When my first book, Raising Bilingual Children, was published in English and Spanish by Simon and Schuster in 2014, someone asked me if I had a website. I have to confess, I had no idea what that was… It was then that I was introduced to the digital world. I was just a book author. “Why did I need social media, I asked?” My friends gave me a list of reasons – a mile long! Thanks to organizations like Hispanicize (the largest bi-annual event for multicultural digital content creators), I was able to learn about the digital space and how it could help me promote my books. It also introduced me to people that could benefit from my knowledge and expertise in raising bilingual and multicultural children.
At the beginning of the year, during Hispanizice in Miami, I had the privilege to moderate a panel about the power and responsibility of Mom Influencers in Today’s Social Media Generation. I was also nominated for a Tecla Awards (an award acknowledging Latinx creators and their accomplishments), in the parenting category. Last week, at their third annual event in Los Angeles, I served as a social media ambassador. How’s that for someone who just a few years before didn’t know much about the digital space?
At Hispanicze LA aka #HispzLA I had the opportunity to listen to Laura Somers – the director, writer and producer for the movie Rick Kids. I also got to celebrate with award winning Latina journalists, including my friend Cecilia Bográn from Univision. Other panels included How to Produce Viral Videos, How To Use Crowdfunding for Film and TV as well as What is New in Digital Trends. There was also a Facebook workshop, a panel on the importance of voting and really fascinating discussion covering Latinx’s LBQTQ impact on pop culture.
Meeting the sponsors is always fun and I was so happy to meet the folks at Prudential, Kapor Center, Metro PCS by T-Mobile, Colgate, Facebook, Somos Más, among others.
My favorite experience from #HispzLA? Catching up with old friends and meeting new ones! I love how we all support each other throughout the years via all our channels, even though we might only see each other in person once or twice a year, and sometimes, every two or three years. Yet, these people are always there to lend an ear, write a nice comment, send an emoji, and keep up with your comings and goings via social media.
To everyone at Hispanicize, thank you for another meaningful event! Can’t wait for next year!
Bai, Bai,
Maritere
