Anel Pla

Anel Pla is an accomplished communications executive with over 20 years of experience in the entertainment, film, media, healthcare, and fitness industries. Anel is a “big picture” strategist, expertly piecing together authentic branding and communication solutions.

Pla serves as a key advisor to the chairman and executive leadership on communications advancement, reputation, and community-building priorities and oversees media interaction, public relations, and integrated external and internal institutional communications. She is responsible for developing and implementing brand identity, advertising, marketing, public affairs, print, digital, broadcast, video production, B2B, and creative services.

Her role involves partnering across the organization to develop and advance SOMOS’s public awareness message of health equity, preventive care, mental health, and health education in the local, regional, and national marketplaces. She writes media pitches and press releases and has secured billions of earned impressions with segments on Good Morning America, CBS News, Good Day New York, ABC Dateline, Noticiero Telemundo, CNN, BBC News, PBS, NY Times, NPR, AP News, and CNBC. Pla is responsible for developing a systemwide proactive media communication strategy. She collaborates closely with functional and operational partners in various government affairs and public relations sectors.

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, she spearheaded the media communications and grassroots strategy between the media and government affairs for SOMOS as it established 125 trilingual testing sites, conducted one million tests, administered vaccines to over 1 million people, and distributed more than 2 million meals to those in need. These extraordinary efforts earned her an Emmy Award as the producer for the documentary “Doctor Tallaj: The Hispanic Physician Who Confronted COVID-19 in New York,” as well as an Anthem Award and New York Festival Health Award for the 22-minute documentary “Pandemic With Purpose.”

Before joining SOMOS, Anel held several key positions during her 20-year tenure in the entertainment industry. Her career commenced in 1997 in New York City as an executive assistant to the entrepreneur and mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs at Bad Boy Entertainment. Subsequently, Anel served as the Director of A&R and Special Projects at Sony Music under the guidance of Tommy Mottola and Trackmaster. In this role, she spearheaded strategic planning for a roster of artists, including Joe Pesci, 50 Cent, Destiny’s Child, the “In Too Deep” Soundtrack, Nas, and The Fugees.

Anel Pla was the CEO of Start With A Plan Inc., a comprehensive management and creative communications agency specializing in event production, talent management, public relations, and experiential marketing. Her expertise lies in curating experiences that forge strong connections between brands, celebrities, public figures, and their most crucial stakeholders, effectively conveying a compelling narrative and infusing vitality into the brand message.

Her notable achievements included curating the 20th Year “Reasonable Doubt” Anniversary for Grammy Award-winning artist Jay-Z in collaboration with Rocafella co-founder Kareem Biggs Burke. This project involved defining Jay-Z’s brand identity by creating visual art installations and pop-up shops in over 30 cities across the US. Additionally, Anel served as the Senior Talent Producer for the acclaimed Netflix docuseries “Hip Hop Evolution,” which explored the history of hip-hop music through storytelling and interviews with prominent cultural figures from various eras.

Anel has also collaborated with NYFW Elle Magazine’s Style 360, organized the “Bring Up Bobby” movie premiere featuring Milla Jovovich and Famke Janssen, and coordinated the UN-focused movie premiere titled “Trade of Innocents” with Mira Sorvino.

Anel also held the role of Managing Director at FLATT MAGAZINE, “Made In America,” a philanthropic arts platform celebrating creativity across diverse disciplines such as visual arts, film, and music. With nine quarterly issues, FLATT firmly demonstrates its dedication to diversity and artistic authenticity. Its mission is to promote the positive impact of the arts in America and its global significance.

She worked closely with the Editor-in-Chief to maintain a consistent message across various channels, with a focus on promoting arts philanthropy through the FLATT PRIZE. This initiative evolved into a significant partnership with the National Arts Club, where they hosted an annual artist residency program and curated release events.

FLATT’s quarterly print magazine has featured renowned figures such as Cher, Robert DeNiro, Jeff Koons, Janelle Monae, Rae & Ghost from Wu-Tang, Dustin Yelland and Lenny Kravitz, Viktor & Rolf, Nico Muhly, Barbara Kruger, Kehinde Wiley, and the Dance Theatre of Harlem earning it the title of the 21st Century “Arts Bible.” It has received acclaim from notable outlets like The Observer and The Wall Street Journal, with a niche distribution of over 20,000 readers per issue.

Furthermore, she collaborated with Cole Haan to present “HISTORY BEGINS HERE,” a series of portraits showcasing American women who have made significant strides in their respective fields. These women are celebrated for their uniqueness, authenticity, ingenuity, and embodiment of positive change achieved through dedicated belief in their work.