- Minivela’s Manny Ruiz will serve as creative and content strategy partner for Great American Media’s new streaming destination for Latino families
- Actor-producer Carlos Ponce will support creative development, talent relationships and audience engagement
NEW YORK, Sept. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Great American Media today announced it has tapped Minivela, the Latino media entertainment and production company co-founded by media entrepreneur Manny Ruiz and actor-producer Carlos Ponce, to support the creation and production of Pure Flix Familia, Great American Media’s new streaming destination created for Latino families.
Minivela will serve as Pure Flix Familia’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.
Ruiz and Ponce bring decades of experience working within the Latino community at the grassroots level, with deep track records across Hispanic media, entertainment, cultural marketing and storytelling that have connected them directly with Latino audiences, creators and communities.
“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,” said Bill Abbott, President and CEO of Great American Media. “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. Their perspective will be invaluable as we build a distinctive programming strategy and develop authentic stories that resonate across generations.”
Manny Ruiz, CEO and co-founder of Minivela, will lead Minivela’s work as programming, creative and content strategy partner. In this role, he will collaborate with Great American Media and Pure Flix executives to help identify original programming opportunities, cultivate relationships with Latino creators and producers, and advise on the platform’s cultural and audience strategy.
“This is an opportunity to work alongside Great American Media to build a streaming destination that understands Latino families and reflects their faith, values, experiences and aspirations,” Ruiz said. “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.”
Carlos Ponce, who co-founded Minivela with Ruiz, will play a key creative and audience-facing role in the partnership. Ponce 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. He is also expected to participate as on-screen talent in future Pure Flix Familia 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.”
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. The expanded relationship gives Minivela a broader leadership role in the development and operation of Pure Flix Familia.
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 expanded partnership builds upon Great American Media and Minivela’s previously announced development, distribution and marketing relationship that was initially only 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.
ABOUT GREAT AMERICAN MEDIA
Great American Media is a leader in faith-and-family entertainment and one of the fastest-growing entertainment networks on television. Great American Media is home to a portfolio of brands that celebrate faith, family and country, including Great American Family, the flagship linear network featuring original Christmas movies, romantic comedies and beloved series; Great American Pure Flix, a leading faith-and-family streaming service; Great American Faith & Living, the company’s unscripted companion network; and GFam+, an app that allows viewers to watch Great American Media programming anytime and anywhere.
Established in June 2021 by Bill Abbott and a group of U.S.-based family offices, Great American Media programming is available through cable and satellite providers, Great American Pure Flix, YouTube TV and the GFam+ app.
ABOUT PURE FLIX FAMILIA
Pure Flix Familia is an operating entity within Great American Pure Flix and Great American Media dedicated to culturally relevant entertainment centered on faith and family. The streaming destination is being developed to serve Spanish-dominant, bilingual and English-dominant Latino audiences through original movies, series, mobile-first microdramas and thoughtfully curated programming that families can confidently enjoy together.
ABOUT MINIVELA
Minivela is a Latino-focused entertainment and production company co-founded by media entrepreneur Manny Ruiz and actor-producer Carlos Ponce. The company develops culturally relevant programming for U.S. Hispanic and Latin American audiences, with an emphasis on mobile-first storytelling, emerging creative formats and authentic relationships with Latino creators and communities.
MEDIA CONTACT
Victoria Quevedo
media@crosswindpr.com
512.537.1414
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SOURCE Great American Media
