Meet Mitzi Salgado | Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Cultura Media

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mitzi Salgado and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mitzi, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?

I started The Cultura Media out of a need to have more bilingual resources available for Latino and immigrant communities. I remember growing up, I always had to translate everything for my parents, from translating menus at restaurants to translating medical diagnoses at doctors’ appointments. There were never enough Spanish resources available for them nor enough bilingual people in leadership positions to support them.

I was also frustrated with the lack of inclusion of Latinos and community building to support monolingual families, which led me to start my own business. I’ve always found myself being a bridge for underserved communities one way or another. After I graduated with my master’s in International Public Policy and Management, I realized that I had all the right skills to start a media company that carried a social mission of inclusion and community building that could understand our community so deeply.

1 in every 6 Americans is Latino, and with that statistic, I realized that there is a huge need for bilingual resources and inclusive media that builds community. So, I founded The Cultura Media, which focuses on making information accessible while promoting Latino culture and inclusion. The Cultura Media has now featured Latinos in the Top Billboard 100 artists, HBO Max actors, and activists who not only add to our community but create culture as well.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
What keeps me busy professionally is making sure our business stays healthy and mission-driven. Many unique aspects of The Cultura Media are that we’re very intentional about what we do because of our mission statement, and we put our target audience front and center not only in their needs but in their hopes and dreams. As Editor-in-Chief, I analyze every word we use in our articles and video interviews and create the vision of the photoshoots because I have to make sure we’re as inclusive and healthy promoters of our culture as possible. My process is lengthy. I look at the challenges members of our community face and assess how I can help combat these challenges through our mission and lens. For example, to promote LGBTQ+ Latinx folks, The Cultura Media did a campaign with HBO Max actor Vico Ortiz, and I decided to do it at a Church. It’s not just the lighting, the make-up. It’s the scene, the ambiance, all breaking down the barriers where you can actually see it happening. And when I edit, the Spanish words we use are not only literally translated but colloquially translated too. Is the copy too specific to a country? Can a different generation of Latinos relate to the information or article? Is the topic inclusive of Afro-Latinos? It’s a very tough job because we’re so diverse.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Interesting question: we’re strategically placed in San Diego, CA, because we’re a globally conscious company, and San Diego is at the US-Mexico border. So, contrary to common belief, Tijuana is only a 20-minute drive from San Diego, so I’d start my first day by inviting my best friend to breakfast at Mantequilla or Sabor a Mi in Tijuana, Mexico. We’d visit Friendship Park in Playas de Tijuana, have lunch at El Turco for the best Turkish food in the western hemisphere, and end our night at Plaza del Zapato in Zona Rio for a memorable bar hopping evening.

We’d easily drive back through the Sentri lane the next day. Within 30 minutes, we’d be back in San Diego to enjoy the day on Coronado beach, starting with a nice walk on the beach. After our walk, I’d have sushi at Saiko Sushi and dinner at The Henry’s. After dinner, we’d take a walk to the Coronado Hotel and even enjoy a couple of cocktails at their beach bar.

The following day we’d go to The Mission in East Village for the best breakfast. I love going to museums at Balboa Park, and for the best brick-oven pizza and craft beers, I’d go to Pure Project near Balboa Park for dinner. Pure Project has over ten different types of craft beers and ciders on tap, and all the beers I’ve had there before are pretty good.

I’d also spend another day in Little Italy at my absolute favorite restaurant, Herb and Wood, for the ride of our taste buds’ life. For dessert, we’d make our way across the street from Herb and Wood to Bobboi for the best gelato we’ll have outside of Italy (believe me).

Finally, I’d also spend a day in La Jolla. I’d start my morning by grabbing a pastry from Wayfarer Bread & Pastry and coffee from Bird Rock Coffee just a block from the bakery and enjoying my pastry and coffee gazing into the pacific ocean from a bench that sits on a cliff overseeing the beautiful sea. Then, we’d go to the new Contemporary Art Museum in a golf cart and finish my night at Raised by Wolves’ secret bar.

What can I say, my best friends and I are foodies, but this is how we would spend our time in the area. Of course, I highly recommend going to a game at Petco Park or hiking on the Torrey Pines Trails. But San Diego is great that way. There’s so much to do. But most of all, I would recommend all these places.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I couldn’t do my work without the incredibly supportive executive husband-in-chief, who has supported me endlessly in photoshoots, interviews, events, you name it. Not only through his encouragement and peer-mentorship, but he has stayed up with me to help me solve problems and overcome the growing pains of a start-up.

I also want to send a shoutout to my team, starting with our Editorial Marketing Associate, Darian Cruz, who has worked incredibly hard to give The Cultura Media a refreshing perspective.

Lastly, Marlene Solorio (IG: @m2rl3n3), our first graphic designer who created the iconic logo and is an incredible supporter, and our photographer who’s truly a badass, Chava S. (IG: @chavatakesrealterriblepictures)

Website: https://thecultura.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecultura_/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-cultura/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheCultura_

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecultura.org/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMU9xmg_wNnz69rYGGA_bdg

Image Credits
Photographer credits for all the photos in the white dress with flowers and red skirt: Alan Israel Aguilar Valenzuela