Headquartered in Miami, Latinx Newswire (formerly Hispanicize Wire) is an innovative press release distribution service tailored to serve brands, marketing agencies, small businesses and non-profit organizations. Latinx Newswire offers comprehensive national, state and city-specific distributions to U.S. Hispanic and Puerto Rico media and influencers. Our newswire offers you a wide range of budget-friendly multimedia capabilities and online guaranteed placements that are priced at a fraction of what traditional wire services cost.
Latinx Newswire is 100% Hispanic-owned and operated. Led by an experienced and respected team, the company was founded by accomplished Latinx entrepreneurs that built and sold the industry’s first Hispanic press release wire service to British media conglomerate United Business Media in 2008. In addition, they are also the original founding partners of Hispanicize Media Group, that included the iconic annual Hispanicize Event for Latino trendsetters, leading multicultural influencer network DiMe Media (formerly Latina Mom Bloggers), Hispanic Kitchen, Latina Moms and the Hispanic PR Blog, which were sold to John Leguizamo’s media company in 2019. The core team includes wire and Hispanicize alumni, Bill Gato, Manny Ruiz, Cristy Clavijo-Kish and Katherine Johnson Gunn.
Bill Gato is an experienced Hispanic digital marketing and public relations expert, an online publishing entrepreneur and a former Miami Herald journalist. He is a passionate believer in the underutilized potential of public relations as a branding medium. Prior to joining Latinx Newswire, Bill was president and co-founder of Hispanic Digital Network (HDN), the nation’s largest Internet advertising and hosting network of U.S. Hispanic newspapers, magazines, radio stations and portals. He was responsible for growing HDN’s national online advertising revenues, guiding its strategic vision and establishing its digital advertising operations. PR Newswire acquired HDN and its sister companies, Hispanic PR Wire and LatinClips, in 2008. Before HDN and PR Newswire, Bill worked for eight years as a Creative Director at Spanish Broadcasting System (SBS), one of the leading national radio netwo
Manny is the co-founder of Latinx Newswire, the CEO of RetroPop Media, a global conventions and media company that focuses on the multi-generational vibrancy and iconic fun of great throwback pop culture. Before launching RetroPop Media, Manny honed his event production skills by founding and leading the iconic Hispanicize Event that over the course of nine years has become known as the “SXSW” of the U.S. Latino community. He oversaw the expansion to Hispanicize Media Group that included the creation of DiMe Media, a leading multicultural influencer network, and spearheaded the acquisition of the No. 1 Latino digital food platform, Hispanic Kitchen. Prior to Hispanicize, Manny was the CEO and Co-Founder of HispaniMark, the parent company of Hispanic PR Wire, Hispanic Digital Network, and LatinClips. A serial entrepreneur, Manny’s leadership guided these companies until 2007,
EXECUTIVE TEAM
Bill Gato, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer Bill Gato is an experienced Hispanic digital marketing and public relations expert, an online publishing entrepreneur and a former Miami Herald journalist. He is a passionate believer in the underutilized potential of public relations as a branding medium. Prior to joining Latinx Newswire, Bill was president and co-founder of Hispanic Digital Network (HDN), the nation’s largest Internet advertising and hosting network of U.S. Hispanic newspapers, magazines, radio stations and portals. He was responsible for growing HDN’s national online advertising revenues, guiding its strategic vision and establishing its digital advertising operations. PR Newswire acquired HDN and its sister companies, Hispanic PR Wire and LatinClips, in 2008. Before HDN and PR Newswire, Bill worked for eight years as a Creative Director at Spanish Broadcasting System (SBS), one of the leading national radio networks, where he won several South Florida A.I.R. (Achievement in Radio) Awards. He began his career as a writer and radio columnist for The Miami Herald.
Manny Ruiz, Co-Founder Manny is the co-founder of Latinx Newswire, the CEO of RetroPop Media, a global conventions and media company that focuses on the multi-generational vibrancy and iconic fun of great throwback pop culture.
Before launching RetroPop Media, Manny honed his event production skills by founding and leading the iconic Hispanicize Event that over the course of nine years has become known as the “SXSW” of the U.S. Latino community. He oversaw the expansion to Hispanicize Media Group that included the creation of DiMe Media, a leading multicultural influencer network, and spearheaded the acquisition of the No. 1 Latino digital food platform, Hispanic Kitchen.
