Lex Borrero Partners with Tommy Mottola to Acquire Arro Media, Now to Be Called AM16

Lex Borrero is expanding his entertainment empire…

The Latino music executive and entrepreneur, the co-founder/CEO of Neon 16, has teamed up with Ntertain chairman Tommy Mottola  to acquire Arro Media, a music marketing and social media agency that boasts a roster of clients like Adidas, Red Bull, the NFL, Xbox, Bacardi, The Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation and more.

Lex BorreroFounded by Cristina Arcay, the company will be rebranded as AM16.

“We have built a growing agency that will redefine how brands connect their marketing and advertising to the Latin culture because we live it day in and day out,” said Borrero and Mottola in a press release. “Our team has a finger on the pulse of trends, uniquely positioned to spot them before they happen, across music, television and film. Today’s announcement further differentiates our capabilities from competitors and will bring an even more comprehensive offering to our clients and partners.”

AM16 will find the intersection among music, entertainment and culture. Together, it will bring Arro’s capabilities with Neon16’s “innovative approach to cultural storytelling and experiential activations,” they said. The merger will include brand strategy and partnerships, product development, content production, music marketing, social media management, digital marketing, public relations, creative design services and experiential events.

“Launching AM16 agency represents an exhilarating new chapter in my career and the future of Arro,” said Arcay, who is appointed as co-president. “As a Latina entrepreneur, being able to lead and learn alongside our new partners represents a huge opportunity to reshape the industry by championing diversity, elevating ideas and fostering cultural movements that resonate with audiences worldwide.”

Chief marketing officer/co-president Gerry Rojas added, “I feel empowered and excited to be working in a Latino-owned agency where we’re reimagining how brands and artists tell their stories authentically, while raising the Latin cultural currency and creating a true, positive impact rooted in music and culture.”

Neon16 works with A-listers such as Tainy, Thalia, Juan Luis Guerra and Danna Paola.

Earlier this year, the company also played a key role in the Netflix Original series La Firma — a Latin music competition that sought to sign the next big Latin music star, featuring Borrero, Tainy, Rauw Alejandro and Nicki Nicole.

Borrero and Mottola also executive-produced Thalia’s music docuseries, Thalia’s Mixtape, via Ntertain on Paramount+.

AppleTV+ Releases First Trailer for “Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special”

Mariah Carey is bringing the Magic this holiday season…

AppleTV+ has release the trailer and key art for the half-Venezuelan American Grammy-winning singer’s Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special, which will start streaming on December 4.

Mariah Carey

The show will feature Carey, the unofficial Queen of Christmas, with Tiffany Haddish, Billy Eichner, Ariana Grande, Jennifer Hudson, Snoop Dogg, Jermaine Dupri, Misty Copeland and Mykal-Michelle Harris, as well as Carey’s 9-year-old twins, son Moroccan and daughter Monroe.

The special finds the world faced with a holiday cheer crisis, which the North Pole knows only one person can solve: Santa’s great friend, Mariah Carey. Combining musical performances, dancing and animation, the show finds Carey saving the day.

The soundtrack single and new music video for “Oh Santa!,” co-written by and featuring Carey performing with Grande and Hudson, will be distributed by Sony Music and released on Apple Music and other streaming platforms December 4.

The companion soundtrack to the special will include Snoop Dogg and Jermaine Dupri as additional musical guests, in addition to a new version of “Sleigh Ride.” The soundtrack will be available exclusively on Apple Music on December 4, and all other platforms December 11.

The Apple TV+ subscription service is available on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, iPod touch, Mac, select Samsung, LG, Sony, and VIZIO smart TVs, Amazon Fire TV and Roku devices, PlayStation and Xbox consoles, and at tv.apple.com.

Carey is the bestselling female artist of all time, with more than 200 million albums sold to date and 19 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 singles (18 self-penned), more than any solo artist in history. She recently published her memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey, which debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times Best Seller list.

El Rey Network Picks Up Garcia’s “From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series” for a Second Season

It’s From Dusk Till Dawn and beyond for Jesse Garcia and his co-stars…

El Rey Network has picked up the Mexican/Spanish-American actor’s new series From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series for a 13-episode second season. Garcia portrays Texas Ranger Freddie Gonzalez on the series.

Jesse Garcia

The announcement comes only two weeks after the network’s first original series debuted.

