News & Updates
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NALIP's Top Latino Writers
Posted by NALIP on August 14, 2014
We swept the industry for NALIP’s “Latino Writers” Series, because we believe there is nothing as inspiring as seeing other Latinos making it in the industry. Each installment of this this series will announce different tiers of writers you should definitely know, whether they have penned big blockbusters or are someone on the rise that studios should keep in mind during their staffing season.
This week’s installment we give you the Top Latino Writers, tha range from Transformers Roberto Orci to Peter Murrieta of the Disney Channel’s "Wizards of Waverly Place". Discover the Latino scribes every Latino media maker should know.
Alfred Barrios
Alfredo Barrios, Jr. served as one of the executive producers of the hit USA Network show, "Burn Notice." Born and raised in Los Angeles, Alfredo is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School. After a five-year stint as a litigator at the Los Angeles office of O'Melveny & Myers, he ventured into screenwriting and was staffed on various television shows, including "First Monday," "Mister Sterling," "Lyon's Den," "Law & Order," "Just Legal," "Close to Home," and "Justice." He has pilots in development at both FX and Fox Television Studios. A prolific writer and producer, Alfredo has now begun to direct as well. He's also found time to serve as a board member of the Writers Guild of America, West. He currently lives in Manhattan Beach with his wife, Lisa, and two boys, Little Alfredo and Diego.
Rep: CAA; The Shuman Company
Natalie Chaidez
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Natalie Chaidez launched her career after graduating from UCLA film school. Best known for TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES, HEROES, and NECESSARY ROUGHNESS, Natalie has enjoyed a prolific career steeped in drama. TV drama. She’s currently developing “Alien Hunter,” a pilot for Gale Ann Hurd/Syfy, and is serving as showrunner for the new Syfy series, 12 MONKEYS. In her spare time she takes to the track as a member of California’s premiere roller derby league, L.A. Derby Dolls.
Rep: UTA
Manny Coto
Coto graduated from the American Film Institute and has had much experience in sci-fi and fantasy genre. He wrote and directed an episode of Tales from the Crypt and also wrote an episode for and produced The Outer Limits when it was revived on Showtime in 1995. He was given the chance to create and write a series for Showtime after The Outer Limits was cancelled. The resulting series was Odyssey 5 and starred Peter Weller.
Coto joined the writing crew of Enterprise in 2003, when the show was in its third season; his episodes include "Similitude", "Chosen Realm" and "Azati Prime". He became a co-executive producer later that season. In the fourth season he became executive producer of the show, alongside series creators Rick Berman and Brannon Braga. According to his bio on StarTrek.com, he has been a fan of Star Trek all his life and once wrote a Star Trek comic book.
After that he became executive producer on the fifth, sixth, seventh, and the eighth and final season of 24.
In 2010 Coto joined the crew of Showtime drama series Dexter as a writer and executive producer for the fifth season. He continued to work as a writer and executive producer for the show's sixth and seventh seasons, airing 2011 and 2012.
Coto has also directed a number of films, including Cover Up (starring Dolph Lundgren), Dr. Giggles, and Star Kid.
Rep: Jackoway Tyerman Witheimer Austen Mandelbaum Morris & Klein; UTA
Rene Echevarria
After graduating with a degree in History from Duke University in 1984, Rene Echevarria moved to New York City to pursue a career in theater. He joined the Circle Repertory Lab Company in 1985, where he assistant directed a production of Victor Muniz' play "Darts", and acted in a production of Gorky's "Lower Depths". In 1986, he acted in Kristin McCloy's play "Isosceles" at the Chelsea Theater, and in 1987, he was seen in the La Mama Theater adaptation of Aeschuylus' "Oresteia". He collaborated with Kristin McCloy on the full-length play "Prepared", which was presented at the World's End Theater in London during 1988, and went on to be performed at that year's Edinburgh Festival. In 1989, he wrote a spec script for 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' called "The Offspring". He became a Story Editor for the show's sixth season, and Executive Story Editor during its seventh and final season, for which the show received an Emmy Nomination for Best Dramatic Series. Echevarria then took the job of Co-Supervising Producer on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993). His 30-plus episodes of Star Trek have won him a Humanitas nomination, a Peabody nomination, two Hugo nominations, and a NASA Vision award for best depiction of humanity's future in space. In 1994, he received a Special Achievement award from the Latino Media Organization HAMAS. With fellow Star Trek Producer 'Ken Biller', he developed the scenario for _Star Trek: The Experience (1998)_, a theme park attraction built by Paramount Parks at the Las Vegas Hilton. In 1999-2000, Echevarria was supervising producing on Paramount's short-lived but critically praised Now and Again (1999) on CBS. In July 2000, he signed on as co-executive producer of Dark Angel (2000) the science fiction series created by James Cameron for the Fox network, as part of an overall multiyear deal with 20th Century Fox Television to develop new projects for the studio.
Rep: William Morris Endevor Entertainment; Jackoway Tyerman Wertheimer Austen Mandelbaum Morris & Klein
Peter Murrieta
Two-time Emmy Award winning producer/writer Peter Murrieta is a versatile performer, producer and writer. His roots, grounded in improv and sketch comedy, have established him as an executive producer and show runner for the live-action series for Cartoon Network “Level Up,” and for Disney Channel’s “Wizards of Waverly Place.” He was also the creator/show runner of the WB's "Greetings from Tucson." Murrieta’s primetime television background made the Disney Channel franchise "Wizards of Waverly Place" and the network's telefilm "Wizards of Waverly Place The Movie" a huge hit. Nominated for a total of three Emmy Awards for both “Wizards of Waverly Place” the series and the telefilm, Murrieta took home the award for Outstanding Children’s Programming for his work on “Wizards of Waverly The Movie” in 2010 and for the series in 2009.
