peterandjuanes.jpgPeople en Español Managing Editor Peter Castro will assume the role of Deputy Managing Editor at People magazine (we’ve done our homework - that means he is second in charge at that mag!! Wow!)

We chatted with Peter to congratulate him and ask him a couple of questions about his experience at People en Español.

It’s a MUST read…after the jump!

What’s the one thing you’ll miss the most?
Besides the incredible staff and people I worked with, it would have to be missing out on being in the middle of such an explosive market. It’s like being in Silicon Valley in 1993. It’s such an exciting time and after decades and decades, the market is finally booming into what everyone was expecting. That’s the one thing, is being involved in that…I felt that we were contributing to the culture.

What was your most memorable moment at People en Español?
I have three. There have been so many, but three that stand out.

One was the recent cover that I wrote for Juanes. It was the first time that he opened up about his separation, and, more important, how they reconciled. We hung out and I went to his rehearsal. We then headed back to his gorgeous apartment in Bogota. It was midnight and I thought he was going to kick me out, and I was nervous because we hadn’t done the interview yet. He then says ‘Are you ready to do the interview?‘

He grabbed a bottle of wine. He didn’t have a publicist in the room. He opened up and it all came out. I asked some tough questions, and at one point I remember he grabbed his hair with both hands and said ‘Ay Dios Mio!‘.

The second is bridging the two cultures for the 50 Mas Bellos issue with Beyonce. An A-list star deciding to be on the cover of a Spanish language magazine. Everyone was in awe of Beyonce. When you have someone like Barbara Bermudo saying ‘Can I have a picture with you?‘…It’s a great thing to watch.

The third is when we got Johnny Pacheco and Willie Colon together for the 100 Most Influential issue. It was the first time they got together in about 25 years and they bonded and started talking. I felt like a United Nations ambassador.

Once again, congratulations Peter! We are sure you’ll continue to represent Latinos very well over at People. Know that you have our support and that we wish only great things for you. Thanks for the positive impact you’ve had on our culture.

We also want to congratulate Armando Correa who is taking over as Managing Editor for People en Español. We look forward to chatting with him (hopefully soon).

Good luck in your new positions, gentlemen!

[Photo courtesy of People en Español/Omar Cruz/Do Not Disturb Inc.]