Luis Villanueva
Encyclopedia
Luis Villanueva is an international television and entertainment executive that has made significant contributions to the Hispanic entertainment market. He is currently shareholder, president and CEO of SomosTV
, LLC. a company dedicated to the Hispanic Pay TV
market with two television networks “ViendoMovies
” and “Semillitas
”. He also oversees Somos Distribution
, LLC. which distributes programming content in the Americas
, Somos Productions, LLC. an independent television programming producer and SomosSHOW, LLC. dedicated to organizing and commercializing public events in the Western Hemisphere
.
, Venezuela
in 1957. He attended the Andres Bello Catholic University where he achieved an MBA in Finance. He started a career in finance eventually becoming the Finance Manager of Banco Consolidado, one of the leading banking institutions in Venezuela
at that time.
In 1982, Villanueva joined the Cisneros Group where he worked for 26 years. While working for Cisneros Group, he held several key operational and executive positions including Head of Operations for Venevision Venezuela and Venevision Chile, Corporate Vice President of Finance and Development, and President and CEO of Venevision International
.
According to Business Wire
, Villanueva helped diversify Venevision International
and build a solid entertainment company. Some of his accomplishments include leading Venevision International
to become the first distributor of films originally produced in Spanish
for the Hispanic Market via theatrical, pay-per-view
, home video
, cable TV and free TV. He launched the 24 hour Pay TV
channel ViendoMovies and expanded Venevision International
to the international music market by creating the music labels VeneMusic and Siente Music and organizing live concerts internationally. Under his leadership Venevision International
also expanded into the wireless entertainment industry and the audiobook market with VeneMobile, Latcel, Fonolibro and the online portal NOVULU.
Villanueva served on the Boards of Claxson Interactive Group (XSONF) and Backus and Johnston
. He is on the Board of Trustees for the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences
(LARAS) which presents the Latin Grammy Awards
and is a director of The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences which presents the Emmy Awards. Villanueva has been a trustee of Palmer Trinity School
a prestigious private education institution. and a member in the Latin America Forum of Florida International University
.
, a merit given by the City of Miami
in Florida to Venevision International
for their exceptional contribution to the arts
and culture
of the local community. Villanueva has also received two of the highest honors from the Venezuelan government; The Order of Diego de Losada
(First Class) and The Order of Francisco de Miranda
(Second Class).
SomosTV
SomosTV is an American Media Company engaged in the production, distribution and marketing of Pay TV content in the US Hispanic market and Puerto Rico. Headquartered in Miami, Florida, the company owns and operates two networks: ViendoMovies and Semillitas...
, LLC. a company dedicated to the Hispanic Pay TV
Pay TV
Pay television, premium television, or premium channels refers to subscription-based television services, usually provided by both analog and digital cable and satellite, but also increasingly via digital terrestrial and internet television...
market with two television networks “ViendoMovies
ViendoMovies
ViendoMovies is an American cable television channel, owned by SomosTV and headed by Luis Villanueva. The channel is 24 hours and features commercial free movies produced in Spanish, their target audience is the U.S. Hispanic household and viewers with an interest on independent films produced in...
” and “Semillitas
Semillitas (channel)
Semillitas is an American Pay TV channel owned by the Miami-based media company SomosTV and headed by Luis Villanueva. The channel is primarily aimed at Hispanic toddlers and preschool children with the objective of preserving Hispanic cultural roots and language through violence free programming...
”. He also oversees Somos Distribution
Somos Distribution
Somos Distribution is a television content distribution company that internationally distributes content to television channels and TV programming providers. The company is headquartered in Miami, Florida. According to TTVMedia News, Somos Distribution has sales partners in each of the major...
, LLC. which distributes programming content in the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
, Somos Productions, LLC. an independent television programming producer and SomosSHOW, LLC. dedicated to organizing and commercializing public events in the Western Hemisphere
Western Hemisphere
The Western Hemisphere or western hemisphere is mainly used as a geographical term for the half of the Earth that lies west of the Prime Meridian and east of the Antimeridian , the other half being called the Eastern Hemisphere.In this sense, the western hemisphere consists of the western portions...
.
Background
Villanueva was born in CaracasCaracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
in 1957. He attended the Andres Bello Catholic University where he achieved an MBA in Finance. He started a career in finance eventually becoming the Finance Manager of Banco Consolidado, one of the leading banking institutions in Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
at that time.
In 1982, Villanueva joined the Cisneros Group where he worked for 26 years. While working for Cisneros Group, he held several key operational and executive positions including Head of Operations for Venevision Venezuela and Venevision Chile, Corporate Vice President of Finance and Development, and President and CEO of Venevision International
Venevisión International
Venevisíon International is a global television network which broadcasts Spanish content in the United States and in other locations around the globe....
.
