U.S. HISPANIC
Minivela CEO Manny Ruiz: “Prioritizing Cultural Authenticity and IP Ownership for U.S. Hispanic and LATAM Growth”
7 de noviembre de 2025
Manny Ruiz
Manny Ruiz, the newly appointed CEO of Minivela, the first bilingual, Latino-driven vertical storytelling network, today outlined the company’s aggressive strategy for capturing the U.S. Hispanic and Latin American markets. Ruiz emphasized that Minivela’s success rests on its commitment to authentic, culture-first content and building powerful intellectual property (IP).
Ruiz asserted that Minivela stands apart by moving beyond simple translation to deliver deeply bicultural storytelling. This approach ensures the content is emotionally and visually rooted in the dual worlds of its target audience.
“Minivela stands apart as the first bilingual, Latino-driven vertical storytelling network designed to reflect real cultural nuance across both U.S. Hispanic and LATAM audiences. We tell stories that feel authentically Latino—not simply translated, but emotionally and visually rooted in our dual worlds” said Manny.
The company safeguards this advantage through a creative model that merges Hollywood-level storytelling discipline with digital-native agility. Every short is crafted by creators who understand “the rhythm of Spanglish, the clash and comedy of immigrant identity, and the warmth of family-first storytelling.”
Ruiz also highlighted key foundational advantages, including its powerful sales and distribution partner, Nueva Network, the influence of co-founder Carlos Ponce, and its strategic headquarters in Miami, “the capital of both the U.S. Hispanic and Latin American market.”
Growth Strategy: U.S. Hispanics and IP Exploitation
Minivela’s approach to language is deliberately “story-first, not algorithm-first,” allowing emotion to dictate the tongue. Ruiz identified the primary growth engine:
“Right now, the U.S. Hispanic audience represents our greatest growth opportunity. It’s a young, bilingual generation hungry for representation that feels modern and unapologetically Latino. At the same time, LATAM offers massive scale and creative depth, so we design our production and distribution strategy to serve both markets fluidly.”
Minivela’s key monetization model is a blend of creative commerce and IP ownership. Having built its foundation on brand partnerships and co-productions in Phase 1, the company is now moving into IP exploitation.
“Each successful Minivela is designed as a testing ground for larger formats—feature films, streaming series, or even reality projects. Our monetization strategy is a deliberate blend of creative commerce (brand integrations and co-productions) and IP ownership.”
To address the challenge of attention in the fast-paced vertical format, Minivela leverages its team’s background in the U.S. Hispanic influencer and social media industry. Success is measured by signals of emotional retention:
“We measure success through a layered lens: completion rate, saves, comments, and shares—all signals of emotional retention… The real metric for us is connection—does the story make someone feel seen, proud, or moved? Because when Latino audiences see themselves reflected with depth, they don’t just watch—they belong.”
Minivela produces bilingual, culturally resonant short dramas—vertical novelas designed for platforms like TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Reels. Their growing catalog includes family comedies, romantic dramas, social satire, and magical realism, all crafted to deliver cinematic emotion in under five minutes.
