The Latina in Tech Empowering Brands to Highlight Minority Artists and Creators

If you’re looking for some inspiration this Hispanic Heritage Month, look no further than our Latino Alternative Movement feature stories. We continue to add more ladies to the list and celebrate those who stand by our female empowerment brands.  

You may be used to us sharing entrepreneurial stories, but today we’re climbing up the corporate ladder to meet Maria Teresa Hernandez, who serves as Vice President of Brand Partnerships at Mirriad, an innovative in-content advertising company that uses AI-powered technology. In her role, she is responsible for building the US and LATAM markets while driving new business across brand and content partners. 

With an extensive background in media and advertising, Maria Teresa has been in leadership positions at renowned agencies across the globe. Take a look at the inspirational Q&A we had with this Latina powerhouse. Get motivated to keep on pursuing your dreams and learn a few tips from Maria Teresa. 

How has your life experience made you the leader you are today?

I used to always hear, you’re the product of your environment, and while that’s often true – I knew early on I’d be that exception. See, like most inner-city Latino communities in this country, ours was lacking funds, resources, and hope. Schools were getting shut down and drugs and gangs were running rampant. My mom was holding things down on her own – single, young, and juggling 3 kids, full-time work, and college. We moved around a lot, and often in the worst neighborhoods, but she had this superpower of making the crummiest apartments feel like an oasis. She was a hustler in the most complimentary sense of the word. With big dreams of her own, she recognized the potential in her kids and instilled that same hustle mentality into us. Her contagious grit powered me to eventually become the executive I am today who leads with empathy, compassion, humility, but above all to empower the advancement of other POC.  This is why I leaned into mentorship, allyship, and advocacy for not only D&I, but also fair equity and representation in professional spaces. 

What experience did you have in your industry before you joined Mirriad?

I began my career in music right out of grad school at a company called CMN (Cardenas Marketing Network), which at the time was the number one Hispanic event production company in the world. They owned the touring rights to some of the biggest Latin talent like Ana Gabriel, Juanes, Marc Anthony, and a Boriqua rapper named Ramon Ayala who would eventually become global sensation Daddy Yankee. I led Brand Sponsorships for the company, connecting major advertisers to Latin talent and ironically, this was my first real intro to the world of “multicultural marketing” – but not in the way I expected. I earned my master’s in marketing assuming I’d be a marketer, but instead fell in love with selling, and the rest is history – the sales bug bit and I’ve stayed on the sales side ever since. From CMN, I went on to work as VP of Sales for one of the biggest media agencies in the world under IPG Media brands. And most recently, I was with Bill Gates’ entertainment company called BEN (Branded Entertainment Network) as a VP, Brand Partnerships leading product placement sales. 

 What have the highlights of your career been?

Being at the forefront of emerging media and tech is exhilarating, and especially as we’re pioneering this entirely new model of advertising.  The neat part about the work I do is that it is very much ingrained in the culture. Many of us grew up with product placement as a cultural phenomenon that piqued during the late ’80s and ’90s. We had Reese’s Pieces in ET, Nike in Back to the Future, and Manolo Blahnik in Sex and the City. So fast-forward to the present day and through the application of AI-powered digital effects, we’re able to bring your favorite brands into the content you’re watching in a way that doesn’t feel disruptive or forced. I’ve spent the last 2.5 years ensuring that our multicultural content portfolio includes niche programming tailored to Hispanic, Black, Asian, and LGBTQ+ communities. 

I feel inspired and encouraged to see advertising clients like Heineken, Lexus, and P&G allocating larger portions of their media budgets to empower minority artists, creators, and content owners through the application of our technology with huge success using in-language signage inserted into Spanish-language TV shows and music videos to forge emotional connections with Hispanic consumers.

What is the most important lesson you’ve learned in your career?

Not to second guess your success – imposter syndrome is so real! Never underestimate your abilities and always negotiate for yourself, actively reaching for new opportunities and promotions. Take risks and bet on yourself. It’s great to give credit more than you take it, but when it’s your turn to own it, own it!

What advice can you offer to women who want a career in the Marketing/Media industry?

Network all day! Start building your industry connections early on. Make a wish list of women you admire or have titles you aspire for and study them and the paths they took to be where they’re at. Follow their blogs, watch their interviews, and don’t be afraid to connect with them on social media. If you’re seriously considering a career in Media, Tech, or Entertainment, feel free to find me on Linkedin. Happy to chat 1 on 1. 

How do you maintain a work/life balance?

Do you mean during a pandemic that has essentially eroded work-life boundaries? Ha. I still haven’t figured it out. But I suppose it’s something millions of people are struggling with, seeing as we’re still living through COVID, forcing many of us to continue to work virtually. All I can say is, give yourself a little extra grace when you feel overwhelmed, or lacking motivation. Start with establishing a set routine, carving out time for lunch or a cafecito, with a reasonable hard stop that you stick to (save that 8pm email for the morning!). Keep a dedicated space that is specific for work to create separation from work and home, and accept that things will likely never go back to the way they were before the pandemic – and you know what, that’s ok! 

What do you think is the biggest issue for women in the workplace?

There is so much research year-over-year that points to the same thread of challenges that exist for women in the workplace – unequal pay, sexual harassment, maternity leave policies, and overall lack of representation. To add to the last point, there’s a huge gap when it comes to not only gender, but diversity overall. Using myself as the example, I’m this rare unicorn at the intersection of entertainment, technology, and advertising – all industries where Latinas make up between 2-5%, and that number drastically declines at the VP level and above. 

Compounded with COVID and the pandemic, women, and particularly Latinas, have needed to drop out of the workforce as they’re disproportionately responsible for family care obligations versus men. So it’s pretty clear to all that the problems are plentiful, but focusing on the solution is really where the work needs to start. Women need better pay, better leave policies, flexibility on work hours, education opportunities to help overcome the disparities in professional advancement – but above all, we need allies in our male counterparts. I’d say these are all great places to start.