Festival 2012

David Zepeda is one of the most internationally prominent Hispanic actors, having starred for nearly a decade in telenovelas filmed in Mexico, the U.S. and Colombia. His credits include "Como en el Cine," "Los Sánchez" and "Acorralada," which was shot in Miami for Venevisión. He made his debut with Televisa in 2009 as one of the leading men of “Sortilegio,” a novela that became a hit in Mexico and around the world through international distribution. That role earned Zepeda the Best Antagonist Award from TVyNovelas. He went on to star in “Soy Tu Dueña” and “La Fuerza del Destino.” He also took part in the Mexican tour of the play, “Perfume de Gardenia.” His new series, “Abismo de Pasión,” is currently playing in Televisa’s prime time schedule. Zepeda plays the main character in a cast that includes Angelique Boyer, Alejandro Camacho, René Casados and Blanca Guerra, among others.

Lorena Rojas is a worldwide spokesperson for LIVESTRONG, the organization founded by cyclist Lance Armstrong to inspire and empower people affected with cancer.

A former telenovela actress, Lorena’s life changed dramatically in 2008, when her doctor found a tumor during a routine checkup. She was diagnosed with type 2 breast cancer.

But Lorena is proof that there’s life during and after cancer. Early detection and adequate treatment saved her life.

During her treatment, at her father’s request, Lorena read Armstrong’s autobiography about his own fight with cancer, It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life, and was inspired to reach out to LIVESTRONG.

Today, Lorena fights to raise awareness about cancer while also working to erase its social stigma.

Larry Hernández, known as Everybody’s Friend, is a charismatic singer-songwriter with a very unique style. Born in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 4 he moved with his parents to Culiacan, Mexico, where he spent his formative years. He inherited his musical talent from family: his grandfather is a musician, as are several cousins and other relatives.

"My Corridos (Mexican folksongs) have highly charged content that nobody else dares to sing. I do because I want to entertain people, and let them inhabit a character,” he says. “I’m not looking to create trouble with my Corridos, just to entertain folks. With the economy, and the world in general, going through very hard times, the only thing I can share is my talent and a good time.”

Hernández is a hard-working and talented artist who only seeks to entertain. And his latest work, 16 Narco Corridos, should keep the party going for a long time.

Miguel Angel Cotto is one of the greatest fighters to ever hail from the island of Puerto Rico. At the age of 31 and with world titles in three weight classes, the current WBA junior middleweight champion is not slowing down. Cotto’s amateur career, which has been called the best ever in Puerto Rican amateur boxing, saw him go 102-23, with fights against the likes of Ivan Calderon, Francisco Bojado, Ricardo Williams Jr. Kelson Pinto, and Muhammad Abdullaev. A Puerto Rican national champion from 1997 to 2000, Cotto also represented his island in the 2000 Olympics. Cotto defended the crown for the first time on March 12, 2011 with a 12th round TKO of former champion Ricardo Mayorga, but the biggest win of his career was yet to come, as he got revenge against the first man to defeat him, Antonio Margarito, stopping him in the 10th round at Madison Square Garden on December 3, 2011. This year Cotto battled pound-for-pound ace Floyd Mayweather in May in Las Vegas in a blockbuster event that was full of action from bell to bell.

Chris Pérez is a Mexican American guitarist who was the lead guitarist for his wife Selena's band Selena y Los Dinos. At the 1999 Grammy Awards his eponymously titled group, Chris Pérez Band, won a Grammy Award for Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album for Resurrection. On this album Pérez dedicated the song, "Best I Can", to his wife, Selena. In 2002, Chris Pérez Band made their final album called Una Noche Más. Perez went on to play with a few more music groups including Los Kumbia Kings, before starting up the Chris Perez Project with Angel Ferrer. Perez and Ferrer quickly began developing a unique writing style and with the addition of band members Stephen De la Cruz (bass) and Robin Lopez (drums) they assembled an electrifying live performance outfit. His new band is deeply connected to their Hispanic heritage but love the vibe of American Rock. Their debut album is expected to be released in 2012.

Sie7e is a Puerto Rican musician and producer best known for his diverse fusion of batucada, samba, rock, reggae, blues, salsa and flamenco—which he mixes with traditional Puerto Rican rhythms such as bomba.

After his initial hit “Aló” (2008), Sie7e followed up with the single “Cógelo Ahora” (2009), which was used in an advertising campaign that was nominated for an Emmy.

With his song “Elévate”, Sie7e spearheaded the 2009 campaign of the Alliance for a Puerto Rico Without Drugs, and has been the Grand Marshall of the Green March for his environmental activism.

In 2011, Sie7e achieved international success with his hit “Tengo Tu Love,” the first single off his third album “Mucha Cosa Buena.” It instantly took off in the Latin American radio charts, as well as in the U.S. Billboard rankings. That same year he was nominated for two Latin Grammys, and went home with the Best New Artist award.

Sie7e was one of People en Español’s 50 Most Beautiful People of 2012.

