Photos courtesy of Guataca Productions
Photos courtesy of Guataca Productions
Photos courtesy of Guataca Productions
Photos courtesy of Guataca Productions
Photos courtesy of Guataca Productions
Photos courtesy of Guataca Productions
Photos courtesy of Guataca Productions
Photos courtesy of Guataca Productions
Photos courtesy of Guataca Productions
Photos courtesy of Guataca Productions
Photos courtesy of Guataca Productions
Photos courtesy of Guataca Productions
Photos courtesy of Guataca Productions
Photos courtesy of Guataca Productions
Photos courtesy of Guataca Productions
Photos courtesy of Guataca Productions
Photos courtesy of Guataca Productions
Photos courtesy of Guataca Productions
Photos courtesy of Guataca Productions
Photos courtesy of Guataca Productions
Photos courtesy of Guataca Productions
Photos courtesy of Guataca Productions

Guataca Foundation

A Platform to Promote Venezuelan Extraordinary Musicians

2015–2016

Guataca is a cultural platform created to amplify the talent of emerging Venezuelan musicians, support their artistic projects, and promote their work in Venezuela and abroad. Through concerts, record productions, festivals, and international showcases, Guataca has become one of the most influential platforms for Venezuelan contemporary music.

Between 2015 and 2016, I worked as strategic advisor for Guataca Foundation, providing guidance on the brand, marketing, and communication strategies that would sustain the platform’s national and international growth. My role focused on helping the organization strengthen its structure, optimize its operational flow, and define its strategic direction as it expanded across continents.

Guataca’s vision is to celebrate the creativity and virtuosity of Venezuelan musicians, generating high-quality live performances and productions that bridge folk traditions with global contemporary sound.

Services provided

  • Brand Strategy and Positioning
  • Marketing and Communication Strategy
  • Business and Sales Strategy Design
  • Operational and Organizational Development
  • Advisory for Platform Sustainability
  • Strategic Reports, Action Plans, and Keynotes
  • Six-Month Implementation Supervision

Challenge

By 2015, Guataca had achieved impressive organic growth, yet the platform’s success relied heavily on individual initiative and fragmented management. The challenge was to consolidate Guataca’s structure into a sustainable business model capable of supporting its rapid expansion, while maintaining the artistic integrity and community-driven spirit that defined its origins.

Solution

I designed a strategic framework integrating branding, communication, and operational strategies to ensure consistency across Guataca’s multiple dimensions:

  1. Concerts – Weekly Noches de Guataca series across Venezuela and abroad.

  2. Festivals – Large-scale events such as Caracas Festival en Contratiempo.

  3. Music Production – Support for independent record labels and artist albums.

  4. International Promotion – Development of Guataca Nights in global cities.

The advisory process included 12 months of strategic direction, documentation, and guidance for implementation, focusing on long-term sustainability, cross-regional coordination, and audience engagement through authentic storytelling.

Founded in 2005, Guataca began as an independent record label supporting the debut of C4 Trío, later becoming a multifaceted cultural movement. Over the years, it has released more than 20 albums and produced hundreds of concerts annually, supporting artists such as:

Aquiles Machado, Aquiles Báez, C4 Trío, Pacho Flores, César Orozco, Jorge Torres, Betsayda Machado, Linda Briceño, Fabby Olano, Miguel Siso, and Héctor Molina, among others.

In 2010, the platform launched Noches de Guataca—a weekly live series that became a cultural landmark in Caracas. By 2013, it created the Caracas Festival en Contratiempo, celebrating the vitality of Venezuelan music.

From 2014 onward, Guataca expanded internationally, hosting Guataca Nights in Madrid, Barcelona, Miami, Panama, Houston, Orlando, Valencia, and Lechería, while cultivating a passionate global network of Guataqueros.

Guataca’s productions have achieved multiple Latin Grammy nominations and awards, including:

  • C4 Trío and Gualberto Ibarreto — Nominee, Best Folk Album (2013)

  • Linda Briceño — Nominee, Best New Artist and Best Vocal Album (2014)

  • C4 Trío and Rafael “Pollo” Brito — Winner, Best Sound Engineering (2014)

  • Miguel Siso, Identidad — Winner, Best Instrumental Album (2018)

In 2018, Guataca published 10 Years of Pure Guataca, a commemorative book presented by journalist César Miguel Rondón in Caracas, Panama, and Miami.

Today, Guataca operates in New York, Miami, Orlando, Boca Raton, Houston, Dallas, Austin, Phoenix, Minnesota, Atlanta, Chicago, and soon Seattle, as well as in Venezuela, Spain, Panama, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Argentina, and Colombia.

Website: www.guatacanights.com

Results

  • Delivered a complete strategic plan for Guataca’s organizational and brand development.
  • Strengthened the internal structure and processes for international expansion.
  • Supported the consolidation of Guataca as a global cultural movement for Venezuelan music.
  • Helped align artistic, commercial, and communication goals under a unified brand vision.
  • Contributed to the platform’s enduring success as a reference in Latin American music promotion.