About Fuerza Latina:

The mission of Fuerza Latina, a youth initiative of the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project founded by Mario Velasquez, was to educate and mobilize young Latinos to get involved in their community through civic activism and full engagement in the democratic process. Fuerza Latina encouraged young Latinos to use their voice and their growing numbers to better their condition and their standing in their community.

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Ace Entertainment's task:

Fuerza Latina came to Tarr with a uniquely creative and challenging idea for a media campaign, which they wanted to reach a large and difficult demographic. The organization lacked resources and the strategic relationships to launch an effective campaign aimed to successfully deliver their message to the millions of young Latinos they wanted to send to the polls. 

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Media Campaign:

Ace Entertainment, Tarr's company, oversaw the production, completion and distribution of the PSA campaign called "Don't Be Invisible" - both a voter registration and get out the vote drive message - on four strategic platforms: Television, Radio, Theatrical and Internet. With a major assist from one of the top Hispanic ad agencies Euro RSCG Latino for the radio campaign, the campaign was produced in both English and Spanish. 

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At a total budget of $2000 and with two weeks for pre-production through completion, Ace brought in almost $500,000 in donated services, labor and donations to create the PSA campaign, which included a 35mm film print with a Sensurround sound mix, projected at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood for a packed audience at a film premier.

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Distribution:

In addition to the Cinerama Dome screening and another at the Cinesol Latino Film Festival, the campaign reached an audience of over 50 million TV viewers and 100 million radio listeners in the three weeks before the 2004 Presidential election.

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Result:

The production and distribution of an extremely effective PSA was a first phase effort to launch the organization on a national level. The message of the media campaign was carried across the country during the 2004 Presidential campaign and played extensively in swing states. Many experts saw this campaign as a major influencer in the highest Latino voter turnout ever. Ken Salazar, the first Latino Senator from Colorado, was elected after extensive distribution of this campaign.

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