Napa Latino business leaders at Wine Down Media practice breaking as many barriers as they can

Julissa and Will Marcencia

Julissa – Chief Visionary

Will – Chief Executor

Wine Down Media

1124 Foster Road, Napa

707-258-1111

www. 993thevine.com & kvon.com

Julissa and Will Marcencia, owners of Wine Down Media, are winners of North Bay Business Journal's 2018 Latino Business Leadership Awards.

Professional background: Julissa started her media career during her undergrad at Viacom Media Networks' Music & Entertainment Group (MTV, VH1, Comedy Central). After graduating, she was hired to the Nickelodeon Group (Nickelodeon, Nick Jr.) in their Network Sales team.

After recognitions and promotions within Viacom, she left to Barcelona, Spain to pursue her MBA where she worked for PRISA Radio, the world's largest Spanish-language Radio Group. Upon graduation and moving back to Southern California, she was offered a Marketing position at Univision Communications.

Will began his post-college career in Marketing in the banking industry while quickly realizing he couldn't do it for very long. He made the career change to Media, accepting a contract with Univision Communications' advertising sales team. Through some promotions, he moved over to the company's newest revenue-generating division, Content Distribution.

They resigned their corporate jobs at Univision to elope abroad, blended their last names as they started their own legacy, and began their entrepreneurial journey in media. They now own and operate Napa Valley's Radio stations, KVYN-FM and KVON-AM along with their digital and social assets.

Education: Julissa: United International Business Schools; Barcelona, Spain: masters in business administration (International Sales and Marketing); Chapman University; Orange, CA: bachelor's in business administration (marketing)

Will: Loyola Marymount University; Los Angeles, CA: bachelor's in business administration (international business) and Spanish

Staff: 12 employees

Tell us your story and that of your organization: KVON 1440-AM and KVYN 99.3-FM are steered by the heart of the Napa Valley as the Napa Valley's two radio stations. KVON “The Voice of Napa” started in 1948 and KVYN “The Vine” in 1975. The stations create and curate a blend of content focused on news, talk, sports, and music.

They come through the airwaves, digitally, and in the community to serve the diverse communities in the North Bay and those who stream from afar. KVON can be found online at KVON.com and KVYN is at 993thevine.com.

Is there a major accomplishment in the past year or so that you would like to share?

When we acquired the radio stations, we took a vow to live up to our mission of informing and empowering the Napa Valley and beyond at all times. We are very proud of the dedication and commitment our staff showed everyone during the 2017 Napa Complex fires, working tirelessly and countless hours for 16 straight days.

What is the achievement you are most proud of?

Resigning from successful media corporate careers and starting our own media venture.

What is your biggest challenge today?

Technology is always-changing and that influences the way people access music and information audibly. Content accessibility is extremely fragmented, so we need to ensure we are at the forefront of everyone's mind.

As a successful professional, what were the biggest obstacles you faced and how did you overcome them?

Two of the biggest obstacles we have faced: fear of the unknown and ageism that exists in our society with entrepreneurship. Many people are shocked and confused when they see us show up to meetings or events as the “owners/operators” because of our age. To overcome our obstacles, we face the world a day at a time with our long-term vision in place and break as many barriers as we possibly can.

How do you think your profession will change in the next five years?

With the major media companies consolidating and going to “network” formats, the thirst for local content by citizens is becoming stronger and stronger. Our paradigm is the opposite – we are bringing more and more local information to our community. Being local and providing our audience high-quality content is now becoming the disruptor.

Who was your most important mentor?

Julissa – Joanelle Miro is a director I worked under and her approach to business was refreshing as a woman in the male-dominated auto industry.

Tell us about your community involvement: Julissa is on the board of animal welfare advocate and educator, Napa Humane, in addition to serving on the Marketing committee for mental health service provider, Mentis, and the Napa Chamber. She is also a proud member of the Kiwanis Club of Napa.

Will is a current classman of the leadership program, Leadership Napa Valley, and a member of the Sunrise Rotary Club.

What advice would you give to a young person today?

Always listen before you speak, but most importantly, go with your gut.

Quick takes…

Words that best describe you: Julissa – creative, persistent, visionary; Will – determined, fair, hard-working

Most admired businessperson outside your organization: We both agree Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix

Current reading: Every quarter, we try to read one of the same books so we can discuss and interpret what we have read. Many times it doesn't even seem like we are reading the same book, which gives to great discussions. Among the mountain pile of books on our “Must Finish” list, we are reading Zappos founder, Tony Hseih's “Delivering Happiness.”

Most want to meet: Anthony Bourdain – there are so many unanswered questions and places we have yet to travel too, and Bourdain had an interesting lens that we travel vicariously through his shows.

Stress relievers: Eating pizza, working out, a good movie

Favorite hobbies: Traveling the world to immerse ourselves in other cultures and gaining perspective.

Is there something we didn't ask that you would like to add?

We are approaching a traditional medium in an untraditional way.

Julissa and Will Marcencia

Julissa – Chief Visionary

Will – Chief Executor

Wine Down Media

1124 Foster Road, Napa

707-258-1111

www. 993thevine.com & kvon.com

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