About Austin Vida
Austin Vida empowers our community by amplifying our stories, events and cultura. Latinos make up about 33% of Austin’s population. We are a big part of the community’s rich history, present and future. Our historias should not be ignored.
OUR MISSION:
Austin Vida amplifies, informs, and celebrates the Latinidad of our local community with culturally-competent news that centers the voices of nuestra gente.
Our journalism focuses on solutions and allows our comunidad, which is underserved and underrepresented in U.S. media, to see themselves represented in the larger story of Austin.
By centering nuestras voces, we aim to not only raise awareness of our diverse experiences but offer a more accurate and holistic representation of our community. We believe our cultura should not be an afterthought. And through our stories, we strive to create a sense of belonging.
VALUES:
Austin Vida stories uphold the dignity of bicultural Austinites. Among our values:
Community-centric: Our stories will be fundamentally informed by the comunidad. Austin Vida will also serve as a platform for our community to tell its own stories and shape its own narratives.
Nuance: We believe nuance is important to accurately convey the diverse experiences across our Latinidad.
Solutions-based: We value reporting that seeks possible solutions to some of the problems facing Austin.
MEET AUSTIN VIDA EDITOR & PUBLISHER:
Nancy Flores, an award-winning local journalist, leads Austin Vida as its editor and publisher. She’s the founder of Cultura Media, Austin Vida’s umbrella organization, and was recently named one of “Austin’s Top Latina Entrepreneurs to Watch” by the digital news outlet Austonia.
Nancy grew up in the border town of Eagle Pass, Texas, and is the proud daughter of Mexican immigrants. She has specialized in writing about underrepresented Central Texas communities, most recently reporting for the Austin American-Statesman and Austin360. Her contributions to Austin’s Latino community recently earned her the Award of Excellence in Media Arts from the city’s Mexican American Cultural Center. In 2019, Remezcla named her among the nation’s “Latino Columnists You Should Be Reading.”
Nancy graduated from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, where she earned a BA in Communication and Minor in English Writing. She was a recipient of the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) scholarship.
She’s also an alumna of the Hispanic Austin Leadership Program, the Google News Startup Bootcamp program, the Leadership Academy for Diversity in Digital Media program presented by Poynter and The Washington Post, and is part of the inaugural cohort of the Tiny News Collective, which serves as Austin Vida’s nonprofit fiscal sponsor.
Nancy has served in various local and national leadership roles including on the board of directors for the National Association of Hispanic Journalists as well as helping relaunch the local Central Texas chapter of NAHJ. Nancy is the founding president of the St. Edward’s University College Assistance Migrant Program Alumni Association.
AUSTIN VIDA HISTORY:
In the midst of a global pandemic in 2020, award-winning local journalist Nancy Flores began reviving and reimagining Austin Vida. Today, the digital Latinx news and culture site aims to amplify, inform and celebrate the Latinidad of the Austin community with culturally-competent news that centers the voices of nuestra gente.
Austin Vida, originally formed in 2007, operated as a Latin music promotions company created by Brian Stubbs to highlight Austin’s live Latin music scene and boost cultural awareness in the Live Music Capital of the World. In January 2009, Austin Vida evolved into a lifestyle and entertainment magazine under the ownership of Ian Morales. The online publication covered the local Latin music scene, touring Latin music acts as well as art, film and community news.
The online publication, which also produced Latin music showcases throughout the city, ceased publication in 2015.
Now, Austin Vida has new life under news entrepreneur Nancy Flores, who serves as the publication’s editor and publisher. The Latina-led and owned publication is evolving into a new chapter for the next generation of bicultural Austinites. It aims to expand by bringing solutions-based journalism that centers the voces of Austin’s comunidad while continuing it’s legacy of music journalism.
Austin Vida is a part of the inaugural cohort of the Tiny News Collective (TNC), which aims to support voices historically excluded from media and media ownership. Austin Vida was selected among six organizations across the country to bring needed local news and information to their communities. TNC, the Google News Initiative and the League of United American Citizens (LULAC) have provided our initial funding. They have zero involvement in our editorial decisions. Neither will any of our funders.
Austin Vida is also a proud member of Local Independent Online News (LION) Publishers.