El Rey network breaks down media barriers, gives voice to U.S. Latinos
*It’s not that “El Rey” is a niche Latino network. It’s that Latinos are becoming mainstream, and that’s a different way of looking at the same thing. VL
By Rick Jaravis, USA Today
AUSTIN — Robert Rodriguez has slain vampires, fought the undead, shot at Mexican cartels and blown up criminal thugs.
Now, the famed filmmaker known for his action-packed flicks faces one of the more daunting challenges of his career: delivering original English-language TV programming to the 55 million Hispanics living in the United States.
[pullquote]”I have five kids and they don’t see themselves represented in media,” said Rodriguez, 47, who is from San Antonio and of Mexican descent.[/pullquote]Through his El Rey cable network, Rodriguez, known for hit movies such asDesperado, Spy Kids and Sin City, is looking to put more Latinos behind and in front of the camera and give voice to the country’s fast-growing Hispanic population.
El Rey (Spanish for “the king”) was conceived two years ago after Comcast agreed to carry several minority-owned channels as part of its deal to take over NBC Universal.
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[Photo BY Ronald Woan/flickr]
