Raze, the digital media venture co-founded by the actress Sofia Vergara that will furnish news, lifestyle, and beauty content for Hispanic viewers in the U.S., has announced several key hires and the appointment of Joe Abruzzese to its board. Abruzzese is the former president of ad sales for Discovery Communications.
The fleet of new hires, per Variety, includes former Viceland marketing executive Rafael Sandor, who has been named Raze’s chief creative officer, as well as journalist Daniel Hernandez — also from Vice — who will serve as head of Raze News. Additionally, producers D. Matt Geller and David Stern have been named co-heads of scripted programming for Raze.
The Los Angeles-based company was co-founded by Vergara, business partner Luis Balaguer, and former Fox Television Studios president Emiliano Calemzuk. Raze also reportedly launched with a seven-figure funding round from backers including Greycroft Partners, Raine Ventures, and UTA. UTA’s head of digital media, Brent Weinstein, also serves on the Raze board.
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“Raze was founded to tell the stories of a generation that has often been underserved by creating content that speaks from a unique Latin voice,” Calemzuk said in a statement, adding that the new hires will aim to help fill this gap.
Later this year, Raze will launch raze.tv, a mobile video hub, according to Variety, and the company also has several original series in production. Raze’s first production, Su Nombre Era Dolores, La Jenn Que Yo Conocí, about Mexican music superstar Jenni Rivera, premiered last year on Univision.
