A 30-year veteran of the U.S. Hispanic marketing and advertising community who has been a Hispanic Marketing Council Board Member since 2017 and is a pioneer in the digital advertising space both in the States and across Latin America has lost his battle with cancer.
Captura Group, the San Diego multicultural shop, announced via LinkedIn on Thursday that its co-founder, Lee Vann, has died.
“His mark extended far beyond Captura Group,” the company said, “encompassing decades of transformative influence within our industry. Lee zealously pursued excellence in Hispanic and digital marketing, leaving a legacy through his unwavering commitment to uplifting our community and creating a positive impact in the lives of our teammates, colleagues, clients, and anyone who had the benefit of knowing him. Lee’s impact on our company and the Hispanic marketing industry is immeasurable, and we embrace the brilliance of his contributions.”
A 1993 University of California-Berkeley graduate with a B.A. in Business and Managerial Economics, Vann’s first professional experience saw him serve as the Country Manager in Spain for Quidel. In 2000, he created L90 Latino, a digital-focused digital advertising practice, as Vice President. This served as an incubator of sorts for the full-scale rollout of Captura Group, which is based in San Diego. Vann launched the agency in August 2001.
Vann has also been a member of the “Support Latino Business” board of advisors, in San Diego, and as a Board Member of Tecolote Youth Baseball.
On LinkedIn, tributes poured in from the Hispanic advertising industry’s top leaders. Louis Maldonado, Partner and Managing Director of d expósito & Partners, shared, “Our industry has lost another giant, and way too prematurely at that. My deepest sympathies to Lee’s family and to everyone at the Captura Group.”
Luis Miguel Messianu added, “Lee was a true gentleman, a noble soul and a great colleague!”
Gilbert Dávila, CEO of L.A.-based DMI Consulting and a key figure with the ANA’s Multicultural and Diversity Conference and AIMM group, said, “We have lost a dear member of the tribe, but his energy will remain as a source of inspiration to us all.”
José Villa, who founded Los Angeles-headquartered Sensis, was Vann’s business partner in 2001 when each were starting out in the U.S. Hispanic advertising arena. “He was a super-smart, passionate Hispanic digital marketing pioneer and consummate family man. He’s gone way too soon.”
Lee Vann is survived by his wife, Michelle Moscona Vann, who leads Captura Group’s creative teams. He was also a father.
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