From Prime-Time Drama to Voter Mobilization: Univision Honored at the Shorty Social Good Awards

Univision Communications Inc., the leading Hispanic media company in the United States, has been recognized at the Shorty Social Good Awards for two of its social impact initiatives. La Fuerza de Creer (The Power of Believing) received a Bronze Honor in Storytelling at the 3rd Annual Shorty Social Good Awards, and Vota Conmigo (Vote With Me) was named a nominee for Best in Civic Engagement at the 4th Annual Shorty Social Good Awards. The Shorty Social Good Awards recognize the most impactful and inspiring social good work in digital and social media.

La Fuerza de Creer: Bronze Honor in Storytelling
Created by Univision in partnership with Too Small to Fail and W Studios, La Fuerza de Creer was a two-hour original mini-series that, for the first time, embedded social messaging into prime-time entertainment programming. The initiative responded to a pressing need: nearly 60 percent of U.S. children start kindergarten unprepared in critical language and literacy skills, with children from low-income families facing the widest gaps.

Set in a Los Angeles pediatric clinic serving a largely Hispanic community, the drama wove early childhood messages into its storylines, including ways to boost brain and language development, the benefits of bilingualism, the role of fathers and caregivers, and how everyday routines can become learning moments. Viewers were invited to text “CONSEJOS” to 26262 to join a first-of-its-kind Spanish-language text service offering parenting tips twice a week.

The campaign delivered strong results:

• The first episode ranked #1 in its time slot among Hispanics.
• The mini-series and its promotional content reached more than 13.5 million adults during its original airing .
• Audience grew 24% between the first and second episodes.
• On-the-ground events in 18 cities reached more than 65,000 parents.
• More than 70,000 parents enrolled in the text message service.

An independent evaluation by American University’s Center for Media and Social Impact found that viewers’ intent to talk, read, sing and speak two languages with their children rose by 11 to 14 percent. Text subscribers were more than twice as likely as the national average for Hispanics to engage in these language-rich activities with their children. Vota Conmigo: Nominee for Best in Civic Engagement
Launched in October 2018, Vota Conmigo was designed to empower, inform and mobilize Hispanic American voters ahead of the 2018 U.S. midterm elections. The campaign’s core message was created by five Univision summer interns at Univision Los Angeles and was later adopted company-wide as a national initiative. It addressed a long-standing participation gap: in the 2014 election, Latino voter registration and turnout rates were roughly 10 percent lower than those of non-Hispanic Black voters and 18 percent lower than those of non-Hispanic white voters.
“With Vota Conmigo, we saw an opportunity to speak directly to our community and make a real difference in voter participation,” said Jessica Herrera-Flanigan, EVP of Government & Corporate Affairs at Univision. “We are grateful to the partners, interns, and team members who made this campaign so impactful.”
Working with partners including NALEO and Mi Familia Vota, Univision produced original video content, aired national and local PSAs featuring Univision talent, hosted phone banks with Univision stations across the country, and organized “Parties at the Polls” in Atlanta, Dallas, Fresno and Phoenix, which drew 1,500 attendees. The campaign generated more than 9.6 million social media impressions and 372,000 video views, and accounted for 70% of all calls to NALEO’s 1-888-VE Y VOTA hotline during the election season.
Together, these recognitions reflect Univision’s commitment to using storytelling and its platforms as powerful tools for education and civic engagement in the Hispanic community.

Project Credits: La Fuerza de Creer (The Power of Believing)
Entrants: Univision Communications Inc., Too Small to Fail, W Studios
Univision: Stephen Keppel (Vice President of Social Impact), Emilce Elgarresta (Senior Director, Content & Production), Carolina Rosas (Senior Producer, Content Operations)
Too Small to Fail: Patti Miller (Chief Executive Officer), Stephen Massey (Consultant)
W Studios: Laura Wills and Vincenzo Gratteri (Content Directors), María Fernanda Bateman (Production Director), Alejandro García (Producer), Patricio Wills (Executive Producer), Carlos Bardasano (SVP Original Content)
Creative: María de la Fuente (Actress, Dr. Laura Gómez), Jimena Romero (Head Writer), Adriana Romero (Script Writer), Alfredo Tappan (Director), David Leche Ruíz (Director, Second Unit)

Project Credits: Vota Conmigo (Vote With Me)
Executive Leadership: Jessica Herrera-Flanigan (EVP, Government & Corporate Affairs), campaign spokesperson and strategic lead
Key Univision Contributors: Ronald Estrada (SVP, CSR & Community Empowerment), Liliana Ranon (Director, Community Empowerment), Olivia Liendo (Manager, CSR & Social Impact Digital News), María Dayana Patiño (Social Media Strategy)
Partner Organizations: Mi Familia Vota, Voto Latino, Poder LatinX, Hispanic Federation, National Voter Registration Day Coalition, Vote Early Day, NHMC, UnidosUS, NALEO
Production Partner – Fénix Media: María Eugenia Ríos (Producer), Alberto Chumaceiro (Producer, Editor, Sound Design), Isaac Bencid (Producer, Editor), Ricardo Delgado (Art Director), Enrica González (Illustrator, Animator), Antonio Fontana (Sound Design, Editor), María José Estevez (Voice Over Artist), Rosa Díaz (Producer)