Ad Astra Media and Nuestro Stories Partner to Produce ‘Entre2Mundos’, a History-making Anime and Manga Series Inspired by Mesoamerican Civilizations and The Diaspora

NEW YORK, NY — February 29, 2024 — (NOTICIAS NEWSWIRE) — Ad Astra Media and Nuestro Stories announced today at the 2024 AIMM GrowthFronts that they are joining forces to produce the innovative ‘Entre2Mundos’, the first ever anime and manga series set in the indigenous civilizations of Mesoamerica, as well as the Latin American communities and folklore that came afterwards.

The series (see the short preview video here) is the brainchild of director, writer, illustrator, and executive producer Marc Andrew Sanchez, who previously produced, directed and animated Sombras for Latino Public Broadcasting with Ad Astra Media.  Carisse Jasmin Zepeda is the Creative Producer of the series and helps lead the amazing development team.

Entre2Mundos follows the adventures of three friends who are forced to navigate a world inspired by pre-contact Mesoamerica, where diverse subcultures shape character designs. The series is the first anime to ever weave stories with rich influences from Mayan, Aztec, Incan, and Taino folklore, as well as South American, Afro Caribbean, and Central American culture. The theme of “in between” (entre dos) permeates the narrative amidst code-switching that will take place in the series between English, Spanish, Nahuatl, and other languages that fill the Latino diaspora.

Nuestro Stories has joined the franchise as an executive producer, charged with developing distribution and business strategies and spearheading the PR & promotional efforts for E2M, including sponsorship sales, and other marketing partnerships.

“We’re proud to join forces with a Nuestro Stories team that have the track record for storytelling, brand relationships, partnership experience, and shared vision that we need to bring this series to life,” said Jose Moray, CEO of Ad Astra Media, and executive producer of the series.

“It’s an incredible opportunity and a privilege for Nuestro Stories to collaborate with the creators of E2M, a history-making anime series that so incredibly aligns with our vision and mission,” said Manny Ruiz, Chief Content Officer of Nuestro Stories, and an executive producer of the series. “Marc, Jose, and Carisse are shaping a franchise that taps into a fanatical, anime-loving global audience that is going to be wowed about what our ancestral cultural heritage represents.”

Sanchez says the stories he’s crafting “draw from personal experiences as a Mexican-American and as a child of divorce, being fascinated by the history of Latinos before and after the conquest. I understand the impact of such stories, providing not only representation for various cultures and their myths and folklore stories but also resonating with those navigating family struggles in a universal way.”

A Short Preview of Entre2Mundos

A short video and image preview of the world of Entre2Mundos is available at this link.  Sponsorship inquiries can be directed to alex@brillamedia.com.

Anime is a $24 billion dollar global industry, and one that is totally untapped in the Hispanic and Latin American community that Entre2Mundos is building through the Mesoamerican narrative.

Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area that begins in the southern part of North America and extends to the Pacific coast of Central America, thus comprising the lands of central and southern Mexico, all of Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, and small parts of Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.

About Ad Astra Media

Ad Astra Media is a minority owned social impact production studio, focusing on creating diverse S.T.E.A.M. content from K to Career. We are a team of diverse individuals, seeking to inspire under-represented communities to pursue science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. We strongly support a more assorted group of professionals within these careers. This starts with our next generation... a generation of ambitious individuals, growing up in a transmedia world, who deserve to see the possible opportunities of their future.

Ad Astra Media works with world renowned organizations and institutions, such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Mattel, PBS Kids Virginia, The Clinton Global Initiative, NASA and more, who share this goal and strive to reach communities through the digital platforms and streaming services used daily.

About Nuestro Stories

Nuestro Stories is the flagship media brand of Brilla Media Ventures, and was founded with the premise of celebrating Latino heritage, history and origins every day.

We offer multicultural marketers engaging cultural content across our O&O platforms Nuestro Stories and Brilla Latina, programmatic ad tech services for scalable media delivery, influencer marketing, creative studios, and activations.

Nuestro Stories is led by Latino media pioneers Angela Sustaita-Ruiz and Manny Ruiz, creators of Hispanicize and co-founders of the Hispanic social media marketing, and influencer industries, the Latino press release wire industry, and the first network of Hispanic print media companies online.

About Marc Andrew Sanchez

Marc Andrew Sánchez hails from Yuma, Arizona, where growing up on the border profoundly influenced his perspective, straddling the cultural divide as a Mexican-American. He graduated from UCLA with a Masters in Fine Arts focus Animation production (2022). Under the mentorship of animation luminaries like Charles Sheetz, Mark Kirkland, Aaron Ehasz, and Jorge Gutierrez, all acclaimed for their Emmy and other prestigious awards, Marc's artistic journey blossomed.

Distinguished as the first ever animation directing student nationwide to be a recipients of the National Hispanic Foundations for the Arts Grant (2020), established by Jimmy Smits, Esai Morales, Felix Sanchez, and Merel Julia, Marc is driven by a passion to empower young adults by addressing their past traumas through his storytelling. With a vision to connect with the Latino community, Marc draws from his upbringing and previous experience as a high school educator to infuse authenticity into his narratives, aspiring to ignite the imaginations of future generations. Marc Sanchez is also the first to teach Latinx Animation History at UCLA in the Chicana/o and Central American Studies program and is an instructor at Exceptional Minds (a animation school for students on the Autism Spectrum.)

Identifying as an artist and writer under the moniker "GIVE.ME.MÁS," Marc aims to broaden the audience's appreciation for Latin Anime, weaving cultural richness into his creations.

About Carisse Zepeda

Carisse Zepeda, a Mexican American creative from Riverside, California, is set to revolutionize the television landscape with her upcoming Latino sci-fi series. Zepeda's artistic journey commenced at UCLA, where she achieved both a Bachelor's degree in Design and a Master's degree in Film and Television Production. Throughout her academic pursuits, Zepeda delved into emerging technologies, refining her skills in directing by seamlessly merging live-action with animation in her film projects. Collaborating with her esteemed art director, Marc Sanchez, who has previously contributed to several Latino projects alongside Zepeda, the duo has successfully navigated the creative realms of manga and TV series development.

Fueled by a passion for dramatic fantasy, Zepeda made a decisive shift, fully immersing herself in the world of animation. Guided by her artistic vision and with the creative leadership of Marc Sanchez, the dynamic duo is spearheading the development of the imaginative world-building stories of E2M. Currently, Zepeda is meticulously crafting the final touches on her fully animated Latino sci-fi television pilot, promising audiences an enthralling and unparalleled viewing experience.