From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series has been earning bank  from distribution pacts, including a deal with Netflix, which carries the series in key international territories and is on board for Season 2, and a DVD/EST agreement with eOne for the U.S. and Canada, which makes From Dusk Till Dawn episodes available on Amazon, iTunes, Sony Playstation, Xbox, Vudu, Google Play, Cinemanow, Blackberry and Target Ticket after their El Rey premiere.

“As the television landscape becomes even more crowded, it’s important for El Rey Network to have a recurring and memorable franchise that speaks to our audience and allows us to break away from the noise of all the competition,” El Rey vice chair Scott Sassa said. “From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series is most certainly that kind of property and we are thrilled with the response from our affiliate partners, advertisers, viewers and the international community.”

From Dusk Till Dawn is based on the cult classic film of the same name by the network’s co-founder Robert Rodriguez, who created the series and directed four of the first season’s installments.

“This is a truly unique property and one that has really resonated for viewers,” he said. “It has been a joy to bring these characters back to life and have the opportunity to take our storytelling to a whole new place.”

In addition to Garcia, From Dusk Till Dawn’s international cast includes D.J. Cotrona, Zane Holtz, Eiza González, Wilmer Valderrama, Adrianne Palicki, Jake Busey, Don Johnson, Madison Davenport, Lane Garrison, Robert Patrick, and Brandon Soo Hoo.

Alvarez In Talks to Direct “Dante’s Inferno.”

Fede Alvarez’s career is on fire

The 35-year-old Uruguayan filmmaker is currently in talks to direct Dante’s Inferno.

Fede Alvarez

Universal Pictures is setting Alvarez, the man behind the Evil Dead remake, to helm the live action adaptation of the Electronic Arts video game, which is rooted in the famous literary work.

The protagonist, Dante Aligheri is a knight who with the help of the poet Virgil ventures into the nine rings of hell to rescue his beloved Beatrice. In the process, he becomes an

unwitting pawn in an ancient war between heaven and hell. Rights to the video game were won by Universal several years ago in a bidding battle.

The game was released in 2010 for Xbox and PlayStation.

Urbizu’s “No Rest for the Wicked” to be Released in the U.S.

Enrique Urbizu is experiencing a triumphant return to moviemaking…

Enrique Urbizu

Tribeca Film has acquired North American rights to the 50-year-old Spanish filmmaker’s award-winning thriller No Rest for the Wicked (No habra paz para los malvados), his first outing behind the camera after an eight-year absence.

Urbizu’s film, which is screening as part of Fantastic Fest in Austin this weekend, was the big winner at this year’s Goya Awards —the Spanish equivalent of the Oscars—capturing six trophies, including Best Film.

No Rest for the Wicked Poster

No Rest for the Wicked centers on a police inspector, Santos Trinidad, who gets involved in a triple murder.  But there’s a witness that manages to escape and could incriminate him. So antos begins an investigation to find and eliminate him. Meanwhile, Judge Chacon, who is investigating the triple murder, goes on looking for the murderer but what seems a simple case of drugs actually is something far more dangerous.

Tribeca Film plans a December release for the film. The release will span multiple platforms, including availability on demand in more than 40 million homes through a variety of video-on-demand offerings, as well as iTunes, Amazon Watch Instantly, VUDU and Xbox.

Shakira to Perform at This Year’s iHeartRadio Music Festival

Shakira is a “loca, loca, loca”… And now she’ll be demonstrating her locaness in Las Vegas.

The 35-year-old Colombian singing sensation will be performing at this fall’s iHeartRadio Music Festival, which spans all genres, including pop, rock and country.

Shakira

But Shakira isn’t the only Latin artist scheduled to take the stage during the two-day festival…

Shakira’s “Get It Started” collaborator Pitbull and Enrique Iglesias have also been confirmed as performers.  Other acts scheduled to appear include headliners Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Usher and Bon Jovi.

This year’s concert, which will be hosted by Ryan Seacrest, will take place on September 21-22 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Tickets for iHeartRadio Fest go on sale July 14, and the show will be broadcast live on iHeartRadio, Yahoo! and Xbox.

Last year’s inaugural music festival, hosted by the Clear Channel station, featured performances by Jennifer Lopez, Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga and Nicki Minajand more. The event, intended to celebrate the launch of the new iHeartRadio, sold out 10 minutes after tickets were put on sale to the general public.