Great American Media has significantly expanded its partnership with Minivela, the Latino media entertainment and production company co-founded by media entrepreneur Manny Ruiz and actor-producer Carlos Ponce, to develop its new streaming destination, Pure Flix Familia. The move underscores the growing importance of the U.S. Hispanic market and represents a strategic effort to serve Latino families with faith-based and family-friendly content. Minivela will serve as the platform's programming, content, and creative partner, working closely with Great American Media and Pure Flix leadership on original programming, content development, creator relationships, licensing, cultural strategy, and audience engagement.
The partnership brings together two seasoned Latino media professionals with deep roots in the community. Ruiz and Ponce have decades of experience in Hispanic media, entertainment, cultural marketing, and storytelling, connecting them directly with Latino audiences, creators, and communities. Bill Abbott, President and CEO of Great American Media, emphasized the significance of the collaboration: “Pure Flix Familia represents an important expansion of Great American Media’s mission to serve families with trusted entertainment grounded in faith and shared values. Manny, Carlos and the Minivela team bring a strong creative instinct and a deep understanding of Latino audiences and a commitment to faith and family entertainment. They know this community because they are part of it.”
Manny Ruiz, CEO and co-founder of Minivela, will lead the company’s work as programming, creative, and content strategy partner. In this role, he will collaborate with Great American Media and Pure Flix executives to identify original programming opportunities, cultivate relationships with Latino creators and producers, and advise on the platform’s cultural and audience strategy. Ruiz sees the venture as a chance to build a streaming destination that understands Latino families and reflects their faith, values, experiences, and aspirations. “Our focus will be on helping Pure Flix Familia develop authentic programming, meaningful creator relationships and a consistent content pipeline that can earn a lasting place in people’s homes,” he said.
Carlos Ponce, who co-founded Minivela with Ruiz, will play a key creative and audience-facing role. He will support the development of Pure Flix Familia’s creative identity, help establish relationships with actors, writers, filmmakers, and other creators, and contribute to audience-engagement initiatives. Ponce is also expected to participate as on-screen talent in future projects. “Authenticity begins by ensuring that the people and communities we hope to serve have a meaningful voice in the creative process,” Ponce said. “We will work directly with writers, actors, filmmakers and producers who know these families because they come from these families. That is how we can help create stories audiences recognize, trust and want to share.”
The expanded relationship gives Minivela a broader leadership role in the development and operation of Pure Flix Familia. Minivela will help develop original movies, series, and mobile-first microdramas; identify potential content and acquisition opportunities; cultivate emerging and established Latino talent; and advise on programming, social media, community partnerships, and audience-growth initiatives. Great American Media will retain responsibility for Pure Flix Familia’s business operations and final approval over its brand, budget, programming, acquisitions, and distribution.
The partnership builds upon a previously announced development, distribution, and marketing relationship that initially focused on producing mobile-first microdramas for U.S. Hispanic and Latin American audiences. Pure Flix Familia is scheduled to launch in early October with Spanish-language entertainment and will expand over time to include bilingual and English-language programming created and curated for Latino audiences. The service is part of Great American Media’s broader strategy to grow its faith-and-family entertainment ecosystem and reach new audiences with programming families can confidently enjoy together. Additional details about Pure Flix Familia’s launch programming, subscription options, supported devices, and availability will be announced separately.
As the media landscape continues to diversify, this partnership highlights the importance of authentic representation and culturally relevant content. By investing in a dedicated platform for Latino families, Great American Media is positioning itself to capture a significant and growing audience segment. The involvement of Minivela ensures that the content will be developed with genuine insight and respect for Latino culture, faith, and family values. This move could set a precedent for other media companies looking to serve underrepresented communities with tailored streaming services.