According to Business Wire
Business Wire
Business Wire is a company that disseminates full-text news releases from thousands of companies and organizations worldwide to news media, financial markets, disclosure systems, investors, information web sites, databases and other audiences. The company distributes news via its own patented...
, Villanueva helped diversify Venevision International
Venevisión International
Venevisíon International is a global television network which broadcasts Spanish content in the United States and in other locations around the globe....
and build a solid entertainment company. Some of his accomplishments include leading Venevision International
Venevisión International
Venevisíon International is a global television network which broadcasts Spanish content in the United States and in other locations around the globe....
to become the first distributor of films originally produced in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
for the Hispanic Market via theatrical, pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
, home video
Home video
Home video is a blanket term used for pre-recorded media that is either sold or rented/hired for home cinema entertainment. The term originates from the VHS/Betamax era but has carried over into current optical disc formats like DVD and Blu-ray Disc and, to a lesser extent, into methods of digital...
, cable TV and free TV. He launched the 24 hour Pay TV
Pay TV
Pay television, premium television, or premium channels refers to subscription-based television services, usually provided by both analog and digital cable and satellite, but also increasingly via digital terrestrial and internet television...
channel ViendoMovies and expanded Venevision International
Venevisión International
Venevisíon International is a global television network which broadcasts Spanish content in the United States and in other locations around the globe....
to the international music market by creating the music labels VeneMusic and Siente Music and organizing live concerts internationally. Under his leadership Venevision International
Venevisión International
Venevisíon International is a global television network which broadcasts Spanish content in the United States and in other locations around the globe....
also expanded into the wireless entertainment industry and the audiobook market with VeneMobile, Latcel, Fonolibro and the online portal NOVULU.
Villanueva served on the Boards of Claxson Interactive Group (XSONF) and Backus and Johnston
Backus and Johnston
Backus and Johnston is the largest brewery in Peru, part of Grupo Empresarial Bavaria, which itself is part of the international SABMiller group. Its main brewery is located in the Ate District of Lima...
. He is on the Board of Trustees for the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences
Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences
The Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences , is a multinational membership-based association composed of music industry professionals, musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other creative and technical recording professionals...
(LARAS) which presents the Latin Grammy Awards
Latin Grammy Awards
A Latin Grammy Award is an accolade by the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry. Unlike the regular Grammy Award which primarily honors music produced in the United States, the Latin Grammy honors works produced anywhere around the...
and is a director of The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences which presents the Emmy Awards. Villanueva has been a trustee of Palmer Trinity School
Palmer Trinity School
Palmer Trinity School is an independent, university preparatory, coeducational Episcopal day school located on in Palmetto Bay, Florida . The school currently enrolls 600 students in grades 6-12....
a prestigious private education institution. and a member in the Latin America Forum of Florida International University
Florida International University
Florida International University is an American public research university in metropolitan Miami, Florida, in the United States, with its main campus in University Park...
.
Awards and Honors
In March 2002, Villanueva was given the keys to the City of MiamiCity of Miami
This article is about the streamliner. For the city in Florida, see Miami.The City of Miami was a seven-car coach streamliner inaugurated by Illinois Central Railroad on December 18, 1940. Its route was from Chicago to Miami a total distance of ....
, a merit given by the City of Miami
City of Miami
This article is about the streamliner. For the city in Florida, see Miami.The City of Miami was a seven-car coach streamliner inaugurated by Illinois Central Railroad on December 18, 1940. Its route was from Chicago to Miami a total distance of ....
in Florida to Venevision International
Venevisión International
Venevisíon International is a global television network which broadcasts Spanish content in the United States and in other locations around the globe....
for their exceptional contribution to the arts
ARts
aRts, which stands for analog Real time synthesizer, is an audio framework that is no longer under development. It is best known for previously being used in KDE to simulate an analog synthesizer....
and culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
of the local community. Villanueva has also received two of the highest honors from the Venezuelan government; The Order of Diego de Losada
Diego de Losada
Diego de Losada was a Spanish conquistador and the founder of Santiago de León de Caracas, the current capital of Venezuela.Losada was born in Rionegro del Puente, in what is now the province of Zamora. He reached Puerto Rico in 1533....
(First Class) and The Order of Francisco de Miranda
Order of Francisco de Miranda
The Order of Francisco de Miranda is conferred by the Republic of Venezuela in memory of Francisco de Miranda . This national honor and decoration was created to recognize Venezuelan citizens and foreigners who have contributed to the sciences, to the progress of the country, to the humanities or...
(Second Class).
External links
- http://www.somostv.net
- http://www.somosshow.net
- http://www.somosdistribution.net
- http://www.semillitas.tv
- http://www.venevisioninternational.com
- http://www.viendomovies.com
- http://www.ucab.edu.ve
- http://www.cisneros.com