Manny Ruiz of Minivela: “The US Hispanic market is the growth engine for most every single brand”

At Cannes Lions 2026, Latino US Day took center stage to celebrate the creativity and immense economic power driving the Hispanic marketing industry. Among the prominent voices was Manny Ruiz, CEO of Minivela and Co-Founder of Brilla Media, who shared deep insights into the evolving media landscape during the Numatec Session: The New Cultural Playbook: Where Creativity, AI & Entertainment Collide. Experiencing the historic festival for the first time, Ruiz admitted he was completely “blown away” by the event’s scale, emphasizing how crucial it is for multicultural leaders to maintain a strong, unified presence on the global stage.

A central theme of Ruiz’s commentary was the rapid rise of Artificial Intelligence and its intersection with authentic human expression. While acknowledging that modern creators must “leverage technology,” he issued a passionate reminder to the industry to protect the soul of narrative filmmaking. “We also have to understand how that interacts with how people are accustomed to approaching things like Artificial Intelligence,” Ruiz noted. He stressed the importance of “representing humanity in a way that continues the strengths of AI, but also does not forget that at the end of the day, human beings are the storytellers.”

Turning his attention to market dynamics, Ruiz underscored that the demographic reality of the United States makes the Hispanic audience an indispensable priority for corporate survival. Regardless of shifting political headlines that sometimes cloud corporate judgment, the economic data remains undeniable. “The US Hispanic market is the growth engine for most every single brand,” Ruiz asserted, adding that dedicated platforms like Latino US Day are absolutely “vital” because major corporations “have to reach consumers where the consumers are, and you have to reach consumers that represent the growth.”

Minivela’s milestone showcase at the festival perfectly illustrated this fusion of culture, entertainment, and commerce. Invited by industry giants Procter & Gamble and Albertsons, Ruiz’s platform was instrumental in delivering a “world-first in the industry” through the development of a retail media micro-drama. Reflecting on the groundbreaking project, Ruiz concluded that this disruptive format “is going to have repercussions into the future for the combination of content, retail, and entertainment,” effectively carving out a new playbook for brand storytelling.