Johnny Yataco

Johnny A. Yataco, publisher of Washington Hispanic, was born and raised in Lima, Peru. From an early age, he was exposed to the publishing world. His mother often took him to work with her at a daily newspaper in Lima. He has always had a natural entrepreneurial spirit.

At age 18, he attended Foto Interamericana del Perú, an institute of the Eastman Kodak Company, to study photography. He later went on to study artificial intelligence at Oxford University.

He worked for several newspapers in Peru and then spent two years in the Office of Communications for the President of Peru at the time.

In February 1994, he began his own publication, Washington Hispanic. Today it has 28 full-time employees and more than 30 freelance support personnel. It has been recognized by the National Association of Hispanic Publications (NAHP), and in 1999 it ranked No. 54 among the fastest-growing Hispanic companies in the United States. Johnny has received awards from community organizations including the Ibero American Chamber of Commerce, which named his organization Small Business of the Year in 1998, and the Peruvian American Chamber of Commerce, which named him Businessman of the Year in 2008.