Jeff Valdez is a serial entrepreneur who has been producing, writing, and directing TV and film for over 25 years with the likes of Nickelodeon, Disney, Showtime, NBC, and HBO Max. He has been credited with pioneering a new category in American television, the English Language Latino Market. Jeff is an expert in addressing the multitude of opportunities in this “New Mainstream” and has consulted many major organizations looking to maximize their reach into the Latinx cohort. Mr. Valdez made TV history as Founder and CEO of SiTV (currently Fuse). He launched and oversaw all operations for the critical maiden voyage of the first-ever national cable network owned and run by Latinos in the United States, in English. After launching SiTV, Jeff Chaired the largest Latino social network at the time, QuePasa Corp (NASDAQ), helping grow the stock from $1 to $15 a share, and simultaneously Co-Chaired a Latinx film distribution company in the U.S. called Maya Entertainment. Along with former Accenture global COO, Raul Alvarado, Jeff helped create Themographic Solutions, a cognitive analytics platform that identifies consumer wishes and brand needs, then aligns them through topic & value-driven content.
In 2019, Jeff Valdez and tech maven, Sol Trujillo, co-founded New Cadence Productions, a television and film content studio, which promotes Latino-based content in English. NCP is partnered with Warner/HBO Max on a multi-year first-look deal. NCP has a myriad of projects in development and production including the “HA Comedy Festival,” which is currently streaming on HBO Max and returns to San Antonio on September 2021, “Comedy Chingonas,” an upcoming special, as well as “The Garcias,” which just finished production in the Riviera Maya and is a 10-episode reboot of the hit Nickelodeon family show and Jeff’s brainchild, “The Brothers Garcia.” One of Jeff’s proudest accomplishments was being named to the board of the Kennedy Center by President Bill Clinton, where Jeff championed and funded the first-ever Latino Playwright scholarship. The KCACTF Latinx Playwright Scholarship continues to this day. Born in Pueblo, Colorado, Jeff currently lives in Beverly Hills with his wife, Ana, who heads the Latino Donor Collaborative, and their two sons, Alex, who attends the University of Notre Dame, and Max, who attends Amherst College.
AWARDS AND HONORS
“One Of The Top 50 People Who Matter,” CNN
“The Racial Harmony Award,” Center For Ethnic Understanding
“Top 50 Minorities In Cable,” Multichannel News
“Alma Award,” National Council Of La Raza
“Top 10 Players in the U.S. Hispanic Media Market,” Ad Age
“Imagine Award,” Imagine Foundation
“Quasar Award,” NAMIC – National Association Of Minorities In Cable
“Top 50 Marketers in America,” Advertising Age