New FMA Member Spotlight: América Magazine
Magazine: América Magazine
Editor: Felipe Robayo Chacón
Circulation: 10,000
Target Audience: Hispanic and Latin American Community within Orlando and Kissimmee and to a lesser extent Altamonte Springs and Winter Park.
Website: www.americamagazineorlando.com
Who is América Magazine?
América Magazine is a print magazine serving the Hispanic and Latin American community. We are a journalist and a writer honing our skills in digital and physical marketing and publishing. On one hand, we provide business owners accessible and incisive print advertising distributed to more than 250 local businesses. On the other hand, we’re nurturing a space to build the Hispanic and Latin American community identity month by month, a love for who and what we are, a quest to find those inspiring stories living among us, showcasing how we live and are the American dream. In this sense, it is a place to empower who we are.
What is your vision over the next five years?
In a distribution sense, I see América covering the Greater Orlando area. Furthermore, we aspire to standardize the operation and publish in at least two more cities within Florida and we seek to publish in New York. I see magazines still thriving within hyperlocal communities, be it the mass or professional niches, magazines are still a space to unite people and are useful in creating a sense of belonging and importance.
What was one of the best articles you published in the past year?
One of our best articles was “El Bronze Museum de Arte Africano Celebra el Egúngún.” This piece was very special because it was a serendipitous discovery within the Fashion Square Mall in Orlando. The museum is like walking into a time vortex to a lesser known side of Africa. The keepers of the museum invited us to cover the celebration of the Egúngún, where they presented offerings to Changó and to ancestors. It was a great piece because it revealed a shared culture between African Americans and AfroCaribbeans, specifically the Orisha and Yoruba traditions. But in this case, it was all in English, not Spanish. It was interesting to hear a priestess talk about Ochún and Yemanya in English when I’ve always experienced it in Spanish: This must mean the gods are either bilingual, polyglots, or have a really hard time fulfilling requests due to a language barrier.
Best cover of past year and why?
The best cover was “Diego Rojas: Empresario de Corazón.” With this cover we set a milestone of highlighting people of influence within our community, and the result was contributing to making them feel priceless.
Why did you decide to join the Florida Magazine Association?
We decided to join because of the level of prestige such association would bring to our publication. Furthermore, we want to expand our goodwill and provide peace of mind to our advertisers.