Martin Alfaro, director of business development for AL DÍA of Philadelphia, has been named an Innovator of the Year by Local Media Association for delivering fantastic results by combining quality content, live events and community partnerships to drive revenue. 

Each year, the Local Media Sales and Advertising Innovator of the Year award recognizes local media executives who have showcased innovation, resilience and significant achievements in sales or advertising – with the numbers to back it up.

Alfaro breathes creativity and ingenuity into every project he touches for AL DÍA. Alfaro not only designs, builds and executes incredible content and community programs like The Archetypes, a premier celebration of America’s Hispanic Heritage, but he drives revenue for these projects making them profitable and repeatable. By combining the power of content, live events, and the community, Alfaro creates impact for the audience while building impressive revenue for AL DÍA.

The best part about what Alfaro has created is the deep partnerships with the Philadelphia media community. The Archetypes initiative also included video programming created in partnership with the local ABC TV station, to ensure the content received distribution beyond the engaged AL DÍA audience. 

Alfaro also executed and sells content programs that feature profiles of influential Philadelphians, such as AL DÍA’s “40 under 40” series, Top Nurses and Top Entrepreneurs.

One of the most exciting initiatives for AL DÍA was a content series and musical created in partnership with SEPTA, Philadelphia’s public transportation system. La Guagua 47 was the culmination of AL DÍA’s Abordo SEPTA series, a year-long content series that aims to humanize SEPTA’s diverse ridership by documenting shared and different experiences alike throughout the same, unifying public transit system. The initiative included a short film that premiered in front of hundreds of attendees that allowed for additional business participation and sponsorships. 

“Martin’s innovative thinking, hard work and ability to execute even the biggest ideas, proves he is leading the way for all media companies. He has created programs that inspire and engage audiences while creating major new revenue lines for AL DÍA. Alfaro’s creative leadership and service to his community is an important example of true partnership and collaboration witht the business community and that is why he is one of our LMA sales and advertising innovator of the year.”

— Julia Campbell, general manager, The Branded Content Project

“I feel proud and honored to receive this award. Thank you to the team at LMA for the recognition and for the constant support along the way. I would not be able to do this work if I wasn’t in an environment where mistakes are nothing but learning experiences, individuals have the opportunity to carve out their own paths, and where leading begins with following your gut feeling. 

I encourage all publishers to try this approach because what we’ve learned over the last few years is that we’re in a time where it is fair game for news media, regardless of the size of your media company, we all have the same tools and capability to deliver greatness. 

As for my colleagues, especially young leaders, I’d say the long hours, frustrations, and never ending emails are all part of the recipe to success. As our country continues to become inevitably more diverse; we will need more Latinos, people of color, and women at the helm of news organizations making decisions that best serve our communities. “

— Martin Alfaro, director of business development, AL DÍA