People en Español's 2016 Most Influential List

On July 19th, when Donald Trump was nominated as the Republican party’s presidential candidate, it was one of the most terrible moments in the Venezuelan’s life. “I was in shock,” said Machado, who after being crowned Miss Universe 1996 was called “Miss Piggy” by Trump for gaining weight during her reign and “Miss Housekeeping” for being Hispanic. “As long as I am firm in my convictions, that gives me peace to continue,” said the actress, now a U.S. citizen.

When she’s not making us laugh on the NBC show Superstore, the actress and producer of Honduran descent was urging Latinos to vote and seeks projects in Hollywood to help “voices who have no way to be heard.”

“I worked hard to be a lawyer,” said the Cuban woman behind Caso Cerrado, a program that has been broadcast on Telemundo for fifteen years. “I can not ask for much more from people, my colleagues.”

To what does the president of NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises attribute for the first place in ratings from Telemundo? “The hard work of many people,” said the executive.

“I want you to see the reality,” said the Mexican-American about her show The Riveras (NBC Universo), who has followed in the footsteps of her late mother Jenni Rivera in music.

“To get to this point we had a lot of obstacles, it wasn’t easy,” said the reggaetonero, who started his career in 1996. “It was the toughest times of our generation, we did not have the way. It was our turn to do it.”

“I would like to help bring more technology into the classroom for children,” said the executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Verizon Communications on his goals. He was born in Argentina and the first Latino in this position.

“I’m very excited,” said the Chilean of his return to Spanish television on Telemundo. “Success depends on the audience. We’re going to have to learn that we’re on a new chanel, that may have a different audience to which we have to approach. It’s a double challenge.”

When Don Julio Gonzalez (right) began to distill tequila in 1942, an adventure began of more than four decades to perfect it. At the age of 60 he decided to share a tequila from his personal reserve with his name and today Enrique de Colsa follows the tradition as a master distiller of what is considered the first luxury tequila in the world. Cheers!

The fashion and beauty guru found her calling after serving in the U.S. Army in Iraq. “I was surrounded by men, fixing trucks, getting dirty. That feminine side of mine could not be expressed,” said the Mexican who today has millions of followers in their social networks.

On Noticiero Univision, the evening edition, the Mexican journalist tries to tell different stories. “That’s what Univision has been doing for decades,” he noted.

“I want to raise the second and third generation of Latinos who live here. I think a story like Jane’s is good, gives hope and tries to be positive,” said the actress of Puerto Rican descent of her character in the Jane The Virgin series (The CW).

The 45-year-old Colombian and general director of News, Entertainment and Digital at Univision has the responsibility of those distinct areas in content on the main Hispanic channel.

With his programs on YouTube and his book La vida es una piñata (Harper Collins Español), the Cuban shares uplifting messages: “Let’s seek to understand other cultures, that way we will be more tolerant.”

After becoming a mother, the actress of Mexican-American descent began to create non-toxic products for her daughters and her home. Today, Alba’s company—The Honest Company—offers more than 135 items and is valued at $1.7 billion.

“The main social responsibility of a journalist is to confront those who have power. Avoiding the abuse of that power determines our role in society,” declared the Mexican journalist and presenter of Noticiero Univision, which this year grabbed headlines for their clashes with the President-elect Donald Trump.

“Serving the community in Spanish or English… is an honor,” emphasized the Cuban-American presenter of Telemundo Noticiero, Monday through Friday, and NBC Nightly News, on Saturdays.

The actor and playwright with a Puerto Rican background revolutionized Broadway with his award-winning show Hamilton. “I love it,” he said, “that there are so many young people who love the show.”

The two decades of this Cuban-American designer’s career were captured in the retrospective “Narciso Rodriguez: An Exercise in Minimalism,” located in the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum in Miami.

The Mexican-American actor, who has risen the ratings in Spanish television with the series The Lord of the Skies, brought the character Aurelio Casillas back to the screen in the American series Queen of the South (USA Network).