Lucinda Martinez
SVP, Multicultural & International Marketing | HBO
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
Excellence isn’t an option for Lucinda Martinez; it’s a requirement. After her parents emigrated from the Dominican Republic, they were determined to give US-born Martinez and her brother a more promising future.
She more than lived up to her parents’ high expectations. Martinez graduated from Columbia University and quickly made a name for herself professionally before joining HBO in 1995 as an associate manager of direct marketing.
After a five-year hiatus from HBO, Martinez returned to the company in 2002. As she has climbed through the network’s ranks, she has made it a priority to champion shows that spotlight people of many different backgrounds.
In her current role as senior vice president, multicultural and international marketing, she oversees all branded targeted marketing efforts to African American, Latino, Asian, and LGBT audiences and has given greater access to talent from underrepresented groups.
“The most recent work I’m proud of is the launch of our new series Insecure,” she says. “We developed a comprehensive, unique targeted promotional campaign that launched an amazing new authentic voice to the television landscape.”
Insecure was created by comedians Issa Rae and Larry Wilmore and features a predominantly black cast. The show’s second season aired in the summer of 2017.
For Martinez, a major component of her success at HBO comes from the relationships she’s cultivated and nurtured.
“You’re only as good as the relationships you’ve developed and fostered,” she says. “I am fortunate that when I need to reach out to my board of advisors they show up for me. And that’s because I’ve shown up for them.”
Changing Hearts
Lucinda Martinez’s passion to instigate changes goes beyond her work at HBO. She serves on the New York board of the American Heart Association, where she launched the inaugural Latino Health Summit aimed at reducing cardiovascular disease and promote heart health in the Latino community. In 2011, Martinez received the Time Warner Andrew Heiskell Community Service Award for her work with the organization.
“As a heart disease survivor, it was crucial that I figure out a way to create more awareness about the risks of heart diseases in our communities,” Martinez says.