Sheila Escovedo picked up the drumsticks and started making music at the age of three. She delivered her first solo performance two years later and has since established herself as one of the most talented percussionist/drummers and performers in the world. Best known as Sheila E., she became a top session and touring musician before the age of 20, performing and/or recording with Herbie Hancock, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, Lionel Richie, Gloria Estefan, and Steve Nicks among others. In recent years, Sheila E. has served as drummer of Ringo Starr All Star Band, musical director for the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce' Knowles, and Prince. Her producing, arranging, and performance talents have been showcased on the Latin Grammy Awards, Summer Olympics, WOW Awards, ALMA’s, The Image Awards and the 2012 Academy Awards. In 2010 Sheila was nominated for an Emmy Award for “Outstanding Music Direction” in recognition for her leadership as musical director for President Obama’s Performance at The White House: Fiesta Latina. Her current project, The E Family, with her father Pete Escovedo, and brothers Juan and Peter Michael Escovedo, is receiving nationwide attention.

Elida Reyna has always known that in order to have an enduring career, her musical evolution must never end. That is why she is the leading female force of her generation in the Tex-Mex industry. She is fiercely proud of her Mexican-American roots but also capable of crossing artistic borders by fusing cultural sounds with universal music elements. Recognized by BMI as an award-winning composer, she continues to prove her excellence with a long list of hit songs that include “Luna Llena”, "No Eres Para Mi" and “Domingo.” She hosted the nationally televised "Pura Vida Awards" where she and the band were nominated in a record-setting five categories. She performed her hit song "Quedemos Como Amigos” for President Barack Obama at the Latino Inaugural Ball. She recently released a studio album, “Fantasia”, which follows up her successful 2009 live album, Elida LIVE! Reyna is always ensuring that her musical offerings appeal to her loyal fans that are as dedicated to her as she is to them.

A physical conditioning expert, Fernández has a regular segment called Saving Lives in the popular Univision daytime show Despierta America. He also talks about exercise and nutrition in the Miami-based radio program El Desayuno Musical on Amor 107.5 FM, and has his own radio show, SANISIMO, which is broadcast nationally Monday through Friday at 3 p.m. Fernández has his own athletic clothing line called Booka, and is developing a line of vitamins and nutritional supplements.

Isis Sauceda is the LA Bureau Chief of PEOPLE en Español where she oversees the magazine’s west coast operations of reporting, writing and negotiating celebrity and human-interest stories. Sauceda is also responsible for covering West Coast entertainment events including the Grammy Awards, Latin Grammy Awards and the Academy Awards. Prior to joining PEOPLE en Español, Sauceda was entertainment writer for La Opinión newspaper in Los Angeles. There she was responsible for interviewing and reporting on celebrities such as Shakira, Juanes, Alejandro Sanz and Nelly Furtado, among others, for La Vibra, the newspaper’s weekly entertainment column section. In 1999 Sauceda was the managing editor of Wave Newspapers/La Ola, a Spanish section of Wave Community Newspapers in Los Angeles. She is a graduate of East Los Angeles College and currently resides in Los Angeles.

Funkdation Crew was created in August 2008 by founders Jose Luis Barba (Luigy), Scarlett Nabil Guzman (Scar), Ana Laura Vargas (Ana) and Hector Flores (Bean). Their main goal was to train in the various styles of Hip-Hop then share their knowledge through performances. In 2009 members Lorena Valenzuela (Lore), Jorge Salazar (B-boy Sexy) and Liliana Frias (Lily) also joined Funkdation, along with Guillermo (Memo) Martinez in 2011. In early 2012, they auditioned for America´s Best Dance Crew where they made history by becoming the first dance team ever from Mexico at Randy Jackson´s: America`s Best Dance Crew Season 7. They are an all-style dance group with a mission to spread the funk and help evolve the art of Hip-Hop as well as share what they’ve learned through workshops, performances, battles and competitions. They won first place in the ONP 2008 and the Hip-Hop Your Body contests, third place in the Hip-Hop Dance National Championship 2010 and were semifinalists in the 2010 World Hip-Hop Championships in Las Vegas. They’ve appeared on several television shows including MTV3, TV Azteca Mexico and Televisa Mexico.

The main motivational speaker of the Hispanic community, Marín is a source of inspiration for those who seek to develop self-confidence and success in all aspects of their lives. Her vitality and energy are contagious, helping her captivate audiences during her motivational messages. Through speaking engagements, books, columns, television appearances and radio shows, she has changed the lives of thousands of people around the world.

Juan Manuel Rótulo recently joined the People en Español family as executive editor of Peopleenespanol.com. He was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and came to the United States with his family as a teenager, after spending a couple of years living in Mexico City. Although his background is in print journalism -he started out as a writer for El Nuevo Herald in Miami and spent several years as editor at Televisa Publishing- he also made his experience in the online world from early on, working as a writer for Univision.com and later leading teams as senior editor at Terra and MSN Latino. His job has led him to interview all kinds of celebrities, from John Leguizamo and Mark Wahlberg to Café Tacuba and Celia Cruz. Juan is a drummer and a Twitter addict, and loves old cars, fútbol and punk rock.

