TheaterEars

t all started with Virginia her mom Maria... Virginia loves movies. Growing up in Cali, Colombia, some of her fondest moments of her childhood were going to the movies with her mom, Maria. Virginia had big dreams and graduated from the prestigious La Universidad Santiago de Cali or USC (La Santiago) with a degree in Finance and International Business Administration. Post-graudation, Virginia came to the United States and put her education to work developing a successful career. After getting married, she wanted her mother back in Colombia to come and live with her in Florida. Like Virginia, her mother loves the movies. Unlike Virginia, her mother does not speak English. So whenever the whole family would go to the movies, Maria would stay home. That's when Virginia came up with the idea of making an app that would allow her mom to come with them to family movie night. Teaming up with her husband, they set out to solve the problem that they faced in their own lives. What they found out was that millions of Latinos across the United States faced a similar problem. Family members who do not speak English get left at home when the family goes out to the movies. Along with close family friend Dan Mangru, they sought to make that practice history. They believe that movies are a shared communal experience that should be enjoyed by all, regardless of language. It is Virginia’s love for her mom that drove TheaterEars to have the social impact that it has had in the United States and Puerto Rico, and it is that same love that will make movies available to everyone, everywhere.