Prior to Hispanicize, Manny was the CEO and Co-Founder of HispaniMark, the parent company of Hispanic PR Wire, Hispanic Digital Network, and LatinClips. A serial entrepreneur, Manny’s leadership guided these companies until 2007, when he and his partners sold them to the publicly-traded company United Business Media, who at the time owned PR Newswire.
Jersaín “J” Cruz , Co-Founder, Managing Partner and Sales Director J is an experienced bilingual marketing and communications professional with more than 10 years of experience in project management, planning, market research, data analysis, brand awareness, loyalty and retention, digital marketing, social media, service/product lifecycle strategies and customer engagement.
Born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia, J arrived in the United States at 16. He graduated with a Bachelor’s in Marketing from Florida Atlantic University and a Bachelor’s in Advertising from The Art Institute of Fort La
Between 2013 and 2018, J served as a marketing coordinator and specialist for Hispanicize Media Group, the parent company of Hispanicize, the largest U.S.
Hispanic marketing, social media, influencer, film, music and journalism conference in the United States. During this period, Jay was instrumental in launching Hispanicize Wire, the original namesake of what later became Latinx Newswire.
Prior to Hispanicize Media Group and Hispanicize Wire, J worked as a marketing coordinator for LearningU.
Since 2018, J has resided with his wife, Alexandra, in Austin, Texas.
Maribel Piza, Chairman and Senior Partner Maribel A. Piza is the chairman and senior partner of Latinx Newswire. A child of immigrant parents and a nationally renowned immigration attorney with three offices in South Florida and two radio shows, Maribel is a proud Latina of Cuban-American descent who has devoted her legal career passionately advocating for migrants’ rights.
In addition to her law practice, Maribel is also an accomplished entrepreneur and investor in various media, entertainment, and restaurant ventures. Maribel is the senior partner, board member, and legal counsel of RetroPop Con, the national franchise of throwback pop culture conventions that was formerly known as NostalgiaCon. Maribel is also the proud owner of La Fonda de Aurora, a small Cuban bistro she opened in 2013 in Dania Beach, Florida to honor her mother and grandmother.
Prior to relocating to Florida in 2006 to start her immigration law firm, Maribel was an Assistant District Attorney in New Orleans, where she also graduated from Loyola University with a JD/MBA in 2002. While in New Orleans, Maribel served as a Judicial Law Clerk in Civil District Court in Orleans Parish for the Honorable Sonja Spears.
Maribel got an early taste in business in 1992, when she and a partner bought New Orleans’ Dixie Tavern, a bar that was located on the world famous Canal Street. As the owner of the Dixie Tavern, Maribel regained the Tavern’s lost live performance license and was able to develop an extremely popular and internationally recognized live music venue that helped develop local talent and was even featured on both MTV and VH-1.
Prior to New Orleans, Maribel attended the U.S. Coast Guard Academy from August 1986 through January 1989 after successfully attending and graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy Prep School in Newport, Rhode Island. She represented the U.S. in Australia’s bicentennial celebration aboard the USS Barque Eagle and was at the helm when the USS Barque Eagle sailed into the Port of Miami in April 1988.
Maribel serves South Florida’s community in a variety of volunteer roles. Currently, Maribel is on the Advisory Council for the Cleveland Orchestra in Miami. She is also a generous supporter of tomorrow’s artists and awards a small scholarship to young artists to help pay for their art programs or studies through the Alma Hispana arts scholarship in Palm Beach County. She also gives back to her immigrant community as a strong supporter of Casa Maya in Lake Worth, Florida, providing school supplies, book bags and laptops to the local Palm Beach County students every year in August.
Katherine Johnson Gunn, Partner 
Katherine is a founding partner of Latinx Newswire, and founder and CEO of Influenser.com, a digital trade news platform, online community and pop-up event series that covers and highlights U.S. Hispanic, Latinx and multicultural founders, creators, innovators and influencers who embody the entrepreneurial spirit.
Before launching her latest venture, Katherine was a founding partner of Hispanicize where she co-produced the annual Hispanicize Event.
Prior to joining the Hispanicize team, Katherine held positions with Fleishman-Hillard and Newlink Group working with beauty brands, LATAM clients and handling crisis communications. Previously, Katherine was a producer for the PBS show, Nightly Business Report. Katherine started her career in communications as the media relations manager at Hispanic PR Wire and became the managing editor of the Hispanic PR Monitor, before the company was sold to PR Newswire in 2008. Born in Lima, Peru but raised in the US since she was five, her passion for community building, storytelling and the Latino culture drives her innovative approach to social networking both on and offline.
