Billboard
Reggaeton kingpin Don Omar and multi-platinum hip hop artist Nas will share the stage at Soulfrito, an urban Latin music festival coming Feb. 22 to the grounds of the Sun
With 20 years in entertainment marketing and live events targeting the influential, trendsetting and urban skewing multicultural markets; Melissa’s expertise is in music and culture. Conceiving and implementing integrated marketing strategies to establish and grow brands’ market leadership within key cultural movements.
Melissa has served as a consultant and strategist offering expertise in producing live events, music festivals, consumer marketing, brand partnerships and strategic planning for clients wishing to target cross cultural millennial and gen z markets audiences.
Her background is of Venezuelan and English descent, born in the U.K. and raised in Miami, Melissa embodies the essence of today’s multicultural millennial.
Melissa grew up around the nightlife and entertainment industry in Miami as the daughter of nightclub empresario and concert promoter.
During the early stage of her young entrepreneurial career, Giles formed a promotions company in High School, providing services for the local Miami nightlife industry, events, consumer product and entertainment brands including Def Jam Records, Loud Records, Phat Farm, Fubu, Enyce, JLo and Nickelodeon amongst others.
In 2002 she founded and developed the Soulfrito brand from the ground up, under which she cultivated the Nation’s first and largest Urban Latin music festival for the Urban Latin youth market. The festival was a major launch pad in the early stages of the careers of then emerging artists Pitbull, Romeo Santos (Aventura), Wisin y Yandel and in recent years Bad Bunny and Cardi B. Soulfrito is the first music festival of its kind to have a true multicultural line up and attendance with American Hip Hop and Latin artists sharing the same stage and bridging the gap between the African- American, Caribbean and Latino communities.
By the age of 19 and 20 Melissa was featured in Miami Herald’s Business Monday, Ad Age Magazine, Latin Billboard and Hispanic Business considered as a pioneer in the Urban Latino movement.
Melissa has worked with a variety of companies including Verizon Wireless, Time, Inc., Essence Festival, Diageo, Beam Suntory, Smirnoff, Jack Daniels, Hennessy, Bud Light, Heineken, Corona, McDonalds, Def Jam, Lionsgate Films, EBONY Media, Community Healthcare Network, Spotify, Nacional Global Media, Nationwide, Lexus, Hilton, GMAC, Pontiac, Chevy, Toyota Scion, Coca-Cola, Ford, AT&T, State Farm, P&G, Netflix, Hersheys, Univision, Walgreens, United Air Airlines, Best Buy, CNN, HLN, Chick-fil-a, Tastemade, Burger King, Target, Def Jam Records, Loud Records, Presidente Imported Beer, Red Bull, NFL, Jarritos, US Army, AOL and Reebok to name a few.
Reggaeton kingpin Don Omar and multi-platinum hip hop artist Nas will share the stage at Soulfrito, an urban Latin music festival coming Feb. 22 to the grounds of the Sun
2020 is the year when the majority of all Americans under seventeen years old will be from a minority background, a process that will culminate with a so-called “minority-majority” population
Since 2002, The Soulfrito Urban Latin Music Festival has been celebrated among mainstream heavyweights and Latin icons, alike. With the spirit of the National Puerto Rican Day Parade bubbling, Brooklyn’s
It’s done more than work as its gone on to help launch the careers of Pitbull, Aventura, and Wisin y Yandel. Over the years, Soulfrito has seen bigger acts shine like
Our guide to pop and rock shows and the best of live jazz happening this weekend and in the week ahead.