market. People Magazine covers celebrities as a whole, with a few Latinos scattered here and there. People en espanol covers Latino celebrities, but the majority are from Mexico and Latin America. Who is making sure U.S. Latino talent gets the ink? VIP Latino will see to that,” said Herrera.

Marketing for the publication came early on. The initial launch of VIP Latino will be featured on The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency Show. Featured on the show will be the booking of three models for the magazine’s first photo shoot which came about when the partner magazines went to the agency to book Latina models. Not only did the publishers find the models, but The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency Show decided to make the fashion shoot the storyline for their premiere episode of their 3rd season which airs on Tuesday, December 4, 2007 on the Oxygen Channel at 10:30 p.m. (ET)/9:30 p.m. (MT).

The models wore Constance Marie’s fashions from her clothing line she launched this past October and are featured in the premiere insert in Latino Future.

Also featured in the VIP Latino section is Eva Longoria’s major fundraising event for PADRES Contra el Cancer, which raised over $830,000 and was attended by Hollywood’s elite; Hot rising star Michael Pena sits down with VIP Latino to talk “shop” and future Latino VIP Oscar Torres (Voces Inocentes) talks about his upcoming films, one of which will be starring Alejandro

Fernandez; and director Franc.Reyes talks about his “independent” director’s life and his new project starring John Leguizamo.

The timing couldn’t be better to launch VIP Latino. Latina Magazine founder Christy Haubegger, now an executive at the Hollywood agency CAA where she supervises the Intelligence Group's study of Hispanic youth, said in a recent TV Week article: “I started Latina at a time when everyone was beginning to think about the demographics. Ten years ago, while demographers were talking about the Hispanic market, you hadn’t seen it as such a news topic as it is today. This is a group that is now the largest minority."

There are 42 million Latinos in the U.S., with a buying power of $800 billion and expected to rise to $1 trillion by 2008. The number of U.S. Latinos households earning over $100,000 a year grew by 126% from 1991 to 2003 compared to 77% of the general population. This is the VIP Latino market. An English-language publication that will attract the 18-34, highly acculturated, consumer savvy U.S. Latinos.

About Latino Future
Latino Future Magazine is the premier Latino career and lifestyle publication. Dedicated to helping Latinos achieve and maintain success through maximizing their resources and realizing their dreams, Latino Future is designed to help Hispanics on their path to greater business success and personal fulfillment. Written for educated, affluent, and professional readers, each issue of Latino Future features inspiring and empowering bilingual content on travel, money, health, home, business, and fashion, with a special focus on Hispanics who have found the key to their success.

About Latin Heat
Latin Heat was founded in 1992 as the first entertainment trade publication to focus on Latino talent in Hollywood. Latin Heat covers the business side of Latino Hollywood, the development deals, the film festivals, the new TV shows, the distribution deals, the marketing, the stars and the up and coming talent, whether they be actors, writers, directors, set designers, producers etc. The steady growth of Latino Hollywood has been documented in the Latin Heat editorial pages and now covered on the web. Latin Heat has built strong relationships with the talent, studios, networks and executives in Hollywood through its editorial and entertainment conferences.

For more information on Latin Heat and Latino Future: http://http://www.latinheat.com or http://http://www.latinofuture.com. Or to set up interviews please call Mina Castillo at 310.464.5290 Ext. 813.

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