3rd Annual Boston Latino TV Access Awards
Gathering Latino professionals for a night of networking, inspiration and fun.
Boston, MA – Over 600 guests were in attendance at the 3rd annual celebration of the Boston Latino TV Access Awards on Thursday, June 24, 2010, at Royale Nightclub. This year's Access Awards, themed "Dream Makers", honored and recognized individuals and organizations that demonstrated commitment to the advancement of the Latino community.
Representatives of the most important ethnic media outlets, professional and non-profit organizations, business owners and elected officials were welcomed by Francisco Chacon at the red carpet photo arrival. Among the distinguished guests in attendance were: Lt. Gov. Tim Murray, Senator Sonia Chang Diaz, State Rep. Jeffrey Sanchez, City Councilor at Large Felix Arroyo, Chelsea City Councilor, Marilyn Vega, candidate for State Auditor Mike Lake, Colonel Alexandra Accardi of the National Guard, Jim Hickey, Vice-President of the Century Division at United Liquors, Manny Gonzalez, Director - Hispanic Moet-Hennessy, Kevin Alston and Khano Smith, New England Revolution professional soccer players and two-time world heavyweight champion John “The Quietman” Ruiz.
Boston Latino TV hosts Evelyn Reyes and Gil Matos, MCs of this year's Access Awards, took the stage to welcome the audience and invite them to enjoy cordials courtesy of Hennessy Privilege V.S.O.P. Guests enjoyed delicious cocktails while listening to Latin music mixed by DJ Matos, "Best DJ of Tu Boston" 2009. Professional event photography was taken by Luzmar Centeno, of LuzPorfolioBoston.com
The opening performance featured the New England Revolution’s promotional team, the Rev Girls debuting their first live dance performance ever. The Rev girls showed off their new moves to Shakira's 2010 World Cup theme song "It's Time for Africa".
The ceremony continued with a special recognition to honor the 35th anniversary of ¡Con Salsa! con Jose Masso. Digna Gerena, Executive Producer of Boston Latino TV, and Tim Murray, Lt. Governor of Massachusetts, presented Mr. Masso with the "Excellence in Radio Broadcasting" Massachusetts Governor's Citation in recognition of 35 years of hosting and producing his bilingual radio show on WBUR. This special recognition was followed by a professional salsa performance with dancers from Rumba y Timbal and singer Luis Figueroa-Roig, a talented artist and recipient of the Juan Luis Guerra Scholarship at Berklee College of Music, who interpreted the song made famous by the late Frankie Ruiz, "Esta Cobardia."
"Congrats to all of the Dream Makers," Jose Masso gracefully accepted "and thank you to the BostonLatino.Tv Team for a memorable night, Luis por su canto, Gov. Patrick, Lt. Gov. Murray, Rep. Sanchez, and City Councilor Arroyo for their kind recognition of ¡Con Salsa! 35 years anniversary y al publico presente. ¡áche para todos!"
The 2010 Access Awards were presented by past honorees and current sponsors in the following categories:
- Influential Leader Award was presented by Hector Piña, Merengue Restaurant owner and recipient of the first Influential Leader Award in 2008 to David Morales, Commissioner of Health Care Policy and Finance.
- Make a Difference Award was presented by Hemenegildo Martinez, 2009 Access Award Winner in the category of Make a Difference, & Col. Alexandra Accardi of the National Guard, to Angie Rodriguez, Roca’s Assistant Director of Development.
- Community Networking Award was presented by Hector Lopez Camacho, President of Alpfa Boston, the 2009 Community Networking recipient, to El Jolgorio Navideño, accepted by Samanda Morales, Former President of El Jolgorio de Massachusetts.
- Entrepreneurial Spirit Award was presented by Justo Garcia, President of DeezShirts and a 2009 Access Award Winner in the same category, and Julya Tran, President of Boston Media Cast, to Richy Peña, music producer and President of the Boston Music Conference.
- Visionary Award was presented by last year's recipient Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción (IBA), represented by Mayra Negron, Chief of Finance and Administration, to Regla Gonzalez, LULAC's National VP for Women.
- Media Award was co-presented by 2009 recipient Marisol Camilo of Tiempo Social, and Alberto Vasallo, Editor of El Mundo Newspaper, title media sponsor and recipient of the 2008 Access Award in the category of Print Media. Marisol and Alberto presented
- Angel Salcedo, host and producer of Encuentro Latino, with the 2010 Media Award. A surprise Media award was also given to Yadires Nova-Salcedo, Executive Producer of Encuentro Latino, for her work and collaboration in the making of the program.
- Artistic Expression Award was presented by Araminta Romero, Director of Business Development of Boston Latino TV and managing director of The Merge Point, to Junot Diaz, Pulitzer Award Winning Author.
An additional recognition, the "Hennessy Privilege Award," was also presented to Junot Diaz by Manny Gonzalez, Director - Hispanic Moet-Hennessy. Among the previous recipients of this award are Andy Garcia, George Lopez and "Magic" Johnson.
"The House of Hennessy is pleased to present the Hennessy Privilege Award to Junot Diaz for his contributions to the American culture." said Mr. Gonzalez "The “Hennessy Privilege Award” was created in 2003 to honor those who have made extraordinary contributions to their communities, either through leadership, service or the arts. Pulitzer Prize winning author Junot Diaz is certainly worthy of such honor, having mastered his craft and in doing so elevating American literature."
The ceremony culminated with a dance performance by Roca's Essencia Latina, a youth dance group that truly exemplified this year's theme of Dream Makers. Essencia Latina is the only group that has performed for President Barack Obama in Massachusetts. They have also shared the stage with Don Omar at Madison Square Garden, Xtreme and Milly Quezada, among others.
Sponsors and supporters endorsed Boston Latino TV’s signature event the Access Awards that gathers professionals from all walks of life for a night of networking, inspiration and fun were: Hennessy Privilege V.S.O.P., Royale Boston, Caritas Christi Health Care, New England Revolution, TheMergePoint.com, ROCA, Massachusetts National Guard, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, Boston Media Cast, Catalina de la Torre, Merengue Restaurant & Catering, Russo Limousine, Russo Tux, Los Tipicos, New York International Salsa Congress, RC Olsen Cadillac, Snake Eye Photography, LuzPortfolioBoston.com, DJ Matos, and many others who dedicated resources to spread the word; ALPFA Boston, NSHMBA, Las Comadres Para Las Americas, the Latino Professional Network and the Latin American Professionals Group at State Street, among others.
Ethnic media partners supporting the event include El Mundo Newspaper, Ethnic Online, The Bay State Banner, La Nueva Mega Boston, Univision Nueva Inglaterra, Telemundo Boston, Tiempo Social Magazine, El Planeta, Candela Magazine, ¡Con Salsa! with Jose Masso, Encuentro Latino TV, El Show de Fernandito, Orale con Veronica, Panorama Latino, Papo Magazine, Las Parceritas, Pa' La Calle con la Fraga, Hola Ciudad and Revista Que Tal.
