In progress …

Latin Beat Magazine, May, 2003 by Haydee Vicedo

There has been a growth in numbers of Latin women-owned businesses, as many of the women featured in this column have exemplified. Women are still a long way from eliminating the glass ceiling, but we are discovering new ways to crack it.

This month we highlight a young woman who grew up in a time that already boasts female executives and well-paid Latin entertainers, but who continues to move forward with fierce ambition and hard work for the advancement of women in the industry. As the youngest woman featured so far in this column, Alissa Hernández, at 24 years of age, fits right in with her exceptional predecessors. She currently serves as the media and writer relations go-to person at Royalty Network, a very well respected music publishing company that boasts a perpetually growing catalog of some of the most prolific songwriters, producers and artists in hip-hop, R&B and reggae; with plans for even further expansion this year alone. Alissa handles media placement for the company via advertising and sponsorship opportunities, and is also in charge of special event planning. In addition, she handles creative pitching of catalog for synchronization placement, including for film and television use. An eager student of the business, Alissa started with Royalty Network in June 2000 in an entry-level assignment, handling royalty statements for different music labels. She spent the last three years learning every aspect of music publishing and how it affects the artists and songwriters her company represents. In those three years she realized that there are many people who have been in the business for years, but are still ignorant to publishing; not knowing how vital that knowledge is. Assertively asking for more duties, learning more about the business and constantly challenging herself, she moved up to the position she currently holds. "I realized that I would have to work 10 times harder than that of the persona notch above me to get any recognition," noting that even in a music world with female executives, women must still work harder to be acknowledged.

Alissa's determination stems from a very interesting time growing up. Part Honduran and part Israeli, Alissa spent many days with her grandparents in Honduras witnessing immense deprivation among its people. "Poor people are poor people--they are forced to endure the wrath of economic hardships, social inequities and general danger that comes as a result of desperation. Though I was young, my memories are vivid. The lifestyle left a tremendous impression on me." During her first year of college, she opted to study politics and government in Israel. There she learned to live with and adjust to the constant threat of violence. In her junior year, she spent a year in Kingston, Jamaica, working with preschoolers at the National Water Commission Basic School. In Jamaica, she again witnessed how scarcity can impede the growth of a nation and its people.

Alissa's past experiences may seem globally dissonant with the music industry world that she inhabits, but her quick ascension towards a successful career makes all the more sense because of it. Where else would she obtain the type of ambition and strength that is so necessary to succeed in a male-dominated industry? She has acquired the empathy needed to honestly represent the artists and musicians who depend on her services. In order for artists to create art, there needs to be people who help along the way; and that is where Alissa takes her cue.

Alissa Hernández

Media/Writer Relations Royalty Network, Inc.

Quick Facts

Name: Alissa Hernandez Age: 24

* Would like to go to Law school one day and "help break down barriers in the workforce"

* Plans to ultimately run her own business in the music industry with colleague Felisha Booker of Eartodastreets Production

* Continues to help artists and songwriters with media placement and publishing issues

For more information on Royalty Network, Inc. or to get in contact with Alissa: The Royalty Network, Inc. 224 W. 30th St., Ste. 1007, New York, NY 10001, Tel: 212-967-4300, Fax: 212-967-3477, email: alissah@roynet.com, website: www.roynet.com