Latina actor-producer takes on Lara Croft on SyFy

"At Current TV, producing and being the talent went hand in hand. When I went on to produce for the SyFy channel it was a big challenge for me, being someone who was relatively new to the scene."

By Al Carlos Hernandez, Herald de Paris

HOLLYWOOD, CA – Jael De Pardo is known for her work as a researcher on the hit series Destination Truth on SYFY channel. Jael went on to conduct a series of investigations about myths and legends on the show in places like King Tut’s tomb and the radiation fields of Chernobyl.

SYFY was very enthused by Jael’s work and offered her roles in two subsequent shows Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files and Haunted Highway in which she currently performs alongside Jack Osbourne. Haunted Highway just completed production on its second season and is set to air this fall. Jael’s adventurous spirit and wide range of travel, have donned her the title of “real life Lara Croft” by her fans. Whether it means repelling down mine shafts in Chile or SCUBA diving with sharks in the Bermuda Triangle.

Raised in NYC, Jael arrived in the City at the age of two from her native Colombia. Shortly after, her parents submitted a picture of Jael to the Ford Modeling Agency. Jael was accepted to the agency and began modeling in ad campaigns and editorials at the age of four. Jael later attended the prestigious Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC where she majored in exhibit design and multi-media studies. An avid artist, designer and fashionista, in her spare time Jael worked assisting world-renowned fashion designer Patricia Field at her downtown store. When Jael decided to move to Los Angeles after college to pursue a career in acting, Patricia Field wrote her letter of recommendation to get into acting school.

Jael has studied acting with some of the top coaches in the country including Susan Batson, Lesly Kahn and Janet Ashanti’s masters’ class. She soon became popular in the commercial world, appearing in television and print campaigns for companies such as Levis, Apple, Verizon, Sony, and Nissan. Jael eventually became the face of numerous brand integrations for companies such as Dodge and American Airlines.

In 2006, Jael was approached about an audition for a TV hosting job. That audition turned into a three-year contract with Al Gore’s newly launched, youth lifestyle television network, Current TV. Jael’s diverse skill set – acting, writing, hosting –accelerated her rise to become one of the lead voices and faces of Current TV.

           She later went on to produce at the network, creating segments in Colombia, Panama and Mexico including a half hour special for the Vanguard journalism unit in the Darien Gap, a dangerous patch of unincorporated jungle that separates central and South America. Jael also returned to her hometown of NYC to produce a segment about her former employer Patricia Field after Patricia styled the HBO series Sex & the City. She also produced a segment on world-renowned photographer/director David LaChapelle at the NYC Tony Shafrazi Gallery.

Jael has also appeared in independent films, on E! Entertainment, Travel Channel, AT&T’s Buzz Channel and SiTV, America’s leading cable network for Latinos. Her work has won her awards and accolades such as a Silver Telly and Bronze Remi.

          In her down time Jael continues to study acting. She also enjoys writing, and is an adventurer whose extensive travel has taken her to far-flung corners of the earth. Jael is fluent in Spanish and Italian, and resides between New York and Los Angeles.

          Herald de Paris had an opportunity to speak with Jael thanks to an introduction by former Playboy-bunny-turned-actress, Maria Luna Richwine.

AC: You started very young in the ‘business.’ How did that come about?

JD: My family moved to NY when I was two years old from Colombia and I was enrolled in dance school. After a show one day my step-dad took some photographs of me while I was all done up. He and my mom decided to submit them to the Ford Modeling Agency. Shortly after, the agency signed me and I started auditioning at seven years old.

AC: What was your first job? What do you remember from the experience?

JD: The first job I did was a JCPenney print ad when I was seven. I remember walking into a room with three other kids who were also going to be in the ad and putting on an outfit that fit really tight over my head. It made my hair messy, but nobody seemed to mind because that is how they shot me, with messy hair. After that, a talent manager took interest in me and I started auditioning a lot more and getting lots of call-backs.

AC: At what moment did you decide that you wanted to be a performer?

JD: I don’t think I’ve had an exact moment when I thought I wanted to be in the “public eye.” It’s more about loving the work, not being in the public eye. I was around the arts a lot as a kid, my parents took me to lots of Broadway shows, the ballet and off-Broadway shows. Also, having been in front of the camera and on stage a lot as a kid, it felt natural to me. I loved being on stage and I still love that feeling.

AC: Didn’t you start out as a model?

JD: Modeling wasn’t something I talked about a lot to the kids at school, so I had a pretty typical experience. But even throughout my teenage “rebel years” I stuck to my love for the arts, even though it was a little different at the time. I began to explore other mediums like painting and sculpting.

AC: Tell us about art school? You majored in multi-media?

JD: Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC is one of the top art schools in the country, and I thought Multi-Media studies would give me a chance to experiment with different forms of art and find my niche. I had made some sketches and small sculptures that I brought to the university for an interview and got accepted so decided to go. I never formally thought of becoming a fashion designer, but have always had distinct ideas about image and aesthetic. I’ve always liked to be creative with my clothes; I experimented with that a lot during school and ended up working for fashion designer Patricia Field while studying. Her style is incredibly experimental! (Which you know if you watched Sex in the City) These days I’m in love Alexander McQueen and I also love looking at the Dolce & Gabbana ads in magazines. They’re beautiful–especially the Italian ones.

AC: Have you ever considered doing fashion design work?

JD: I’ve had some distinct ideas for designs, especially after having spent so much time around the fashion world in NY. Starting a fashion line has crossed my mind; I just need to find the right moment to do it.

AC: What prompted you to make the move to LA?

