International artists are coming together to support victims of the devastating earthquakes that recently struck Colombia and Venezuela. Unidos por los Nuestros will bring together more than 30 artists on Sunday (Aug. 16) at 6 p.m. ET at the Kaseya Center in Miami, with the goal of raising funds to help the affected communities in both nations.
“A month ago, we embarked on this project, and it was obviously after the earthquakes in Venezuela. At that moment, we never imagined that today we would also be doing this for Colombia,” Felipe Pimiento tells Billboard in a Zoom call. Pimentel is one of the initiative’s co-founders, alongside Marc Anthony and Henry Cárdenas, and serves as the executive producer. “The important thing is that we’re helping in the way we know how to help. We know how to make music, promote music and organize concerts, and this is our way of contributing a little grain of sand to help all those affected in Venezuela and Colombia.”
The night of solidarity, unity and hope is led by Marc Anthony, Luis Fonsi, Chayanne, Ricardo Montaner and many more. The humanitarian initiative is led by CMN, Maestro Cares Foundation, TelevisaUnivision and PIMIENTO Entertainment, with the support of iHeartRadio, Spotify, Creative Link, EB Public Relations and Arco Entertainment. The main goal is to mobilize the global Hispanic community to support the victims of the earthquakes in Venezuela and Colombia.
The benefit concert, along with an international telethon and a global fundraising campaign, aims to raise funds for key programs such as food assistance, healthcare, shelters, housing, child protection, mental health, education and infrastructure reconstruction. This effort, in partnership with prestigious humanitarian organizations, will support the affected communities through all stages of recovery and rebuilding.
Pimiento talks with Billboard about how to support the cause, how to get tickets and how to watch Unidos por los Nuestros on television and via livestream.
How did the idea for a benefit event come about?
We had recently formed a partnership with Univision, TelevisaUnivision, for Marc Anthony. As soon as we landed in Colombia, I called Ignacio Meyer (president of Univision Networks Group at TelevisaUnivision); we started talking about what had happened and the interest in doing something to help the people.
In 2017, we organized an event called Somos una Voz to help those affected by Hurricane María in Puerto Rico. Drawing from the lessons we learned, we thought, “Why not do something similar so that the story doesn’t fade away?” What usually happens in these [situations] is that the earthquake or hurricane occurs, and with the news cycle, three days later it’s already a thing of the past. So, we immediately picked a date. We had the support of Maestro Cares, Univision, the support of CMN — which is also our partner — and we started talking with other partners, other allies, and we received support from iHeartMedia and Spotify.
What measures are being taken to ensure that resources reach the affected communities, especially in Venezuela, where access is more complex?
It was a process we took seriously alongside Maestro Cares and the Univision Foundation to ensure that the organizations we partnered with would be able to deliver all donations—whether financial, monetary or supplies. The foundations we identified to assist in Venezuela are also active and will now also help in Colombia.
Everyone joining the alliance was asking the same first question: How are we going to deliver the donations? Who are we working with locally? When it came to Venezuela, it was obviously much more delicate because people had some distrust about what was happening there. With Colombia, the situation is also a bit different. But we are taking it just as seriously; we understand that we are raising funds from the public and want to ensure that the process is very transparent and carried out correctly to help those most in need.
How can you donate from any country, whether inside or outside of Miami?
During the broadcast, the audience will be able to contribute via QR codes. We will have celebrities answering phone calls, with artists and celebrities manning the phone bank. Donations can also be made via text message by sending the word “UNIDOS” to 707070 or through online contributions at Univision.org. The goal is to raise as much money as possible to help those in dire need.
Which artists will be participating, and how did the idea to create a benefit event come about?
Marc Anthony, Luis Fonsi, Chayanne, Ricardo Montaner, Feid, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Chino y Nacho, Jay Wheeler, Elena Rose, Silvestre Dangond, Gente de Zona, Mau y Ricky, Olga Tañón, Lasso, SanLuis, Piso 21, Corina Smith, Joaquina, Nella, Micro TDH, Jonathan Moly, Jorge Luis Chacín, Jerry Di, Isadora, Manu Manzo, Noreh, Alleh, Zhamira and Free Cover.
Where else will the concert be broadcast?
TelevisaUnivision will broadcast it on free-to-air television across the United States. We will also distribute it digitally through TelevisaUnivision on the VIX platform for global coverage. iHeartMedia will distribute the broadcast across all iHeartLatino stations and the iHeart Music App. Univision Radio will air the live broadcast on Univision radio stations throughout the United States.
