SOMOS ARTE (WE ARE ART), the Brooklyn based independent creative services studio behind the hit comic superhero franchise, La Borinqueña, has selected FanGirl Consulting & Brand Management, LLC as its agent focusing on licensing, promotional partnerships, and brand integrations.
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In 2016 award-winning graphic novelist, Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez, created the superhero as a direct response to the economic crisis affecting the island of Puerto Rico. Inspired by the Puerto Rican national anthem of the same name, La Borinqueña (pronounced la Borinˈkenya) is an original Afro-Puerto Rican character and patriotic symbol presented in a classic superhero story. As a response to Hurricane Maria, Miranda-Rodriguez self-published the best-selling benefit anthology, Ricanstruction: Reminiscing & Rebuilding Puerto Rico, under his own studio Somos Arte. The anthology features La Borinqueña teaming up with Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman, and other DC Comics heroes. All sales from this benefit anthology were used to award grants to non-profit organizations based in Puerto Rico. During the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con event, Miranda-Rodriguez was bestowed the Eisner Award’s Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award for his philanthropic efforts. Through sales of the graphic novels and various other collaborations, the grants program has raised over a quarter of a million dollars for grassroots organizations in Puerto Rico via the La Borinqueña Grants Program.
“Superheroes and their stories inspire us to help make the world a better place for all of us. With La Borinqueña, I set out to create a character that connects readers and fans to a real place rich with history and heritage. Our hope is that La Borinqueña inspires us all to see our heroic potential to make a difference now, leaping from the comic book pages to the real world” says Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez, award winning graphic novelist, philanthropist and creator of La Borinqueña
“As a Puerto Rican woman myself, I couldn’t be prouder to build an official licensing program for La Borinqueña and to work with Somos Arte to celebrate our Puerto Rican heritage and share our stories with the world” says Anita Castellar, CEO of FanGirl Consulting & Brand Management.
Recent activities:
In 2020, both Rosario Dawson and Zoe Saldana lent their voices to various public service announcements featuring La Borinqueña, and produced in conjunction with Voto Latino, Fair Fight, and Poder Latinx, to engage voters in the U.S. general election and the Georgia runoff elections.
On December 18, 2020 La Borinqueña joined forces with Stretch and Bobbito + The M19s Band to produce the first song, music video, and comic book Que Bonita Bandera to commemorate the 125th anniversary of Puerto Rico’s flag which falls on December 22nd. The song is released on 10x Grammy Award winner Eddie Palmieri’s label Uprising Music NYC (distributed by ADA/Warner Music) featuring vocals from such celebrities as Rosario Dawson, Rosie Perez and over a dozen more! On sale now with 100% of the net profits to benefit the La Borinqueña Grants Program.
FanGirl Consulting & Brand Management will serve as global Licensing Agent for La Borinqueña brand, overseeing and seeking deals for the following areas:
Identify Licensing, Retail, and Promotional opportunities in all categories
Build Direct to Consumer and/or Ecommerce strategies
In 2017 as a response to Hurricane Maria, award-winning graphic novelist and creator of La Borinqueña Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez, published the best-selling benefit anthology Ricanstruction: Reminiscing & Rebuilding Puerto Rico. Sales from this benefit anthology went towards grants that were awarded to non-profit organizations based in Puerto Rico funding work in the areas of child development, arts, women’s health, environmental justice, and sustainable farming. La Borinqueña Grants Program, since its founding in 2018, brings awareness to community-led solutions through a range of fundraising initiatives and partnerships with international artists, brand collaborations, and exhibitions. Inspired by the original graphic novel superhero, La Borinqueña, the grants program also celebrates and works to preserve Afro-Puerto Rican heritage and envisions a Puerto Rico that is self-sufficient and thriving. https://www.la-borinquena.com/
ABOUT FANGIRL CONSULTING & BRAND MANAGEMENT FanGirl is a boutique consulting and licensing agency concentrating on pop culture and unlocking the business potential behind fandoms. Services include Inbound licensing activities on behalf of Manufacturers; Brand Building and Outbound Licensing programs on behalf of IP owners; and marketing consultations. For the fans, by the fans! http://fglicensing.com/