JD: I’ve always thought that in order to know what you want in life, you need to try new and different things; push your boundaries. I loved NY but was looking for a change of scenery. After having done the courses at FIT, I still felt a call to acting and on-camera work, and at the time had befriended one of the actors from the soap All My Children. He recommended a great acting coach in LA; I went there for the first time to interview for her class. I got accepted and decided to move. Right before I moved, my step-dad gave me an envelope with $5000 to help me with my big transition. My parents were very supportive of my decision. That was the last gift my step-dad ever physically gave me; he passed away a few months later.

AC: Did acting classes help you hone your skills?

JD: I think that some people are born with a natural instinct for something. When I was young, I used to ham it up for the camera and loved to perform for my family and on stage. Acting classes are useful for tapping into your natural abilities and accessing them even more. All arts take fine-tuning and practice. The trick is to learn those fine-tuning techniques while still keeping your natural instinct.

AC: What was it like when you got to LA? Did being a Latina help you get bookings?

JD: The first years in LA I did a lot of print and commercial work. I didn’t have a car right away so I used to take the bus to the auditions. After booking several jobs I saved enough money to buy my first car. My first commercial was an ad for Levi’s that was directed by Chris Cunningham. Did being Latina help? Sure. I think that sometimes being a minority in a casting room filled with blondes can be a plus. Being bilingual also has given me an edge; I’ve used my Spanish on camera a lot while filming shows internationally.

AC: How much of booking a job is talent and how much is plain luck?

JD: I think talent goes a long way in the entertainment industry, but it doesn’t matter much unless the right people are watching. There is certainly an element of luck. It’s a combination of luck, skill, and hard work. I had a meeting with a talent exec the other day who also talked about serendipity, meaning when things line up for you. He called it a “symphony.” I think my career has definitely had some symphonic moments.

AC: Tell us about working with current TV? You worked with Al Gore?

JD: Current TV was like going to grad school for television. Because it was a start-up network I was given license to try a lot of different things. I got over 1000 hours on camera there and also began producing. I believe it’s important to learn about all aspects of what’s happening on set because it can only be an asset to the performer and makes other peoples jobs easier. I also discovered my drive for philanthropy while at Current. Working with Al Gore raised my awareness of environmental issues and I decided to produce several short-form documentaries about them. I also had some fun with producing projects about the arts and fashion but I suppose, given my childhood, that was a natural thing.

AC: How does fame affect a person?

JD: Fame raises your awareness that people are watching. I think you have more of a responsibility to be aware of what you are portraying to the public. When people first began to recognize me on the street, it felt strange! It’s a bit like the uncomfortable feeling you get while being complimented; it takes a bit of getting used to. I love connecting with my fans now though; it’s nice hearing how my work has inspired them.

AC: How did you begin producing?

JD: At Current TV, producing and being the talent went hand in hand. When I went on to produce for the SyFy channel it was a big challenge for me, being someone who was relatively new to the scene. We were on the road and traveled to nine different countries within a three month period – and I was producing and co-starring the entire third season of Destination Truth! Arriving in a different country, encountering a different language every week, being responsible for a large portion of the show, and performing on camera each episode was not easy! But I wouldn’t take it back for anything.

AC: Tell us about “Destination Truth?”

JD: While filming Destination Truth we went to the pyramids of Giza in Egypt, hiked the Great Wall of China, visited Buddhist monks in the Himalayas, saw the Nasca Lines in Peru and even visited local tribes at their homes in Africa. It was an amazing experience! When you’re on the road for work and the production company is hiring locals to help with things, you get to know more about the culture because you hang out with the people living there. To this day, shooting driving scenes over the sand dunes in Egypt while overlooking the pyramids is one of the best days I’ve ever had.

AC: Your work on “Fact or Faked?”

JD: My favorite part about shooting Fact or Faked was the office scenes. The dialogue was often a debate of scientific mysteries and I loved it! I learned so much; I’m a sucker for intellectual debate and conversation.

AC: How was it working with Jack Osbourne on “Haunted Highway?”

JD: Jack is super fun to work with and super laid-back. He keeps a cool head and is always very positive. I think that’s something noteworthy to see in people, even when they’re going through personal challenges. I’ve never seen him bring those challenges to work, and I can appreciate that in people because I try to do the same. We’ve had a blast working together and have become friends because of it.

AC: Why do some of the fans call you the “Real Laura Croft?”

JD: A lot of the scenes I’ve done for these SyFy shows require me to get rugged, adventurous, and dirty. I’ve found myself doing things like scuba diving the Bermuda Triangle with sharks, shooting AR15 rifles, crawling through caves, visiting ancient ruins, trekking the Amazon Jungle in the pitch black of night and walking ever so carefully through Chernobyl in a radiation suit.

AC: Any time for romance? What is your life philosophy?

JD: I’m not romantically involved at the moment, but I’m open to the possibility. I take it one day at a time but I believe that doing something each day to get you closer to your goal is a key discipline to getting anywhere in this world.

AC: How do you feel about social media?

JD: Twitter is great to keep close to the fans. It’s so fun to see what interests them and what they like to talk about. Social media is an amazing thing. @Jaeldepardo

AC: What is the dream now?

JD: I keep myself open to all possibilities and opportunities—the dream now is to keep growing as an entertainer. I’ve been so fortunate to keep working consistently but I’m looking now to expand my repertoire to scripted work and use the acting skills I’ve worked so hard to attain!

