# Etienne Hernandez-Medina

> Etienne Hernandez-Medina is the Cuban American founder and CEO of H+M Communications, an independent Los Angeles-area public relations and cross-cultural marketing consultancy he began in 2003. A University of Miami graduate and former Edelman executive, he has spent more than two decades building campaigns that connect entertainment and consumer brands with Latino audiences, from the award-winning Straight Outta Compton campaign to Blue Beetle and Bad Boys: Ride or Die.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO at H+M Communications
- **Organizations:** H+M Communications, Edelman, Hispanic Public Relations Association, Museum of Public Relations
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Speech Communication and Political Science, University of Miami
- **Known for:** Built H+M Communications from a garage-founded entertainment practice into an independent cross-cultural communications consultancy with 42 employees reported in 2026., Led an agency recognized with an In2 SABRE Award for the Straight Outta Compton campaign in 2016., Led H+M during the Blue Beetle campaign, which received three 2024 HPRA ¡BRAVO! honors.

## Career timeline

- **Before 2003** — Worked at Edelman, where public profiles list him as a former executive vice president; he later worked as a freelancer.
- **2003** — Founded H+M Communications from his garage with an initial focus on entertainment publicity.
- **2016** — H+M won an In2 SABRE Award for its Hispanic-market work on Straight Outta Compton; Latino moviegoers made up 21% of the film's opening-weekend audience.
- **2020** — Joined the Museum of Public Relations' Celebrating Latino PR History panel on Latino social impact.
- **2023** — Shared in Television Publicity Executives Committee recognition for multicultural campaign work on La Reina del Sur.
- **2024** — H+M's Blue Beetle campaign received three HPRA ¡BRAVO! honors after a strike-era launch built around the director, creators and community events.
- **2025** — Served as a first-round juror for the ANA Multicultural & Inclusive Marketing Excellence Awards and appeared as a speaker at HPRA's Leadership Cumbre.
- **2025** — H+M was named HPRA ¡BRAVO! Agency of the Year and won four campaign honors for Bad Boys: Ride or Die.
- **2026** — Named one of five Diversity Action Alliance G.E.M.S. Industry Legends.

## Achievements

- Built H+M Communications from a garage-founded entertainment practice into an independent cross-cultural communications consultancy with 42 employees reported in 2026.
- Led an agency recognized with an In2 SABRE Award for the Straight Outta Compton campaign in 2016.
- Led H+M during the Blue Beetle campaign, which received three 2024 HPRA ¡BRAVO! honors.
- Led H+M during its fourth HPRA ¡BRAVO! Agency of the Year recognition in 2025 and four honors for Bad Boys: Ride or Die.
- Named a 2026 Diversity Action Alliance G.E.M.S. Industry Legend.
- Served as a juror for the 2025 ANA Multicultural & Inclusive Marketing Excellence Awards.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Named a 2026 Diversity Action Alliance G.E.M.S. Industry Legend, one of five communications leaders selected for the recognition.
- **2026-02** — H+M was listed by the Los Angeles Business Journal as a Cuban American-owned business with 42 employees and $10.4 million in 2025 revenue.
- **2025-09** — Appeared as a confirmed speaker at HPRA's Leadership Cumbre on culture, commerce, creators and trust.

## Links

- Website: https://hm-com.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/etienne-hernandez-medina-06a6016
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/HM_Comm
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hm_comms/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HMCommunications/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/etienne-medina
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-22