Luis Aira
SPEAKING CLIENT
Political Consultant/Strategist and Hispanic Marketing Expert
American Alien: What's Your Latino ID?
Luis Aira is critically acclaimed for his cutting edge style and creative media strategies targeting cross-cultural markets. He is honored with numerous awards, including the prestigious Clio. He applied his directorial talents to clients such as Coca Cola, Sprite, AT&T, J.C. Penney, Carl’s Jr., Wells Fargo, Converse, Sears, Ikea, Honda, The John Kerry Campaign for President, Gore/Lieberman Campaign for President and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. At the podium, Luis Aira brings his unique understanding of the American Alien – those whose Latino ID is their American ID – and the impact will Latinos have on the future of our nation.
In 2002, Aira expanded Ofrenda, Inc. into a full service production company, based in Los Angeles. Ofrenda, Inc. represents an award winning team of directors and produces independent features, commercials, music videos and reality television programming. Aira created numerous Public Service Announcements for clients such as MTV Networks “Rock The Vote,” Boston Mayor Ray Flynn, Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina and The Kaiser Family Foundation. Antonio Gonzalez, CEO of Southwest Voter Registration Education Project (SVREP), recruited Aira’s marketing expertise to create media designed to encourage Latinos to vote and engage in the political process. His SVREP campaigns received the Latino Marketing Award for Creative Excellence and contributed to the historic Latino voter turnout in the 2005 Los Angeles Mayoral election.
Earlier in his career Aira directed a number of groundbreaking music videos for MTV Network for a variety of artists including Ric Ocasek (The Cars), General Public, Martika, and The Covergirls, amongst many others. He also directed several short films, including “Chapter X”, winning “Best Experimental Film” at the Los Angeles International Film Expo and “Beset”, now part of MOCA’s permanent collection, it showcased in the USA and Europe at the Institute of Contemporary Art. His first commercial for Sporto Shoes with Ingalls Advertising earned him a Clio Award, launching his directing career. After winning fourteen New England Best of Broadcasting Awards, Aira relocated to Los Angeles.
He is the director and screenwriter of the indie feature Girl in 3D, Cinemavault Releasing awarded Best Feature Indiefest Chicago 2005, Best Director Screen Select, UK, Best Thriller and Best Actress at the NYIIFVF. The movie premiered at the Dances with Films Festival and showcased in Cannes and is quickly developing cult status.
His screenplay Somewhere (based on his book) is an International Family Film Festival Winner and a Kids First Film Festival Honoree. Aira’s screenplay Kemosabe has also been nominated at the Cinequest Screenplay Competition and selected by the National Association of Latino Independent Producers Media Market.
His latest work, “The Dreamer”, is a fable about a man who finds himself on a quest to meet the one who dreamed him.
Born in Cuba, and raised in Venezuela, Aira wrote newsreels as a teenager at the prestigious Bolivar Films, Caracas. His outstanding work and unique vision resulted in a government grant award to study abroad. He is a graduate of Emerson College, Boston in Communications and Film.
He is currently working as a freelance creative director in the advertising industry as well as developing several film and book projects.
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