Twitter @jaeldepardo
Site jaeldepardo.com

Latino challenges The Kennedy Center Honors

2013 may be the year for Latinos at The Kennedy Center Honors

By Adrian Perez, Publisher

This past week The Kennedy Center Honors, presided by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, recognized several individuals with what is perhaps most prestigious distinction an artist can receive in America today.  Recognized for their lifetime artistic contributions were Dustin Hoffman, David Letterman, Buddy Guy, Natalia Makarova, and rock group Led Zeppelin. Overlooked for their lifetime achievements, again, were Rita Moreno, Carlos Santana, and many other Latino American artists.

This has been an ongoing issue for Felix Sanchez, Chairman of the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts (NHFA), whose battle with The Kennedy Center Honors goes back a couple of years when he initiated a letter writing campaign.  However, it wasn’t the letter writing that may bring change to the annual event, but a telephone conversation that was heard across the nation.

Founded in 1997 by Actors Jimmy Smits, Sonia Braga, Esai Morales, Merel Julia and Sanchez, the purpose of NHFA is to advance the presence of Latinos in the media, telecommunications, and entertainment industries.   Sanchez, an attorney and former Congressional staffer, serves as Chairman on a pro bono basis and has lead the organization to produce an annual quantitative review of how Latinos are portrayed on primetime network TV.  In addition, the NHFA has awarded over one million dollars in scholarship grants to Latino students pursuing a career in the entertainment industry.

The Kennedy Center Honors was established in 1978 and is comprised of six Honorary Chairs (the current and former First Ladies), six Officers (including Kaiser), and a Board of Trustees.  The Trustees are comprised of 53 individuals, with 32 members appointed by the President of the United States, and 21 serve as Ex-Officio members representing key government departments and Congress.  The only Latina is Giselle Fernandez who was appointed by the President, otherwise there are no other Latino Americans on the Board. 

The Center receives $37 million in federal funds, raises millions of dollars each year to develop and promote its programs, and is named after late President John F. Kennedy.  Since 1978, the Kennedy Center Honors has recognized over 170 honorees, of which only two have been Hispanics - Placido Domingo, the Spanish tenor, in 2000; and Chita Rivera, the actress, singer and dancer of Puerto Rican descent, in 2002. 

Many would figure that any organization with the late President’s name, whose photo can be found in many Latino households across America and whose brother walked with Cesar Chavez for the plight of farm workers, would be sensitive to Latinos.  But the Kennedy Center Honors’ management appears out of touch.  Couple that with a nebulous selection process and a Board of Trustees that doesn’t reflect America today, it is no wonder why we have not seen more Latino honorees.

When the 2012 Honorees were announced on September 12, 2012, and no Latinos were named, Sanchez called the President of The Kennedy Center Honors Michael M. Kaiser to complain.  To his surprise, Kaiser actually called him back and shared a few choice words that expressed his dislike of Sanchez’ call.

Sanchez described their conversation as blunt, lasting only three minutes, asking Kaiser “How can you continue to exclude Latinos from the Kennedy Center Honors?”  Kaiser responded “hotly,” according to Sanchez, defending his record of promoting Latino arts and artists and ended the conversation by telling Sanchez to “go f--- yourself.”

Sanchez, being well connected to the media, shared his conversation with them and within days, major outlets, like the Washington Post, carried the news that Kaiser had told one of America’s Latino leaders to “go f--- yourself.”  Over the following two weeks Kaiser did not deny the accuracy of the discussion and by then, 30 leading Latino national organizations were demanding an apology.  Kaiser was pressured to issue an apology, which continued to display his ignorance of the contributions made by Latino American artists.

"One of the challenges with Latino artists is that so many are so young and it's a lifetime achievement award," Kaiser said. "I believe you're going to see more and more and more because the Latino contribution to the arts has been growing and growing and growing."

Kaiser’s apology prompted a meeting between Sanchez and The Kennedy Center Honors Board Chairman David M. Rubenstein.  Although their discussion was not made public, it is known that at its next Board of Trustees meeting it was agreed to establish a committee to review the selection process for honorees.  In addition, two members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Representatives Charles Gonzalez and Ruben Hinojosa both Texas Democrats, who served as Chairman and First Vice Chairman respectively, wrote to Kaiser, expressing their "concern with the lack of Hispanic representation."

Perhaps in the next couple of years The Kennedy Center Honors will recognize the lifetime contributions of Rita Moreno, Joan Baez, Carlos Santana, Ruben Blades, Julio Iglesias, Gloria Estefan, Cristina Saralegui, Raquel Welch, Edward James Olmos, Luis Valdez, or Pedro Almodovar, all recommended over the years by the NHFA.

"Latino Americans" to be broadcast on PBS

PBS Series "Latino Americans" will Chronicle the Latino Experience in the U. S. Over the Last 200 Years; Premieres Fall 2013

PBS Partners with Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB) to Present the Landmark Project with Funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and PBS

WETA Washington, DC (May 2, 2012)

ARLINGTON, VA - LATINO AMERICANS, a three-part, six-hour documentary series produced by WETA Washington, D.C.; Bosch and Company, Inc.; and Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB), will air nationwide on PBS in the Fall of 2013, the production partners announced today. LATINO AMERICANS will chronicle the lives and experiences of Latinos in the United States from 1800 to the 21st Century. Through its people, politics and culture, LATINO AMERICANS will tell the story of early settlement, conquest and immigration; of tradition and reinvention; of anguish and celebration; and of the gradual construction of a new American identity from diverse sources that connects and empowers millions of people today. Initial funding for LATINO AMERICANS is made possible by major grants from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and PBS.

