Time Warner Cable Announces Abel Ullon as the Winner of the 'Alcanza La Fama' Talent Contest

USA - English

• Latin America - español

NEW YORK, Nov. 30, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Abel Ullon, a 27 year-old aspiring singer and composer from Kansas City, has been selected as the winner of Alcanza La Fama – a national talent contest created in partnership with the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts (NHFA) which offers young artists the opportunity to showcase their musical abilities. As the winner, Abel will star in his own music video and will be featured in an upcoming Time Warner Cable Spanish-language advertising campaign. Abel will also debut with a performance at the 9th Annual Latino Trendsetter Awards & Scholarship Gala, to be held in New York City today at 6 p.m. EST.  

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As part of the partnership with the NHFA, co-founders and renowned Latino actors Jimmy Smits and Esai Morales served as celebrity judges on the panel that chose the winner of the Alcanza La Fama contest, which also included Latin Grammy's nominee and Premios Lo Nuestro award recipient, music producer Gustavo Farias. The Time Warner Cable Facebook page, Mi Cultura (My Culture), where the contest was hosted, received 117 video submissions and was visited by more than 120,000 consumers. To make a final decision, the panel considered approximately 10,000 votes from the public computed on the site, Facebook.com/MiCultura. Additionally, as part of an ongoing commitment to support the careers of aspiring Hispanic artists, Time Warner Cable' pledged to donate to the NHFA $1 for each new "like" of the Mi Cultura Facebook page - for up to a total of $30,000 - until the end of the campaign.

"We are impressed by the amazing talent and support that the Alcanza La Fama contest received from our Mi Cultura Facebook community. We are proud of Abel and all aspiring artists that pursue their passion for music day to day. At Time Warner Cable, we seek to empower Hispanics by helping them to achieve their dreams and stay connected to what matters most to them," said Marisol Martinez de Rodriguez, Sr. Director of Corporate Multicultural Marketing for Time Warner Cable.

Abel Ullon, proud husband and father of a three year-old daughter, was born and raised in Paraguay, where he started singing at community events in a band formed with his cousins. Not fluent in English at the time, he moved to Kansas City in 2006 and worked as a trash collector. When he was offered the chance to perform at restaurants, he immediately accepted. Since then, then has been developing his act through appearances at local events, promoting  his own album – recorded during a trip to Paraguay - with the hope to one day strike it big in the United States. "I'm very thankful to Time Warner Cable for the opportunity to realize my dream to sing," said Abel Ullon. "What drives my passion for music is how it can reach deep into people's hearts, regardless of their background. This explains my perseverance throughout the years - to be able to celebrate my Hispanic culture through my music."

"Our foundation knows firsthand how many Hispanics work hard to find their space within the music industry and share their talent with the world. We congratulate Abel on this great achievement and see him as a role model for those who are striving to accomplish their lifelong goals," said Felix Sanchez, Chairman and Co-founder of the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts.

Contestants participated in the Alcanza La Fama contest by submitting a video-clip of themselves singing the song 'Es Tu Manera' (It's Your Way) by Karen Rodriguez. Karen, a twenty-one year old rising Latina artist from New York City, was the first to be recognized by TWC for her talent and get her first professional music video produced. Karen served as the spokesperson for the contest, encouraging others to be TWC's next star through TV spots and appearances in key markets through Universal Music Latin Entertainment's 2010 Machete Music Tour.

About Time Warner Cable

Time Warner Cable is the second-largest cable operator in the U.S., with technologically advanced, well-clustered systems located in five geographic areas — New York State (including New York City), the Carolinas, Ohio, Southern California (including Los Angeles) and Texas. Time Warner Cable serves more than 14.7 million customers who subscribe to one or more of its video, high-speed data and voice services. Time Warner Cable Business Class offers a suite of phone, Internet, Ethernet and cable television services to businesses of all sizes. Time Warner Cable Media Sales, the advertising arm of Time Warner Cable, offers national, regional and local companies innovative advertising solutions that are targeted and affordable. More information about the services of Time Warner Cable is available at www.timewarnercable.com, www.twcbc.com and www.twcmediasales.com.

About National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts

The National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts (NHFA) is the premier Latino organization outreaching to the Latino entertainment community and the entertainment and telecommunications industries. Based in Washington, D.C., NHFA also provides outreach and scholarship support to graduate students at the following universities: New York University, Columbia University, Harvard University, Yale University, University of Chicago, The University of Texas at Austin, University of California, Los Angeles; and University of Southern California. NHFA was co-founded in 1997 by actors Jimmy Smits, Sonia Braga, Esai Morales, Merel Julia and Washington, D.C.-lawyer Felix Sanchez. www.hispanicarts.org; www.facebook.com/hispanicarts; www.twitter.com/felix_sanchez

SOURCE Time Warner Cable