Luis Miguel released his first album, Un Sol, at the age of 12. Two years later, he started touring Latin American countries including Colombia, Venezuela, Chile and Argentina. In 1993, Miguel won the Grammy award for Best Latin Pop Album. That same year, he was personally invited by Frank Sinatra to join him on his Duets II album and to perform live in a nationally televised special in honor of Sinatra’s 80th birthday. In 1997, he earned a World Music Award and his second Grammy Award. In 2005, Luis Miguel released Grandes Exitos, his first greatest hits album, that featured his greatest songs he recorded during all his career, including two never-released singles: "Misterios Del Amor" and "Si Te Perdiera". More recently, Miguel released Cómplices, produced by him and written by Spanish composer Manuel Alejandro. It sold almost 350,000 copies in the first 24 hours. The first single, "Si Tú Te Atreves" was released on April 7, 2008. His Complices Tour started in Seattle, Washington on September 3, 2008.

Prince Royce has experienced phenomenal success since the release of his debut album in March of 2010. Not only has his self-titled album “Prince Royce” been certified Double Platinum in the United States and Puerto Rico, but the 22-year-old also earned the #1 song in the country with his second single “Corazon Sin Cara.” In the last year and a half, he has had two sold out tours in Europe and one in the United States, and he was recently invited by Enrique Iglesias to be a special guest on his fall 2011 tour of North America. Prince Royce has garnered a 2010 Latin Grammy® nomination for Best Tropical Contemporary Album, three 2011 Premio Lo Nuestro Awards, four 2011 Latin Billboard Awards, and has just received eight nominations for the 2011 Premios Juventud Awards, the most of any artist. Prince Royce, via a venture between Top Stop Music and Atlantic Records, has entered into an exclusive, long-term, worldwide recording deal with Atlantic Records.

Larry Hernández, known as Everybody’s Friend, is a charismatic singer-songwriter with a very unique style. Born in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 4 he moved with his parents to Culiacan, Mexico, where he spent his formative years. He inherited his musical talent from family: his grandfather is a musician, as are several cousins and other relatives.

"My Corridos (Mexican folksongs) have highly charged content that nobody else dares to sing. I do because I want to entertain people, and let them inhabit a character,” he says. “I’m not looking to create trouble with my Corridos, just to entertain folks. With the economy, and the world in general, going through very hard times, the only thing I can share is my talent and a good time.”

Hernández is a hard-working and talented artist who only seeks to entertain. And his latest work, 16 Narco Corridos, should keep the party going for a long time.

Success did not come easily for these young men, who spent long hours practicing and producing countless tracks in the studio. But sure enough it arrived with their EP "Como la Primera Vez,” which included powerful singles such as "Quiera Dios", "Dime Qué", "Vamos a Bailar" and the title track.

Los Recoditos took a break from their U.S. tour to produce the record, which has been well received in the United States due to the support of their label, Platino Records, part of the Univision family. Through performances in shows such as Bandamax y Qué Quiere La Banda, in Guadalajara, this young crew from the Mexican state of Sinaloa have proven their artistic worth. To top it off, their latest single, “Es Bonito,” off their new record, “Vengo a Decirte,” is a chart-topper.

Marco Antonio Regil will soon be seen in the United States on the new network MundoFox as the host of the Spanish-language version of “Minute to Win It,” “Minuto Para Ganar.” He is well-known in Mexico for hosting the Spanish-language versions of “The Price is Right,” “Family Feud,” “Dancing with the Stars,” and “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader.” Marco began his career in broadcasting at fourteen, interning every day after school until he landed his own radio show in the small town of Obregon in Mexico. Marco’s biggest break came when the host of an international television broadcast had to back out due to illness. Marco jumped on the opportunity and was seen across Latin America and the U.S. Hispanic market. This helped establish him as Mexico’s number 1 television host. Aside from numerous game shows, Marco also hosted the beauty pageant, Miss Mexico. In 2004, he was honored as a guest to former President George W. Bush for the Cinco de Mayo celebration and every year he hosts the Mexican Telethon, which raises over 40 million dollars annually for handicapped children and cancer research.

Juan Magan is a unique artist. Besides being a producer, remixer and DJ, he is also a lyricist and singer, and one of Spain’s best internationally known artists. He began as a DJ in the Barcelona nightclub circuit and found success with his record Suave (Smooth) in 2007. All 12 songs reached the Top 100 Beatport sales charts. In 2008 he went Double Platinum with the single “Bora Bora.” After that, he released Verano azul (Blue Summer), which went Platinum. Since then he’s collaborated with Shakira, Juanes, Nelly Furtado, Enrique Iglesias, Paulina Rubio, Diego Torres, Alejandro Fernández, Luis Fonsi, Carlos Baute, Soraya, Don Omar, Dulce María and Pitbull, among others. In 2011, his hit “Bailando por ahí” (Dancing Around) topped the most important charts in Spain. He was nominated to the 40 Principales awards in three different categories and also to the Latin Grammys. In 2012, his single “Bailando por el mundo” (Dancing Throughout the World) topped the charts in the U.S., Chile, Costa Rica and Panama.