Diversity and Cultural Representation: Just Do It!

The first panel titled amp8220InstaInfluencersamp8221 included pictured below left to right social media influencer Monica Veloz Amy Collado cohost of the podcast Cafamp233 Fuerte creative strategist Alex Wolfamp160Vivian Nuamp241ez creator and host of the podcast Creating Espacios and founder of Too Damn Young and Andramp233 Travieso attorney and founder of Travieso Lawamp8220When I first started it was difficult to see that I was a trendamp8221 Collado recalledamp160 amp8220Itamp8217s very strange to see that other people want to look like you when growing up you didnamp8217t want to look like youamp8221 she saidamp160 amp8220I started to embrace my backstory where my family came from and what they went through when they came here from the DRamp8221amp8220Growing up I never saw people in telenovelas that looked like me and my family and we would watch them every night at dinneramp8221 Veloz saidamp160 amp8220I grew up having an identity crisis even people in the DR would say that I was too black to be Dominican yet my entire family was as dark as me and looked like meamp8221 amp160She recalled attending the Latin Grammys and realizing that she and her brother were among the few if not the only AfroLatinos on the red carpet amp160amp8220I have to be hereamp8221 she assertedamp160 amp8220If I choose not to be here Iamp8217m part of the problem amp160When I see a darkskinned Latina on a Spanish network as the lead actress Iamp8217ll shut up but until then Iamp8217m going to keep talking and Iamp8217ll keep making people uncomfortableamp8221The second panel titled amp8220Distribute Meamp8221 focused on the business side of creating content the inception of different content for different forms of media and how the panelists found funding distribution and more amp160Panelists included John Henry an entrepreneur and cofounder Harlem Capital Kathleen Bedoya a former executive at HBO Latino and the cocreator of Huluamp8217s East Los High Allen Maldonado creator of the new shortfilm app Everybody Digital and Edwin Mejia Head of Content at The Vladar Company Pictured below left to right Allenamp160Maldonadoamp160Edwin Mejiaamp160Natalia Saavedra CMO of Futuro sponsor Driven Society John Henry and Kathleen BedoyaHenry spoke about how important it is for content creators to embrace oneamp8217s culture and heritage and to try to infuse it into whatever they are creating as much as possibleamp160 amp8220Iamp8217ll never forget going to a PR guru and saying amp8216Hey can you help me bring my story upamp8217 and she just said amp8216John that era is overamp160 You donamp8217t have to wait for anyone to tell your storyamp160 You can control your own narrative through your own content productionamp8217amp8221 he recalledamp8220We had about twenty nonprofits all focused on social change diversity and Latino community work fund our showamp8221 noted Bedoyaamp160 amp8220We started writing we shot it ourselves and we made twentyfour episodesamp160 ABC Family was looking at the show but with the elements of drugs and sex from the reality of this story in East LA networks wouldnamp8217t take it as it wasamp160 Then Hulu came alongamp160 Netflix had just made House of Cards which was this huge success and Hulu wanted to ramp up original programmingamp8221At one point Henry told the audience amp8220We hear a lot of amp8216Itamp8217s really hard to be black or brown right nowamp8217 but from my experience there is no better time in the history of ever to be black and brown than right now amp160I have chills right nowamp8221 he laughed as the audience applauded in agreement amp160amp8220Big companies are facing an incredible amount of pressure to be diverse because the jig is upamp8221Bedoya agreedamp160 amp8220When I attend conferences talking to youth the No 1 message I tell them is that they need to start telling their storyamp8221 she notedamp160 amp8220As John Henry said it is the best time to be Latino or anyone of color in this business amp160I know because I was there when that wasnamp8217t the caseamp8221Earlier in the panel Bedoya talked about dealing with slight prejudice when working with big companies Executives would often ask her to speak with their maid about something or someone would call and ask amp8220Is there a cute Latina there I could take to a premiereamp8221 amp160These recollections generated audible shock and stifled laughter from the Futuro attendeesBedoya said that she sought to make changes herself rather than stand by and let the problems she encountered continueamp160 amp8220Networks want you to do rainbow coalition showsamp8221 she explainedamp160 amp8220Every time you put in a Latino character they also want you to have black characters and white people and Asian peopleamp160 But in this particular story East Los High in that neighborhood Latino was all there wasamp160 That was itamp8221 she laughedamp160 amp8220We wanted to maintain the creative spirit of our show so we did it all on our ownamp8221The third and final panel of the day amp8220Brand Partnershipsamp8221 focused on the importance of marketing and advertising amp160The panel featured pictured below left to right Karen Travieso Vice President Media Solutions Major League Soccer film director Aristotle Torres entrepreneur and investor Brandon Bryant andamp160digital consultant Yamin SegalTravieso who has worked in media and the digital space across several networks said amp8220At the end of the day youamp8217re looking for a certain type of mindset amp160Youamp8217re looking for someone who is going to be receptive to an ad message or a brand message amp160Sometimes advertisers say they want to target an audience thatamp8217s Hispanic or Latino and it blows my mindamp160 Thatamp8217s way too broad amp160Saying amp8216we need to reach Hispanics we need to target our Hispanic audienceamp8217 just doesnamp8217t mean anythingamp8220You have to consider that the more you go down the generational path they the audience arenamp8217t necessarily consuming content in the Spanish languageamp8221 she explainedamp160 amp8220Theyamp8217re maybe using Spanish in the home but not in their everyday daytoday lives so we had to find an interesting balanceamp8221Industries entertainment and business alike are headed in the right direction and these creators producers and influencers are more than ready to keep that momentum goingamp160 Whether itamp8217s by writing a film to tell someoneamp8217s story representing their culture through social media or funding diversitydriven organizations they are setting out to create change rather than stand by and hope that someone else does itPhotos of panels by Juan AyalaClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writersamp160

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Diversity and Cultural Representation: Just Do It!

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Juan Ayala

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