National Hispanic Heritage Month honors the cultures and contributions of both Hispanic and Latin Americans as we celebrate heritage rooted in all Latin American countries. This celebration originally started with one week of commemoration when it was first introduced in June of 1968. The September 15th starting date signifies the independence anniversary for Latin American countries El Salvador, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Honduras.
Steph Mitchell (Head of Community Partnerships) first heard about Sofar when she was working for UMG in LA. After attending a Sofar show she realized that it was so special in comparison to the huge arena shows she was attending for work. Sofar ended up being integral to her journey when she made the move from her hometown of Los Angeles to NYC in 2016.
“It turned into a full-time job a couple of months after working with the New York team. I love the fact that it helped me discover the city in a way that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise. It was a special time where my professional career overlapped with my personal life and I met folks who I am still close friends with today.”
Steph gave me a bit of history on how her heritage shaped her views on the music industry, and who inspires her.
“Both of my parents are from Mexico City and my dad was probably the biggest influence on my decision to get into the music business. He works with a lot of regional Mexican artists performing Norteño and Banda. He’s always promoted bands and had a record label at one point. I just loved how passionate he was about what he did and I really appreciate that there’s music out there that I can connect with through being bilingual.”
Steph left me with some words of inspiration for the future of Sofar.
“I’d really love for us to continue to push the envelope when it comes to featuring different types of music. I’m hoping that we can keep challenging ourselves to learn about new music and present it to people because there are so many beautiful different types of music out there.”
