Five years ago, Latin music moguls Diego Laviada and Hernán Villarreal, who both worked at Sony Music Mexico for more than two decades, launched their own marketing and promotion agency called Dubbing Hits.
“I felt the desire to do something else,” Laviada, CEO of Dubbing Hits and former vp of marketing and promotion at Sony Music Mexico, tells Billboard. “When I told Hernán about wanting to start this project, he got really excited and decided to join me. I didn’t have much to offer him at first, other than this big idea and the dream to follow it.”
Based in Mexico, Dubbing Hits has become a one-stop company with different verticals specializing in creative and influencer marketing, audiovisual production, paid media, and mass promotion on TV, radio, and digital media, to name a few. The agency also works closely live entertainment companies, events, influencers and brands, and recently teamed up with creative and audiovisual production company Cuarto Piso.
“When it came to the growth of independent artists, I felt there was a need for professional, experienced, and honest attention that can guide the artist in their different stages,” says Laviada, who has almost 35 years of experience in the industry.
What started off as a small team of six people has evolved into an office with more than 35 employees. Led by Laviada and Villarreal, Dubbing Hits says it has collaborated on more than 1,000 promo plans and 500 music releases, with over 400 of those reaching No. 1 in Mexico; and executed more than 1,500 campaigns that have generated 5.3 billion impressions across 14 countries. The agency has also expanded its campaigns to the coveted screens in New York’s Times Square.
Dubbing Hits’ notable clients include Alejandro Sanz, Bad Bunny, Carin León, Fuerza Regida, Grupo Firme, Katy Perry, Marc Anthony, Miley Cyrus, Rauw Alejandro, Romeo Santos and Shakira, along with companies such as Disney+, OCESA Seitrack, Rimas and Spotify.
Now, on the company’s fifth anniversary, Laviada and Villarreal have no plans to slow down.
“This industry is so extensive with lots of options that I think we make the perfect combination, always with the hunger to support, create and be that partner that believes in the artist and lives their dream,” says Laviada. “Our slogan best explains it: ‘Your project, our passion.’”