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CNN+ Slammed by Journalist Group for Lack of Latinos: ‘NAHJ Is Appalled’

 

Courtesy of Yahoo Entertainment 

CNN+ is in the hot seat after the National Association of Hispanis Journalist responded to its major lack of diversity in the CNN+ lineup. NAHJ argues how the exclusion is not only extremely dismissive towards Latinx talent, but in many cases, hurts the Latinx community for failing to represent them equally. Currently, the lineup includes Wolf Blitzer, Kate Bolduan, Don Lemon, Anderson Cooper, and Sara Sidner, which though includes some women, is still largely overrun by male journalists. 

To hear what CNN+ had to say click here! 

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‘The Power of the Dog’ Wins Top Honors From Latino Entertainment Journalists Association

Courtesy of Variety

“The Power of the Dog” swept this year’s honors at the Latino Entertainment Journalist Association. The wins include Best Picture, Best Director and Best Editing. LEJA also nominated Lin Manuel more than any other individual this year with 7 nominations for “Tick, Tick…Boom!,” “In the Heights,” and “Encanto.” The   

LEJA is an organization dedicated to celebrating Latinx voices of all fields in the media industry.  

To see the full list of winners click here! 

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HBO Max & WarnerMedia OneFifty To Expand Latino Short Film Competition

Courtesy of WarnerMedia 

Submissions are open to apply at the Georgia Latino Film Festival, the Houston Film Festival, the LA Latino International Film Festival, the Miami Film Festival, the New York Latino Film Festival and the Philadelphia Latino Film Festival which will all be lengthening out their Latinx short film competition. The shift stems from the partnership of HBO Max and WarnerMedia OneFifty who are striving to become more inclusive of Latinx filmmakers. With this year’s theme of “community” the partnership is hoping to “inspire” and “empower” emerging Latinx visionaries who want to detail their stories for everyone to enjoy. Through this revamp, there will be a total of seven winning films in which, at a later time, will premiere on HBO Max through an exclusive licensing agreement. 

Further description of the Latino Short-Film Competition can be found here! 

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‘Encanto’s Olga Merediz & More Join Netflix’s ‘Blockbuster’

Courtesy of Remezcla news

Actress Melissa Fumero, most notable for her role in Brooklyn Nine-Nine,  announced March 3rd she’d be joining Olga Merediz & Tyler Alvarez in the upcoming comedy series, “Blockbuster.” The show will debut on Netflix and was created by Vanessa Ramos—who was the creator for the Brooklyn Nine-Nine show as well. Fumero will star as “Eliza,” a Blockbuster employee who works at the last remaining Blockbuster after dropping out of Harvard. Fumero will star alongside “Connie” played by Merediz who also works at the same Blockbuster.  

To read more about the exciting news click here!

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How Indie Spirit Award Nominee Colman Domingo Found His ‘Zola’ Character

Courtesy of the Hollywood Reporter

In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Colman Domingo reveals the script for “Zola” had been one of the “funniest,” “darkest” and “weirdest” stories he had ever read. Needless to say, Domingo, who plays “X” was really fascinated by the character and wanted to explore new villainous roles that he trusted he would perform well in. While in character, Domingo never wanted to judge “X,” despite him being based on a real person who trafficked and commodified women. He simply wanted to play a character outlined on paper and follow up with research to more thoroughly understand the psychological nature of “pimp culture.” 

To check out the rest of the interview click here! 

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Latino Entertainment Journalists Nominations: ‘West Side Story’ Leads With 13, Lin-Manuel Miranda and John Leguizamo Among Honorees

Courtesy of Variety

The Latino Entertainment Journalists Association announced their nominees. Among the nominees are Clifton Collins Jr ("Jockey"), Tatiana Huezo ("Prayers for the Stolen"), Guillermo del Toro ("Nightmare Alley"), & Ariana DeBose (“West Side Story”) among many other Latine nominees. Read more here. 

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Canela Media Becomes One Of The Largest Funded Latino-Owned Companies After Securing $32 Million In A Series A Funding Round

Courtesy of CANELA MEDIA AND BRIZ MEDIA GROUP

Canela Media, a New York-based digital media technology company launched in 2019 in an effort to cater to Latino and Spanish-speaking communities, announced today that it raised $32 million in a Series A funding round. 

The company says it currently reaches more than 50 million unique Hispanic viewers across its over 180 premium Spanish-language websites.

 In the midst of the pandemic, Rafferty launched Canela.TV in 2020, a free, ad-funded streaming service that features content specifically geared toward the LATAM and Hispanic consumer. The platform hosts various Latin culture-centered programs, including telenovelas, news show

Read more here

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Pitaya Entertainment Celebrates One Year Anniversary as the Fastest-Growing Podcast Network for Latinos in the United States

Courtesy of Pitaya Entertainment

Pitaya Entertainment has established itself as one of the most important players in the Latino podcast space and is the fastest-growing podcast network for Latinos in the U.S. The podcast startup released its first series in January 2021 and launched eleven weekly series during its first year. The shows are hosted by some of the biggest stars in Latin entertainment and are now streamed millions of times a month. Additionally, Pitaya is the first U.S. Latino podcast network to attract broad support from major national brands.

Read more here.

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