The project brings together a diverse team of award-winning filmmakers from around the country to tell these stories, led by the Emmy Award-winning Series Producer Adriana Bosch. The team includes the Imagen Award-winning John Valadez, the ALMA Award-winning Ray Telles, the Peabody Award-winning Dan McCabe and the Emmy Award-winning Nina Alvarez (project staff list below). The production staff will utilize the accounts of historical figures and events; present-day interviews with Latinos - from best-selling authors, entrepreneurs and pop cultural celebrities to political leaders and everyday people, as well as historians and other experts; and historical re-enactments. LATINO AMERICANS will also include a Spanish-language version of the series, a companion book by acclaimed journalist Ray Suarez, and bilingual online educational resources.

"Over the centuries, Latinos - whether traveling across borders, or with deep roots in America itself - have profoundly influenced American culture and American history," said Bosch, whose recent PBS projects include LATIN MUSIC U.S.A. and several productions for the series AMERICAN EXPERIENCE. "LATINO AMERICANS is a story of pride, a story about the people whose lives and contributions are at the very essence of American life. Latinos have transformed America and transformed themselves, and having a group of Latinos tell this story in their own words is an important milestone in our history."

LATINO AMERICANS will span more than two centuries, exploring the rise and transformation of the idea of a "Latino American" identity, formed from people of diverse backgrounds, different countries, socioeconomic classes, educational levels and opposing political agendas. The series will portray how unique and diverse Latino cultures are, and yet how much they all share through a powerful identity, their Latinidad.

"Through LATINO AMERICANS, the production team is powerfully weaving together the compelling stories of Latinos who have been an intricate part of the development of this country," said Paula A. Kerger, President and CEO, PBS. "We're very proud to be bringing this important piece of American history to all audiences, hoping that it will help spread a better understanding of and appreciation for the cultures behind our nation."

"Public media creates content that connects to all Americans - on-air, online and in their communities - and reflects the complexity of our country's history and culture," said Patricia Harrison, President and CEO, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a major project funder. "We believe LATINO AMERICANS will be an important series honoring both the mission of public media and the Latino contribution to America."

The production is a partnership between WETA Washington, D.C., the third-largest producing station for public broadcasting; Bosch and Company, Inc., a production company that specializes in documentaries with a strong commitment to making films by and about Latinos; and Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB), a leader in the development, production, and distribution of non-commercial educational programming that is representative of Latino people and issues.

"Latino Public Broadcasting is a proud partner on this series that portrays the rich cultural heritage and contributions of Latinos to our country," commented Edward James Olmos, Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors, Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB). "This project embodies our mission of providing a voice to the diverse Latino community throughout the United States in the most literal sense - from the Latino filmmakers behind the camera who are part of an impressive production team to the Latino individuals on the screen - leaders, historians, veterans - who through their personal stories will help tell this history. Furthermore, this project will create a national conversation between all Americans."

Beyond the Broadcast
LATINO AMERICANS will be supported by a major bilingual public engagement and education campaign, a corresponding bilingual website with user-generated digital content, social media platforms, and the development and distribution of school-based curriculum. Also, over the next year and a half, the project team will be working in partnership with groups and organizations to develop a series of national community-based screenings and discussion events to engage the public in the rich history and themes featured in the series.

LATINO AMERICANSwill also include a companion book written by Ray Suarez, Senior Correspondent for PBS NEWSHOUR.The companion book will be published by Celebra, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA), and will be released in conjunction with the broadcast premiere.

"Latino American history is American history," said Suarez."Through the paths of many individuals and communities we have come to a collective shared America, and in the LATINO AMERICANS series and my companion book, we work against every notion of treating this great story as anything separate or apart from U.S. history. PBS is the essential home for sharing this important project with the nation."

About the Series Content
The project staff have been working with a team of professors and historians to develop the narrative for this series. The LATINO AMERICANS Content Advisory Panel, listed below, was organized in 2008 and is still actively consulted on the ongoing production. The Content Advisory Panel includes individuals with backgrounds in economics, demographics, social and cultural studies, migration, and various history specialties.

"At last, a documentary that offers a big picture narrative of Latinos in the United States from the colonial period to the present," said Vicki Ruiz, Interim Dean of School of Humanities and Professor of History and Chicano/Latino Studies at University of California, Irvine, and member of the LATINO AMERICANS Content Advisory Panel. "Rather than focusing on one group or one event, this series seeks to have a larger conversation across time and across Latino cultural groups in order to better understand the historical imprints of Latinos on the American journey."

The three-part, six-hour long series will narrate the story of Latino Americans from 1800 to the 21st Century, starting with the English and Spanish colonies, and following with a survey of milestones in Latino American history. The series will intersect with much that is central to the history of the United States such as multiple wars, the Great Depression and the Civil Rights Movement. LATINO AMERICANS will also go to places where standard U.S. histories do not tend to tread, driven by the human dramas of individuals' struggles and triumphs, successes and disappointments, people whose stories tell us much about their times.

LATINO AMERICANS will trace the arrival of millions of people from the 1980s through to the 21st century, the largest migration of people in recent U.S. history. They came for a variety of reasons, including civil strife and wars, the impact of U.S. policy during the Cold War, and the impact of globalization and NAFTA. Many came to the U.S. for a better life for themselves and their families, in pursuit of the American Dream. The series will also examine the backlash of tightened borders, anti-bilingualism, and efforts to declare all undocumented immigrants as felons. But during the debate over immigration, a powerful new voice of second-, third- and fourth-generation Latinos rose to positions of power and influence, changing America's politics, policy and economy, and coalescing around a new phenomenon - the idea of Latino Americans.

