Cartelera magazine, published by Artex S.A Promociones Artísticas y Literarias holding’s Ediciones Cubanas agency, is going to celebrate its 35th anniversary on March 8. Three decades and half have passed since the creation of what used to be a weekly newspaper, which was focused on Cuban culture and providing the public pieces of information on dance and music shows, launches of albums and books, movie premieres, activities for children.
Nowadays, Cartelera is a cultural, tourism and market magazine that offers the cultural program of Havana-based centers in terms of movies, dance, music, theater, visual arts and literature, on a monthly basis.
It presently stands out as a bilingual magazine that has renewed its contents, so its readers enjoy a better offer. Among its main appeals, it shows an updated map of Havana and Varadero, as well as guides on the main museums, nightclubs and other useful services for travelers visiting the.
Hilda Betancourt was its first chief editor, who occupied different positions: head of the spreading division for the Ministry of Culture, Revolución y Cultura magazine and Cartelera. During a recent interview, the founder recalled the origin of the magazine.
“There was a lack of information on the number of activities taking place at the capital —she said— and that’s when the project came up. It was put on the table by the design team at the Ministry of Culture, who proposed a weekly magazine with the contribution of promoters from different levels. We invented the entertainment guide.”
The first team?
“The team was made up of Senel Paz, editor, and the promoters that used to deliver pieces of information on Wednesdays. Nothing was digital at the time, the news were written, typed and edited by Senel and Mauricio Abreu.
“The design was made by the Ministry of Culture’s team. Each of them was in charge of a page, with different styles depending on the promoted activity: music and shows, performing arts, visual arts, programs for children. The cover was made by the chief of design, Lazaro Hondares.”
The magazine was always characterized by its design.
We had excellent designers, such as Rafael Zarza, who later became an outstanding painter; Santos Toledo, who was awarded for his work. The design was greatly developed, in spite of the limitations at the time.
How about the dynamics at work?
“The promoters used to deliver their to-do plans on a weekly basis. We already had all the information on museums and galleries by Wednesday. ICAIC used to send publicity boards. Some interviews were made by journalists from the press division, but Cartelera was always independent. It had its own team, except for photographers and designers that still had to work for the Ministry of Culture.
“It was Friday and we were working to deliver the product on time. We were distributed along with Juventud Rebelde, because those 20 thousand copies were sold in the blink of an eye. The magazine was also delivered to hotels and other institutions.
“It was exhausting because most of the work was done in two days and we later had to check if the magazine was taken to general stores and sold. We had a small research team focused on the treatment given by the press to the culture sector and Cartelera had its repercussion.”
How about having Senel Paz as an editor?
I believe that Senel’s work must be highlighted, since he was a prestigious writer doing a journalist and editor work, which is uncommon among such figures. I want to praise the work he carried out in Cartelera for several years. It was a hard work, three days a week, so he didn’t have much time for his writing career.
Cartelera is presently distributed at the main hotels of the city, offices of ParadisoCultural Travel Agency, managed by Artex, the most important cultural institutions in Havana, national and international events and presentations to specialized media.
It offers advertising services and subscription for those interested in advertising their products or receiving the magazine throughout the year.
The spaces for ad placements have different prices for culture-related institutions and other entities, tourism companies and joint ventures, artists, self-employee workers, diplomatic corps and foreign companies.
Ediciones Cubanas
5ta Ave. no. 9210 esq. a 94, Miramar, Playa, Havana, Cuba
Tel. (53)7 204 5492/7 204 5493 / 7 204 0625
Email: edicionescub@edicuba.artex.cu
Facebook: Agencia Ediciones Cubanas
Artex S.A. Casa Matriz
5ta Ave. no. 8010 e/ 80 y 82, Miramar, Havana, Cuba.
Tel. (53)72045462
Email: infoartex@artex.cu
Website: www.artexsa.com
Facebook: Artex Artex
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