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MIAMI LIVING 75 PROFILE Many people simply dream of having their own television show one day. Virgilio Vara made this dream a reality when he resurrected his father's 1960's radio show Dimelo Cantando, originally featuring Virgilio's father Homero Vara, famous Cuban actress Dalia Iniguez and Mexican composer Miguel Prado, by turning it into a TV show. Growing up in Mexico City, the Hollywood of Latin America, Virgilio was highly influenced by the entertainment industry —starting his own television show was simply the next step. In 1997, along with the help of his business partner, Dr. Steven Jorge Gevas, Virgilio reintroduced Dimelo Cantando to the world via television. And so, Virgilio's first television show was born. Prior to his entrepreneurial pursuits, Virgilio found a comfortable fit at TCI Cable Television, known today as Comcast Spotlight, as an advertising account executive. As competitive as the industry in Miami is, Virgilio had no problem rocketing to the number one spot in the company. Working at the TCI opened many doors for Virgilio. He soon progressed into producing, and acted in several TV commercials for some of his local and national accounts. Virgilio was a natural in front of the camera and quickly learned about the industry and behind-the-scenes. Virgilio was good at television; he had found his true passion. When he became disenchanted with the path TCI was taking, Virgilio decided to create his own TV show. Everything began to fall into place, and Dimelo Cantando was revived. Virgilio's father was the one who inspired him to move forward with this project. The passion his father had for his radio show, Virgilio had for television —this was his calling. Creating his own production company, VNV Productions and Entertainment Inc., was the next step. With his new company, Virgilio was able to continue servicing his clients by providing them advertising through television and print media. Many of his clients bought advertising space and were featured in various episodes on the television show that aired in 1997. Dimelo Cantando traveled throughout South America and Europe, where Virgilio interviewed some of the top Latin performers around, in the most glamorous locations in the world. Now, Virgilio is working on a new television project that is, once again, showing great promise. This will be Virgilio's second creation and this time he's bringing viewers a bit of taste and culture as he intends to feature cuisines from around the globe. Virgilio will introduce his viewers to different cultures while highlighting the local specialties that each area is known for. PBS has already picked up five episodes and viewer's responses have been very positive. Virgilio has brought laughter, knowledge, and culture to many homes. Each and every one of the projects he has created demonstrates how passionate he is about what he does. This successful producer is still getting his feet wet in the television industry —there is still much more to come from Virgilio Vara. ML VNV Productions and Entertainment Inc. takes on a new TV show Words by Claudia Paredes