About the Project Team
The production team brings many perspectives to the creation of the series. Their collective experience spans filmmaking around the world for news, documentaries and feature films, and individuals on the team have had their work recognized with George Foster Peabody Awards, Imagen Awards, Emmy Awards, Christopher Awards, Erik Barnouw Awards and an NCLR ALMA Outstanding Career Achievement Award.

"Our goal has been to produce a history about Latinos as has never been told. Towards that end, we have assembled an amazing line-up of filmmakers, historians and on-camera interview subjects," said Jeff Bieber, Series Executive Producer and Vice President, News and Public Affairs Programming, WETA Washington, D.C. "We have the opportunity to shed light on American history that many people do not know. The depth and breadth of the history brought to life by our team will be unprecedented, driven by the human dramas of the individuals featured."

The LATINO AMERICANS project staff includes the following individuals (in alpha order):

• Nina Alvarez, Co-Producer
• Sabrina Avilés, Associate Producer
• David Belton, Director of Re-Enactments
• Jeff Bieber, Series Executive Producer for WETA
• Adriana Bosch, Series Producer
• Dalton Delan, Series Executive Producer for WETA
• Sonia Fritz, Director of Re-Enactments
• Yvan Iturriaga, Associate Producer
• Salme Lopez, Supervising Producer
• Dan McCabe, Producer
• Javier Melendez, Production Assistant
• Monika Navarro, Associate Producer
• Cathleen O'Connell, Producer of Re-Enactments
• Sandie Viquez Pedlow, Series Executive Producer for Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB)
• Ray Telles, Producer, and Consulting Producer of Re-Enactments
• John Valadez, Producer

The LATINO AMERICANS Content Advisory Panel is comprised of the following individuals (in alpha order):

• George J. Borjas, Robert W. Scrivner Professor of Economics and Social Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University; and Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research
• Linda Chavez, Chairperson of the Center for Equal Opportunity; and author of Out of the Barrio: Toward a New Politics of Hispanic Assimilation
• Juan Flores, Visiting Professor of Social and Cultural Analysis at New York University
• Donna Gabaccia, Rudolph J. Vecoli Professor at the University of Minnesota and Director of the Immigration History Research Center
• Maria Cristina Garcia, Professor of History at Cornell University
• Gary Gerstle, James Stahlman Professor of History at Vanderbilt University
• David Gutierrez, Associate Professor of History at the University of California at San Diego
• Stephen J. Pitti, Professor of History & American Studies; Director of the Program in Ethnicity, Race, and Migration; and Director of the Latina/o History Project at Yale University
• Vicki Ruiz, Interim Dean of School of Humanities and Professor of History and
• Chicano/Latino Studies at University of California, Irvine
• Marta Tienda, Maurice P. During '22 Professor in Demographic Studies and Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs at Princeton University

LATINO AMERICANS is a co-production of WETA Washington, D.C., Bosch and Company, Inc., and Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB). Major funding for LATINO AMERICANS is provided by Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), Ford Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities, The Rockefeller Foundation, The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB) and The Summerlee Foundation.

Hispanic Ad Association to hold it's annual conference

Nation's leading marketers gather in Miami for AHAA's Annual Conference May 2 to 4
MIAMI, Fl -- Client-centered Theme "Listen Up!" to Infuse Sessions with a Robust Lineup of Distinguished Speakers

AHAA: The Voice of Hispanic Marketing will hold its Annual Conference on May 2-4, 2012 at the Intercontinental Miami Hotel with the theme of "Listen Up!" The conference will revolve around the client perspective and emphasize best practices across the broad Hispanic marketing continuum. Attending and being featured at the conference will be some of the nation's leading investors in the Hispanic market - The Clorox Company, Diageo, Google, Tecate and Wal-Mart are just a few of the marquis brands that will share their insights. They will reveal the creative strategies that resulted in outstanding campaigns that also deeply connected with Hispanic consumers.

AHAA's Annual Conference is the most comprehensive industry event dedicated to the U.S. Hispanic market featuring an exciting program packed with a lineup of best-in-the-business speakers and numerous networking opportunities. More than 400 Hispanic-specialized marketers, ranging from advertising, public relations, media, creative, research and promotion expertise, are expected to converge in Miami.

As part of the conference, AHAA chair Roberto Orci, CEO, Acento Advertising along with Board members Linda Lane Gonzalez, President/CEO, Viva Partnership, Inc. and Aldo Quevedo, President, Dieste, will kick off the conference and provide a glimpse into the current state of the U.S. Hispanic Marketing industry. Throughout the event, AHAA will announce the winners of the HispanicAd.com Account Planning Excelencia (HAPE) Award, the HispanicAd.com Media Planning Excelencia (HMPE) Award. In addition, AHAA, in partnership with Nielsen, will announce the winner of the 2012 Caballero Lifetime Achievement Award.

This year, the conference will showcase two CMO Fireside Chats:

Seasoned veteran, Felix Palau, VP of Marketing, Tecate of Heineken, USA, will present "Beer: Beyond the :30 TV Commercial." He will share his unique insights on Heineken's innovative U.S. Hispanic marketing platform, the importance of the Hispanic market for Tecate and what the future holds for the brand.

Javier M. Delgado-Granados, Marketing Manager, Wal-Mart and Mark Lopez, Digital Media Executive and Head of U.S. Hispanic Audience, Google, will discuss the fascinating developments occurring in the fast-paced world of digital and the changes they foresee ahead in their CMO chat, "Digital as Part of the Marketing Mix."

