Today we’d like to introduce you to Ariel Fernandez-Diaz.
Ariel, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started in the Music Industry 25 years ago DJing as a teenager and gaining fame in Havana, Cuba where I was born and raised. Later I received my degree in sound engineering and event production. My musical success grew with every new project, helping me to pioneer the up and coming Cuban hip-hop movement along the way. I found a sense of community in this cultural movement, a connection to the music of young people seeking change around the world.
In 2005 I moved to New York, the United States where inspired by the sense of belonging I had discovered through music, founded Asho Productions, an event production, and DJ services company. After 10 years of successfully producing and curating events for every major arts & culture institution in New York I decided to move to Florida where I founded Habana en Miami: South Florida’s Source for all things Cuban!
Has it been a smooth road?
Not at all. My story is like any other “emigrant” story full of challenges and obstacles. Coming to America knowing no English at all and coming from a Socialist country where we have zero knowledge and education about capital and business was a big shock.
After I launched Habana in Miami in 2015 and started producing successful events my business was in full motion and providing good revenues. Business continued to thrive until 2017 when circumstances beyond my control left me in crisis. I had invested nearly all my savings into a big show I was producing that was scheduled for October of that year. In September, Hurricane Maria struck Florida, and ticket sales for my show plummeted, pushing me into debt.
Fearing bankruptcy, I needed financial support quickly. My financial advisor suggested “Accion” as an alternate lender who would be more flexible with his credit score. With this loan, I was not only once again able to find a sense of financial security, but continue building his brand, producing events, and updating my website and my presence in Social Media to attract more clients for future projects. My business resurrection was stronger and louder.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Habana en Miami story. Tell us more about your work.
The Cuban musical & artistic landscape in Miami is becoming increasingly segmented as the city develops. Because of these changes, the Cuban community has become less connected. We in Habana in Miami.com provide a platform for Miami based Cuban artists of all genres to reconnect with each other and with their audiences.
Our mission is to preserve Cuban arts, music and culture through technology with the first online platform meant to empower our creative community to connect, engage and work together. As we see it, there are multiple institutions working separately to keep the culture alive, but none interconnecting them (all the work from those separate institutions) and empowering artists directly.
Habana In Miami, feature original content and produce unique events in addition to serving as a platform for the Cuban artists to promote their work, ideas and engage with their audience. It is also a source for those inside and outside the community to find out about the best Cuban experiences in Miami.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
It is really unexpected. Digital content is the King now. Producing big events without sponsorship it is almost impossible. Independent artist relates to their base and arts grants to really survive. It is a Go Big or Go Home mantra and reality in the music industry.
Contact Info:
- Address: Habana en Miami
1800 Coral Way
Unite 451953
Miami, FL 33145-2700 - Website: habanaenmiami.com
- Phone: 6464837931
- Email: habanaenmiami@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/habanaenmiami/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/habanaenmiami/
Image Credit:
Aymeric george-Harry Parker
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