Univision Recognized as Finalist in Five Categories at Prestigious 2017 Shorty Social Good Awards

Univision, the leading Spanish-language media company in the United States, proudly announced today that it has been named a finalist in five categories at the prestigious 2017 Shorty Social Good Awards. This significant recognition highlights Univision's profound commitment to serving the Hispanic community through impactful digital and multi-platform initiatives that address critical social issues.

The Shorty Social Good Awards are celebrated for honoring the most innovative and impactful uses of social media and digital platforms that drive positive change. Univision's multiple finalist nominations underscore the company's comprehensive approach to community service and social responsibility across diverse areas of community impact.

Univision's initiatives recognized as finalists include:
Pequeños y Valiosos – Recognized in the Early Literacy Initiative category. This multi-platform campaign, in partnership with Too Small to Fail, aimed to improve kindergarten readiness by raising awareness and providing parents and caregivers with tools for language and literacy development. It leveraged Univision's network and cable television, radio, online/social media, on-air talent, and community outreach. The campaign successfully amassed over 73 million audience impressions and provided information to more than 350,000 families online and via text.

Camino al Éxito – A finalist for Education & Empowerment. This year-long, multimedia, multi-platform education campaign, a partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, focused on closing the achievement gap for Hispanic students. Its objective was to increase the social and cultural capital of parents, ensuring they knew the steps, resources, and school interventions available to help their children succeed academically, regardless of language spoken at home. The television programming alone reached 70 million total viewers.

Unidos por los Nuestros – Nominated for Hurricane Relief efforts. This multi-platform campaign was launched in response to the devastating natural disasters of 2017, including Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, California Fires, and earthquakes in Mexico. Univision united its talent across entertainment, music, sports, and news to provide non-stop coverage and aid efforts. Through programming specials and PSAs, the campaign reached millions and helped raise more than $6.8 million for relief support. Todo por Los Dreamers – Selected as a finalist for Immigration Advocacy. This campaign responded to the repeal of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) in September 2017, aiming to provide community members and DACA supporters with an interactive tool to connect directly with legislators in support of DACA. The campaign generated more than 1.4 million page views for its digital content.

La Fuerza de Creer – Recognized in the Family & Community category. This two-hour original television mini-series, a partnership with Too Small to Fail, aimed to inform Hispanic parents and caregivers about the lifelong cognitive benefits of language-rich parenting for young children (age 0-5) and mobilize them to transform everyday moments into brain-building opportunities. The miniseries reached more than 13.5 million adults in its original airing."What made this work hard was that each campaign demanded a completely different emotional register, from Camino al Éxito's parent-empowerment framing to the urgency of getting people help during Unidos por los Nuestros. Finding messaging that felt authentic across early literacy and disaster relief meant starting from what each community actually needed to hear, not a single playbook we could reuse," commented Maria Dayana Patiño, Social Media Strategist for Univision Contigo.

The Shorty Social Good Awards ceremony will celebrate Univision's innovative use of social media and digital platforms for community benefit, alongside other leading organizations making a difference.

Project Credits and Key Contributors:

• "Camino al Éxito" (Path to Success) was a partnership between Univision Communications Inc. and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Key individuals from Univision included Stephen Keppel (Vice President of Social Impact), Emilce Elgarresta (Senior Director, Content & Production), Carolina Rosas (Senior Producer, Content Operations), Olivia Liendo (Manager, CSR & Social Impact Digital News), and Maria Dayana Patiño (Social Media Editor).
• For "La Fuerza de Creer" (The Power of Believing), Univision Communications Inc., Too Small to Fail, and W Studios served as entrant companies. Key individuals from Univision included Stephen Keppel (Vice President of Social Impact), Emilce Elgarresta (Senior Director, Content & Production), Carolina Rosas (Senior Producer, Content Operations), Olivia Liendo (Manager, CSR & Social Impact Digital News), and Maria Dayana Patiño (Social Media Editor). Representing Too Small to Fail were Patti Miller (Chief Executive Officer at The Clinton Foundation) and Stephen Massey (Consultant, Meteorite Social Impact Advisors). From W Studios, significant contributors included actress Maria De La Fuente (Dr. Laura Gómez), writers Jimena Romero and Adriana Romero, content directors Laura Wills and Vincenzo Gratteri, production director María Fernanda Bateman, producer Alejandro García, executive producer Patricio Wills, SVP Original Content Carlos Bardasano, and directors Alfredo Tappan and David Leche Ruíz.
• "Pequeños y Valiosos: An Early Literacy Initiative" was a joint effort by Univision Communications Inc. and Too Small to Fail. The credited individuals from Univision included Stephen Keppel (Vice President of Social Impact and General Manager of Rise Up), Emilce Elgarresta (Senior Director, Content & Production), Carolina Rosas (Senior Producer, Content Operations), Olivia Liendo (Manager, CSR & Social Impact Digital News), and Maria Dayana Patiño (Social Media Editor). From Too Small to Fail (The Clinton Foundation), Patti Miller (Chief Executive Officer) and Stephen Massey (Media Partnerships/Consultant) were also credited.
• "Todo por Los Dreamers" (Save the Dreamers) involved a powerful collaboration between Univision Communications Inc., the Defend Our Dreams Coalition, the Hispanic Federation, the Resurrection Project, and Entravision. Key Univision team members included Jessica Herrera-Flanigan (EVP, Government & Corporate Affairs), Ronald Estrada (SVP, CSR & Community Empowerment), Liliana Ranon (Director, Community Empowerment), Olivia Liendo (Manager, CSR & Social Impact Digital News), and Maria Dayana Patiño (Social Media Editor).
• For "Unidos por Los Nuestros" (United for Each Other), Univision Communications Inc. was the sole entrant company. Their credited individuals were Jessica Herrera-Flanigan (EVP, Government & Corporate Affairs), Ronald Estrada (SVP, CSR & Community Empowerment), Claudia Prado (Director, Community Empowerment), Liliana Ranon (Director, Community Empowerment), Vanessa Tartak (Director, CSR & Philanthropy), Olivia Liendo (Manager, CSR & Social Impact Digital News), and Maria Dayana Patiño (Social Media Strategy).