There are several top-tier keynote speakers that will share their insights on a broad range of topics in these five can't-miss sessions:

John Winsor, CEO of Victor & Spoils will address the topic of advertising and crowdsourcing in his session "The Trials and Tribulations of Harnessing the Chaos of Abundance," and Steven Rommeney, Humalog T2 Consumer Brand Manager of Eli Lilly, who will discuss healthcare marketing in "Looking to the Health of the U.S. Hispanic Market: Pharmaceuticals."

The Clorox Company's David Cardona, Multi-Cultural Team Leader and Lupe De Los Santos, Group Manager of Hispanic Marketing Communications will present the "Top 10 'Truths' from a Retail Client's Perspective of Hispanic Marketing," along with concrete examples to illustrate what works and what doesn't. Both David and Lupe have been on the agency side in the past and bring a unique perspective to being a retail client.

In keeping with the AHAA tradition of showcasing the latest compelling research to help with new business development and effective strategy building, The Nielsen Company also will share their key insights on the Hispanic consumer's online behavior and its business impact with Digital CEO Jonathan Carson and his session "Online Media Measurement and Analytics - Critical Insights You Can Learn On Hispanics."

Marc Stephenson Strachan, Vice President, Multicultural Marketing USA, Diageo-North America will discuss how Diageo is infusing Multicultural insights into General market strategies in the aptly titled session, "The Diageo Mulitcultural Marketing Journey...Everybody into the Pool!" He will also talk about the client-agency relationship and the importance of coming across less like a vendor and more as a partner. After experiencing an agency career, Marc will also share how it has influenced him as a client.

Going along with the conference theme of "Listen Up!" are the results of the "People en Espanol 12th Annual Hispanic Opinion Tracker (HOT) Study: Insights into the US Latina Woman," which will be presented by Monique Manso, Publisher of People en Espanol. The study provides insights into the changing role of Latina women in the U.S. and reveals how Hispanic women continue to embrace their families, heritage, and identity as they become an increasing force in American life. Categories range from Beauty and Skincare to Computers and Internet usage.

In addition, the conference will include two exciting panel discussions from the industry's top public relations, media, entertainment and music professionals:

"Hispanic Public Relations: Creating Brand Evangelists with Engagement and Trust," will include panelists Solomon Romano, Head of Hispanic Marketing, Delta Dental, 2011 Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Chair & CEO Rosanna Fiske, APR & Director/Professor, Florida International University, Natalie Boden, Founder & President, BodenPR and Manny Ruiz, Co-Publisher of Hispanic PR Blog and Founder/Creative Director of Hispanicize 2012 discussing how to generate advocacy, engagement, trust and sales with Public Relations.

"Juventud + Migracion + Adaptacion = Music, Language & Mucho Love: The Influence of the Macro Environment in the Transformation of Consumers," will provide insight on how the ever-changing and growing U.S. multicultural market continues to influence trends and brand activations. Mariel Llenza, Director of Hispanic Advertising, AT&T Mobility, Sie7e, Warner Music, Grammy® winning artist, Robert Isaac, Director of Music Programming, Mun2 and Xavier Alvarado, VP, Programming, WHKQ KQ103 FM will present what factors have most impacted them, how they've modified their strategy and how a common trend (i.e. Spanglish) has helped them unite forces in order to reach a new generation of audiences.

AHAA is also pleased to be collaborating with the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) in organizing a series of Media & Digital Workshops during the conference for the second year in a row. Attendees at the AHAA Annual Conference will enjoy an exceptional content line up that cleverly merges AHAA's Hispanic marketing and advertising expertise with IAB's supreme online advertising and digital media knowledge base.

Finally, the conference will conclude with the presentation by AHAA and Circulo Creativo of the inaugural U.S.H. Idea Awards, recognizing stellar achievement in work created by U.S. Hispanic agencies and directed at Hispanic audiences. The award ceremony will take place at the prestigious Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami.

"This year's conference is unlike any other," said Roberto Orci, chair of AHAA and CEO of Acento. "The premise of 'Listen Up!' is to provide our attendees with unprecedented access to A-list brands who are sharing their insights and applications for successful Hispanic marketing. These best business practices serve to not only foster creativity but also provide strategies to strengthen the client-agency experience."

For more information on AHAA's annual conference and to register, please visit http://ahaa.org/default.asp?contentID=353 .

About AHAA: Founded in 1996 and headquartered in McLean, VA, the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies (AHAA) is the national organization of Hispanic-owned and-managed firms united to promote the growth and strength of the Hispanic marketing and advertising industry to the private and public sectors. AHAA is raising awareness of the value of the Hispanic market's many opportunities while enhancing the professionalism of the industry. AHAA agencies lead the industry with collective capitalized billings exceeding $5 billion - more than 90 percent of the entire U.S. Hispanic advertising industry. Only AHAA agencies have the blend of cultural understanding, market knowledge, proven experience and professional resources that make them uniquely qualified to communicate with Hispanic consumers. These capabilities and skills offer the potential for Hispanic market success that's available nowhere else.

SOURCE AHAA: The Voice of Hispanic Marketing

Latino film producers to hold conference April 13-15

NALIP 2012: Diverse Voices, Universal Content to be presented April 13-15, 2012 at Universal City, California.

LOS ANGELES, CA -- The National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP) today announced that its thirteenth annual NALIP Conference will be held April 13 - 15, 2012 in Universal City, California with a new special edition of the NALIP ActorSummit on April 12. Online registration is available now at http://www.conference2012.nalip.org/ .

