New Latino Media, Entertainment Company Aims to Tap Growing Spending Power 

On Monday, GoDigital Media Group announced that it had acquired the Latino media and entertainment solutions company New Generation Latinx (NGL) Collective. The goal is to create a large, digital-first outlet to link a Latino audience with advertising and entertainment that is more inclusive and creates more representation of this growing population.

As part of the move, GoDigital’s brand Mitú, which started as a multi-channel YouTube network targeting the Latino consumer in 2012, merged with NGL Collective, with the new company adopting the name NGL Collective.

NGL Collective CEO David Chitel said in a press release that the power and influence of U.S. Latinos merits a company exclusively focused on connecting them with entertainment and advertisers that understand their language, culture, and context.

Chitel, who co-founded NGL along with actor John Leguizamo, told Latino Rebels that representation of the Latino community in advertising matters because it allows a better portrayal of its variety and richness of backgrounds.

“Representation of the Latinx diaspora of races, ethnicities, and LGBTQIA+ identities is critical for advertisers looking to get it right and connect in more meaningful and inclusive ways with the community,” Chitel said via email, adding that “from a language perspective there’s still plenty of room for more Spanish advertising. However, when it comes to properly representing the Latinx community ‘in-culture’ (i.e., Latinx-themed, but bilingual or English) there’s even more room for growth.”

NGL will cater to a vast network of Latino creative and media partners, reaching U.S. Latino communities through social media, editorial sites, in-person and virtual community events, and published research.

Latino Buying Power Grows

Latinos make up almost 20 percent of the U.S. population, according to the 2020 Census, which showed that Latinos accounted for 51 percent of all new population growth. As an audience, Latinos have quickly become one of the most influential and affluent.

As Latinos keep growing as the largest ethnic group in the U.S., NGL Collective aims to reach tap Latino buying power, reported at 11 percent of total U.S. buying power in 2020—a significant increase from 1990, when it was only five percent.

Jason Peterson, chair and CEO of GoDigital Media Group, said in a press release that the purchase of NGL is based on the “explosion of Latinx media consumption,” adding that the business move will cement the new brand foothold in the Latino media space.

John Leguizamo, known for giving voice to Bruno in Disney’s Colombia-inspired animated movie, Encanto, started NGL with support from MEP Capital, an investment firm focused on opportunities in the media and entertainment industries, financing creators of music, film, television, gaming, live events, and digital media.

Leguizamo said in a press release that in spite of the consistent growth of Latinos in population and in consumer power, their contribution is consistently excluded in media and entertainment.

“We will create more opportunities for Latinos in front of and behind the camera to speak directly to our community and influence how America sees us and how we see ourselves,” the actor explained.

He also highlighted the importance of expanding and combining NGL Collective and Mitú’s platforms, since the goal is to amplify the voices of the Latino community.

A Larger Platform for a Bigger Latinx Conversation

NGL will house a large gathering of Latino influencers, content creators, entrepreneurs, trendsetters, and media and entertainment innovators. Mitú’s brands —wearemitú, somosmitú, FIERCE, crema, and Things That Matter— will combine market presence with NGL brands, consisting of Latina Moms, Hispanic Kitchen, and Hispanicize.

NGL’s in-house Emmy-nominated production team will also join forces with mitú’s social content and brand studio team, which operates mitú Studios, a 14,000-square-foot studio in East Los Angeles.

Maria Alonso told Latino Rebels that something exciting about this merger is that all the small branches and verticals will keep their identity, but will now be included under the umbrella of a larger platform that will provide them with a broader reach so that there’s a bigger conversation where Latinos are more involved, thus creating more opportunities for Latinos in media.

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Juan de Dios Sánchez Jurado is a summer correspondent for Futuro Media. A writer, lawyer, and journalist from Colombia, he is currently studying at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York.