NSU Horizons Winter 2008 - 2009

C ilantro, a fixture in Mexican salsa and guacamole, has provided inspiration for a trio of imaginative M.B.A. graduates from NSU’s H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship who have opened an animation studio in Boca Raton. Cilantro Animation Studios is located far from Hollywood’s glitz and glamour. But that matters little to company president Salvatore Cavalieri, a Venezuelan who started Cilantro with a couple of business school classmates three years ago. Cavalieri sees no disadvantages to operating here as opposed to in Los Angeles. He said Florida has top animation and special effects schools, a broad pool of artists and animators, and a more diverse Hispanic population, which is essential to Cilantro’s busi- ness purpose. “Moreover, technology allows us to connect to anywhere around the globe in seconds and with no problem.” With Hispanics firmly implanted as the nation’s fastest- growing minority, Cilantro aims to surf the crest of this important demographic trend by producing 3-D animation content that bridges the Latino and American cultures. Cavalieri contends that ad agencies and networks are missing opportunities to fully engage viewers when they simply rely on lip-synched translations of English-language material. “Our philosophy is to create animation that entertains the audience with solid stories that appeal to a fast-changing American demographic. We wish to deliver animation that can be viewed in multi-platforms and delight our customers,” Cavalieri said. The studio has developed three original stories suitable for TV that revolve around Latinos trying to overcome adversity while “doing it in a funny way.” For example, Johnny the Roofer shows how an American struggles to live with Latinos of different nationalities in Miami. Storylines explain cultural differences and how the characters interrelate with each other. La Carta is about a Hispanic family living in the United States for many years whose members believe that they have adapted but discover that they really haven’t. Usay , an original story developed for children and parents, chal- lenges racism and presents a message of tolerance. “Walt Disney’s stories were focused on fantasy,” said Cavalieri. “Ours are different because they are based on human experience.” Cavalieri is staking his privately held company’s success on “content and stories that have not been touched” elsewhere. They are intended to appeal to non-Hispanic Americans as well by “sliding our Hispanic culture in softly.” Cilantro’s animation team is composed of young people called “Cilantrines” who come from Peru, Cuba, Mexico, Venezuela, and Colombia. Each brings to the table knowledge of different customs, expressions, and cultural sensitivities. As inspiration for their computer artistry, they use their own personal experiences as well as those of family members and friends. The team is working to generate a look so that every time you see a character, you iden- tify it as a Cilantro character. “At the end of the day, we’re story- tellers,” said Cavalieri. Production takes place in South America, South Korea, and China. For a young upstart company like this, success is by no means assured. Cavalieri is making the rounds of trade shows to generate excitement for Cilantro’s creations. He also created an animation services firm called www.FlameReaction.TV exclu- sively for mobile content creation and production. Products include ring tones; customized desktop wallpaper with seasonal alumni journal Alumni Add a Needed Dash of Latin Flavor to Animation Projects 38 horizons By Bob Ross