State Champ Radio Neon 16
The National Football League, Neon16, and Ntertain Studios announce their partnership expansion for the 2023 season. Emerging Latin artists housed under Neon16 — the production powerhouse and music label led by Tainy and Lex Borrero — will join NFL Latino players in an upcoming content series. The deal also includes new music releases that will comprise of a new volume for the next Por La Cultura mixtape.
NFL’s season-long campaign Por La Cultura will continue to spotlight Latin players, coaches and staff members to celebrate Latin excellence while telling their own stories of the community.
Neon16 Dominican star RMAND, from Netflix’s reality music competition show La Firma, is confirmed to be one of the artists for the next volume.
“Music is a leading passion point for Latinos, and we feel this partnership is an ideal platform for celebrating our Latino players and connecting more deeply with our fans,” said Javier Farfan, cultural strategist at the NFL, in a press release. “This content series brings together the commonalities of artists and athletes and their inspirational stories from humble beginnings, as they reach the top of their careers and their goal of stardom. Working with Ntertain and Neon16 allows us to authentically tell these stories with the creative vision of tastemakers at the forefront of Latino culture, music and entertainment.”
By showcasing current NFL Latino players and emerging Neon 16 music artists, the series aims to highlight the diversity and inclusivity of the NFL while celebrating the shared passion for music and football.
“We loved the concept of having our artists collaborate with Latino NFL players to create something as unique as an original song,” added Lex Borrero, co-founder and CEO of Ntertain and Neon16. “While both share Latino heritage, we know that artists and athletes also share a common drive to succeed, the talent to shine and the work ethic to thrive in their respective careers. Unifying these traits and the mutual love and respect for music has led to some incredible art that we can’t wait to share with fans this season.”
This season, the team-up will create an original song and music video that reflects Latino NFL players and the artist’s shared passion for music, football, and community.
The first song “#0B,” an energetic electronic banger by RMAND, draws inspiration from his experience working with Miami Dolphins’ wide receiver Braxton Berrios, who is of Puerto Rican descent and wears the number zero. “0B” is slated to release on the third week of the NFL regular season, leading up to the Miami Dolphins Latino Heritage Month game and home opener on September 24th.
Another player and artist collaboration will drop later in the season, joining the RRMAND and Berrios song as this season’s Por La Cultura mixtape.
Furthermore, the NFL Shop commercial for this year will also feature RMAND as well as Neon16’s Alex Ponce and Nashy-Nashai; the commercial’s score will be done by the label. Neon16 will also produce four exclusive tracks for the NFL and its 32 clubs to use as part of their soundtrack for the upcoming season.
“With more than 31 million NFL fans in the United States, there is no doubt that Latinos continue to fall in love with the sport of football every day,” said Marissa Solis, NFL SVP global brand and consumer marketing. “We want to inspire Latinos with the lyrics and melodies created by these talented NEON16 artists in the same way they get excited for a perfectly executed pass and catch for a touchdown. This partnership unifies the heroes of stage and sport through their common bond as Latinos representing ‘por la cultura.’”
Last year, the NFL and Neon16 announced their 10-track debut Por La Cultura Mixtape: Vol. 1, featuring El Alfa, Will.I.Am., Yandel, Snow Tha Product, Anthony Ramos, Trueno and more, and beats by producers Albert Hype, Jodosky and Chael.
The NFL, Ntertain, and Neon16 partnership kicked off in 2021, when Latin artists Jodosky, Kris Floyd and Álvaro Díaz were invited guests of the NFL League.
This collaboration is one of the NFL’s ambitious plan to go all in on Latin music and its growing fanbase. Last year, J Balvin became the first Latin headliner to perform for the league’s yearly free Kickoff Concert. Last November, the NFL also recruited Tijuana superstars Grupo Firme to perform at the halftime show for its annual Mexico City game, featuring the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers.
Neon 16’s co-founder/CEO Lex Borrero and Ntertain chairman Tommy Mottola teamed up to acquire Arro Media, a music marketing and social media agency that boasts a roster of clients like Adidas, Red Bull, NFL, XBOX, Bacardi, The Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation and more.
Founded by Cristina Arcay, the company will be rebranded as AM16.
“We have built a growing agency that will redefine how brands connect their marketing and advertising to the Latin culture because we live it day in and day out,” said Borrero and Mottola in a press release. “Our team has a finger on the pulse of trends, uniquely positioned to spot them before they happen, across music, television and film. Today’s announcement further differentiates our capabilities from competitors and will bring an even more comprehensive offering to our clients and partners.”
AM16 will find the intersection between music, entertainment and culture. Together, they will bring Arro’s capabilities with Neon16’s “innovative approach to cultural storytelling and experiential activations,” they said. The merger will include brand strategy and partnerships, product development, content production, music marketing, social media management, digital marketing, public relations, creative design services and experiential events.
“Launching AM16 agency represents an exhilarating new chapter in my career and the future of Arro,” said Arcay, who is appointed as co-president. “As a Latina entrepreneur, being able to lead and learn alongside our new partners represents a huge opportunity to reshape the industry by championing diversity, elevating ideas and fostering cultural movements that resonate with audiences worldwide.”
Chief marketing officer and co-president Gerry Rojas added, “I feel empowered and excited to be working in a Latino-owned agency where we’re reimagining how brands and artists tell their stories authentically, while raising the Latin cultural currency and creating a true, positive impact rooted in music and culture.”
Neon16 works with A-listers such as Tainy, Thalia, Juan Luis Guerra and Danna Paola. Earlier this year, the company also played a key role in the Netflix Original series La Firma — a Latin music competition that sought to sign the next big Latin music star, featuring Tainy, Rauw Alejandro, Nicki Nicole, and Lex Borrero.
Borrero and Mottola also executive produced Thalia’s music docuseries, Thalia’s Mixtape, via Ntertain on Paramount+.
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