NALIP 2012: Diverse Voices, Universal Content is presented by Time Warner and the National Latino Media Council. Co-chairs Frank B. Gonzalez of The Disney/ABC Television Group and Juan Carlos Zaldivar of Phonograph Films will host the annual, premier Latino nonprofit gathering of top level Latino executives, content makers and game changers in the Latino media field. This dynamic and star-studded weekend includes keynotes, plenaries, 'Conversations With,' workshops and networking events. The conference begins Friday, with keynote speaker, film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer, editor and musician, Robert Rodriguez. Rodriguez's films, which range from sleeper hit EL MARIACHI to FROM DUSK TILL DAWN and SIN CITY as well as the SPY KIDS franchise, exemplify how he embodies expressing a diverse voice while creating content that is universal. Saturday's keynote speaker will be Universal Studios' President and COO Ron Meyer. Meyer, the longest-running Studio Chief, is dedicated to creating a corporate culture of stability and consistency that drives a successful business.

In addition to engaging Hollywood's elite, NALIP also brings together the industry's current trendsetters. This will be exemplified in two very special sneak preview screenings during the conference. Friday night, the Sundance smash hit FILLY BROWN will be shown at Universal City's AMC Theatres. Following the screening, directors Youssef Delara and Michael T. Olmos, producer Amir Delara, and cast members Gina Rodriguez, Lou Diamond Phillips, Chrissie Fit, Emilo Rivera and Danny Mora will participate in a Q&A session. The second private screening and Q&A will be held Saturday afternoon for the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie of the week "Firelight." "Firelight" is directed by Darnell Martin and written by NALIP mentor and executive producer/ writer of the highly acclaimed LA MISA LUNA, Ligiah Villalobos.

Furthering the tradition of celebrating Latino visionaries, NALIP will host a red carpet gala honoring one of only eight living performers who has won entertainment's grand slam of the industry's most prestigious awards: The Oscar, The Emmy, The Tony and The Grammy -- the inspirational and magnanimous, Rita Moreno. Ms. Moreno will receive NALIP's highest honor, the Lifetime Achievement Award. Additional media luminaries being honored at the annual gala include former Nosotros President and current Velasco & Associates President, Jerry Velasco who will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award for Advocacy and the Estela "Rising Star" Award winners Patricia Martinez de Velasco, Erin McGinnis and Ari Palos, who will be awarded a $7,500 grant endowed by the McDonald's Corporation.

The Conference will also include NALIP's annual Latino Media Market, inviting top industry executives to help attendees bring their authentic, unique and diverse voices to the international market place. Executives from Time Warner, HBO, You Tube, Google, Sony, ABC/Disney, NBC, CBS, PBS, Fox, SAG, WGA, CNN, HGTV, Travel Channel, TruTV, Mun2 and many others are scheduled to attend this unique event. For a list of speakers, panels and keynotes please visit http://conference2012.nalip.org/conference/keynotes-speakers/ .

The NALIP national conference is organized as three days of workshops and plenaries on film, television and documentaries, plus groundbreaking case studies. These include "The Million Dollar Screenwriting Workshop", which turns writing into an effortless, step-by-step process, "Packaging your Documentary for Success", discusses how to best present your project pitch, proposal and trailer. "The Reality of Reality Television" presents an in depth look inside the world of reality television, why it works, the opportunities and how to break in. "Inside the Mind of the Investor: How Money Decisions are Made" explores how to prepare the best pitch and approach to maximize chances of success. Also scheduled are "Women in Media, Women Who Rock!" and "Make Money in TV Commercials."

Latinos watch more television, buy more movie tickets and consume more media than any other ethnicity, yet Latinos comprise less than 1% of executives in Hollywood; the percentage of minority industry writers in film and television has been frozen at 6% since 1999, and the percentage of directors is lower still. There are over 50 million Latinos in the U.S., which is more than Spaniards in Spain or Canadians in Canada. Latinos are estimated to expend over $1 billion on U.S. filmed entertainment, and $1 trillion in general market buying power. Twenty-six million U.S. moviegoers are Latino, most commonly between the ages of 12 and 34, and are 100% more likely than the national average to be considered "frequent moviegoers." Nielsen Media has determined that Latinos represent an overwhelming 28% of today's heavy moviegoers, that they buy more tickets per year than any other ethnic group, and constitute the fastest-growing segment of the overall movie-going population.

NALIP's closing plenary, Race and the Media, will engage in an insightful and important conversation about the systemic, economic and cultural factors affecting race and representation in the Media. Jennifer Lawson, Executive Vice President of Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Alex Nogales, Director of National Hispanic Media Coalition, Joe Torres, author of News for all the People, and Dr. Darnell Hunt, a sociologist at UCLA will discuss the effects of exclusion, and what can be done to improve representation of Latinos in front of and behind the cameras. NALIP's mission is to address the vital need for equitable Latino representation to the most underrepresented and largest ethnic minority in the country across all entertainment mediums.

Variety: Networks going after Latino audience

Networks target fast-growing Hispanic audience...$88 million in new business for Spanish-Language TV in 2011-12
By Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety.com

The race is on to capture the U.S. Hispanic market, with mainstream networks and their Hispanic counterparts battling for primacy. The result is an increasing cross-pollination of programs and a proliferation of networks, with Fox, Lionsgate and NBCU among those joining Hispanic allies to find and produce content aimed at the largest and fastest-growing minority group in the U.S.

