VISAS, LICENSES, CONCERTS... CULTURE CURES

BILL MARTINEZ is an immigration attorney who has also produced and managed cultural events in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1973. A native San Franciscan, he is a graduate of the University of San Francisco and UC Law-San Franciso. He has worked in the Community Law Collective (’74-’79), New College of California School of Law (’79-’83), and the Volunteer Legal Services Program of the Bar Association of San Francisco (’84-’93). In 1981, he co-founded the Encuentro del Canto Popular, a San Francisco-based Latin American music festival. His work with the Encuentro led him to become one of the nation’s leading experts in U.S.-Cuba cultural exchanges and artists’ visas. He co-founded the Latino Entertainment Partners, which produced historically significant concerts of Cuban artists. He has collaborated with many cultural organizations, mainly in the Bay Area including Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, Cesar Chavez Festival, Calle 24 -Fiesta de las Americas, Carnaval, Stern Grove, Brava Theater, and the San Francisco International Arts Festival among others. He was co-producer of the 2020 “concerts for Cuba” internet production of HotHouse Cultural Center (Chicago) featuring 100 artists from the US and Cuba. He was awarded the 2023 globalFEST Impact Award for contributions to culture in the US.