Mari Santana
Mari Santana, Managing Principal of Mari Santana & Associates, a Strategic Communications, Marketing, PR and Speaker Training business, was named one of the “25 Most Powerful Women in the United States” by “People en Español” magazine in 2012. She is an award- winning professional in strategic communications, marketing, journalism and public relations. For more than 15 years, Mari helped develop, plan and execute the successful PR campaigns of over 100 products launches for Disney Destinations, Disney Parks, Disney Cruise Lines, Adventures by Disney, ESPN Wide
World of Sports & The Disney Store, as Public Relations Manager at Disney Destinations. In her role, Mari traveled extensively to all the news rooms of Disney’s top markets, creating and handling relationships with key media and influential contacts on behalf of the Disney Company. She is a well-recognized influencer in the general market, US Hispanic, Latin America and Puerto Rico.
She served as Vice President of Multicultural Marketing and Brand Development for Rock Orange, a PR, Marketing and Branding agency in Miami, named New Agency of the Year by the acclaimed PR industry's Holmes Report. The agency also won Billboard's Record of the Year Promotion Award for Gloria Estefan's latest album. Rock Orange also handles other world-class entertainers such as Latin American super star, Thalía and Emilio Estefan. As a founding member of RO, Mari landed high profiled accounts such as the soon the Thalia’s Macy’s clothing line, Bahamar, a multi-billion-dollar luxury resort in Nassau, Bahamas, among others. Clients at Rock Orange also include global brands such as; Burger King, Cotton Inc., Botran Rums, Imusa, Mineke & Macco.
Mari’s professional experience also includes, establishing and developing strategic marketing plans resulting in major national television productions with top media across the US. She was instrumental in producing news media press events of global impact across multiple platforms, which included; print, entertainment, news, broadcast and online regional, national and international media with the likes of Televisa, Univision, Telemundo, NBC, ABC, Fox, Mundo Fox and many others.
A former award winning news anchor with WNJU-TV Telemundo and WPIX, Tribune Broadcasting station in New York, she is also an accomplished TV reporter and producer. Mari’s work as a journalist inspired her to pursue a passion for empowering others through workshops and speaking engagements. In 1995 she founded a personal development company, Unlimited Motivation Inc. while she delivered nightly news in New York.
For more than 10 years, she offered many workshops and conferences sponsored by companies such as Colgate, Procter and Gamble, Chase Manhattan Bank and Tambrands, among others. Mari’s national tour “Success through Self Confidence”, offered motivation and self-esteem techniques to thousands of young people across the United States, reaching over 10 million impressions.
Awards:
People En Español Magazine- “One of the 25 Most Power Latinas” 2012 New York City Council- Citation for Empowering Women Communities New York City office of the Mayor Proclamation for exemplary journalism National Hispanic Achiever Emmy “Outstanding Solo Newscast” WNJU-TV, Telemundo New York God mother of the Puerto Rican, Cuban, Hispanic and Dominicans Parade in New York City
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