New Hispanic channels are emerging, some in Spanish, some in English, in a bid to appeal to a mix of generations and language preferences that can exist under one Latino roof: The latest census reveals that of the 50.5 million Hispanics in the U.S., 30% are Spanish-dominant while the rest are either English-speaking or bilingual.

Broadcast leader Univision is now the clear No. 5 broadcast network (behind the Big Four) while rival Telemundo has been picking up steam.

"The number of networks focused on the Spanish space has increased from around 12 in 2001 to 100 just a month ago," says Univision networks prexy Cesar Conde, who points out that Univision alone will have a dozen networks by year's end compared with three last year.

These include Univision's upcoming news and sports pay TV nets in addition to the telenovela channel now on Dish Network plus the six TuTV pay TV channels, jointly owned with Televisa.

One of the most anticipated new players is MundoFox, a joint venture between Fox Intl. Channels (FIC) and Colombia's RCN, due to launch in the fall. The new Spanish-lingo network will showcase edgier Colombian telenovelas and look to build on Fox's success in inserting itself into a market. Meanwhile, Fox and Univision recently bowed Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony's pan-American talent competish "Q'Viva! The Chosen," while Fox's "Family Guy" airs on Univision sibling web TeleFutura.

Elsewhere, sister networks NBC and Telemundo share talent and resources in the exec ranks as well as on-air.

In the 2011-12 upfront season, an estimated $88 million of new business came to Spanish-Language TV, with Telemundo taking more than half (55%) of the new business, according to Lauren Zalaznick, chairman of NBCUniversal entertainment, digital networks and integrated media.

"The reported 2011/2012 upfront numbers were $1.75 billion for Univision, and $400 million for Telemundo, up 20% from the 2010/2011 upfront," says Antonio Ruiz, partner-communications planning at leading Hispanic ad agency, the Vidal Partnership. Telemundo and its youth-skewed bicultural cable sibling Mun2 delivered more than 20% growth year-to-year, marking their best upfront season ever.

"Our Hispanic strategy is not limited to Telemundo (or Mun2) alone," says Zalaznick, who points out that NBCUniversal's theme parks, studio, cable and broadcast networks, digital assets and Comcast's leading position among cablers in the U.S. allows the company to collectively reach 93% of all Hispanics. She adds that landing the Spanish-language U.S. rights to World Cup Soccer matches in 2018 and 2022 would not have happened without the joint efforts of NBC Sports and Telemundo Deportes.

NBCU parent Comcast has begun to fulfill its pledge to launch 10 independently owned channels on its cable systems over the next eight years. Of these, four will have Hispanic ownership.

Leading the initial pack is young-male-skewed El Rey from Latino helmer Robert Rodriguez and partners John Fogelman and Cristina Patwa of FactoryMade Ventures.

"When Fogelman approached me with the idea for this channel, I immediately said yes," says Rodriguez. He's building soundstages on his 25-acre property in Austin for the English-language channel, which will include animation, music, reality, scripted shows, movies, docus and sports programming.

"The key is to make it universal; I want viewers to watch it because it's cool, not Latino," adds Rodriguez.

Another upcoming Latino-owned Comcast network is BabyFirst Americas from Spanish-lingo TV exec Constantino "Said" Schwarz, which is slated to launch by April.

Meanwhile, Lionsgate and Mexican partner Televisa have expanded their joint film venture, Pantelion Films, onto the smallscreen as well. (Over the March 16-18 weekend, Pantelion scored big at the B.O. with "Casa de mi Padre," which nabbed $2.4 million on 382 screens.) The partnership will include English-lingo format adaptations of TV content from Televisa's library, and the development of scripted and unscripted English-language original programming.

The companies have set up a hefty development fund to enable them to attract top showrunners and talent for an average output of six to eight projects a year, including the sitcom spinoff of Pantelion's debut pic, "From Prada to Nada"; "Badlands," a scripted drama at ABC based on Televisa hit telenovela "Soy tu Duena"; Televisa's drama skein "Terminales" for ABC Family; and "Teresa," based on another Televisa telenovela.

Univision, an erstwhile strictly Spanish-language network, recently began providing English close-captioning for its primetime block of telenovelas and other programs, including long-running variety show "Sabado Gigante." The network is a ratings winner, especially among adults 18-34, where its season average is double struggling English-language broadcaster CW (1.6 vs. 0.8) and is now within shouting distance of ABC, CBS and NBC. (No. 2 Hispanic-language net Telemundo has been offering English closed captions in its primetime block since 2004.)

"Forty-two of the top 50 shows are already watched by bilinguals on Univision," says Conde.

But U.S.-partnered players aren't the only ones gearing up to deliver Latino shows to the U.S.: Venezuela's RCTV, once the oldest and most dominant broadcaster in Venezuela until president Hugo Chavez shuttered it for allegedly inciting rebellion, revived its production capabilities in October, keenly aware of the growing interest in Latino-themed stories.

RCTV Intl. head Jorge Granier is opening a Los Angeles office and has been meeting with showrunners and talent agencies to package English-language versions of RCTV telenovelas selected from its trove of 300 titles.

Latin America's wealth of talent, formats, stories and programming innovations has not been fully tapped in the U.S., says Joshua Mintz, exec VP of Telemundo Studios, which is churning out six to seven telenovelas a year, mainly in Miami. Mintz points to ABC's hit adaptation of Colombia's "Ugly Betty" and, most recently, Fox Television Studios plans for an English-lingo version of "La Reina del Sur," Telemundo's biggest hit telenovela.

"If the U.S. TV industry needs new stories to tell, it doesn't need to look any further than Latin America," Granier says."

Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com