Murrieta got his start at Second City in Chicago as an improv/sketch comedian, and after moving to Los Angeles earned a coveted writing fellowship from Walt Disney Television. That led to writing stints for "Jesse," "Three Sisters" and "All About the Andersons" before creating the critically acclaimed "Greetings from Tucson" which was based on his own experiences growing up in Tucson. He then went on to produce and write "Hope and Faith" for ABC. A successful entrepreneur, in 1995, Murrieta and his wife Aliza founded the Bang Comedy Theatre which prides itself on being a purveyor of innovative comedy and a studio dedicated to the ongoing study and performance of improvisation. Through intimate, hands-on improv and an acting training staff, Bang offers the tools needed to create dynamic scenes and characters in the moment. Their actors are delightfully truthful, charmingly grounded and riveting dangerous. Murrieta has written feature films for Revolution Studios and Paramount and currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife and two children.Rep: CAA; 3 Arts
Roberto Orci
Roberto Orci is the billion dollar filmmaker behind some of the decade’s biggest films and television shows. While his films span genre and scope, Orci has become an expert in the field of science fiction with such films as Star Trek, Ender’s Game, Transformers, and Eagle Eye. Last year Orci’s production banner with Alex Kurtzman, K/O Paper Products signed an overall deal at CBS Television Studios. CBS recently picked up Scorpion, the drama inspired by Walter O’Brien, from Orci and Kurtzman with Nick Santora and Justin Lin with plans to launch Fall 2014. Also on CBS, Hawaii Five-0, which Orci created and executive produces alongside Kurtzman, will return for a fifth season this fall. Kurtzman and Orci were also the co-creators of the cult hit "fringe" as well as last years breakout hit sleepy Hollow. Orci is currently preparing for the premiere of Matador starring Gabriel Luna and Alfred Molina. The spy drama, the second scripted series for Robert Rodriguez’s El Rey network, will premiere this July. Most recently, Orci co-wrote and executive produced Sony’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2, which was released this May, and has earned
over $630 million at the worldwide box office so far. Last year, Paramount released the blockbuster Star Trek: Into Darkness, which Orci co-wrote and produced alongside Kurtzman. Additionally, Summit released Ender’s Game produced through K/O Paper Products as well as the surprise summer hit Now You See Me, also produced through K/O Paper Products. Orci is currently developing the sequel to Now You See Me as well as Universal’s The Mummy. Orci began his career in television, writing for the popular series Hercules. He went on to write for Xena: Warrior Princess where he became a head writer for the show at age 23. Orci also wrote on the hit J.J. Abrams series Alias, which began a fruitful collaborative relationship. Orci eventually went on to serve as an executive producer on Alias.Rep: CAA
Make sure to check out our next installment in the NALIP Latino Writers Series.
Did we miss someone? Let us know in the comments below!
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Televisa Inks Broad Pact with Latino Digital Network MiTú
Posted by NALIP on August 14, 2014
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NALIP Hires Ben Lopez as Project Developer, will oversee diverse slate of national projects and initiatives
Posted by NALIP on August 07, 2014
Former Latino Media Market manager, Ben Lopez is tapped to develop and expand NALIP’s yearly slate of projects and initiatives. “We are excited that Ben is joining the NALIP family as our Project Developer. He comes from a very strong media production, financial development and project management background along with an extensive non-profit history. His skillset and experience are a perfect fit for our diverse slate of upcoming projects and initiatives,” shared Axel Caballero, NALIP Executive Director.
Prior to joining NALIP, Ben successfully managed leadership development and social services programs in Southern AZ. He transitioned to filmmaking by building a solid track record as a unit production manager, production supervisor and independent producer. At VientoFuego Productions he wrote, produced and directed several Spanish language feature films currently being broadcast. Ben has worked as an international field producer at premier technology expos in Asia, commercial productions in Mexico and most recently at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Ben’s expertise has made him highly sought after as a consultant, content creator and project manager. After serving as key support staff at NALIP's signature programs; Latino Producers Academy and the NALIP Media Summit (formerly the National Conference), Ben was brought on to manage and strengthen its Latino Media Market, a meeting series that matches Latino content creators with executives and funding opportunities.
“I’ve always been a strong supporter of NALIP, being brought on as project developer is a vote of confidence and an acknowledgment of what I can contribute to the organization in its premiere role of developing established and emerging Latino content creators,” added Ben Lopez.
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Chris Hastings Answers Your Submission Questions for Our 15K Grant
Posted by NALIP on August 07, 2014
In a Google Hangout On Air August 6, 2014, WORLD Channel's Chris Hastings answered your live questions for our 15K NALIP WORLD American Graduate Digital Video Project Grant. If you missed it, now's your chance to check it out.
Still have a burning question before you meet our August 15 submission deadline? Tweet your questions to us @NALIP_org and to Chris Hastings @chrishast.
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#ProjectFilmSupply
Posted by NALIP on August 07, 2014
At The Music Bed, we’re all about helping visual artists tell stories better (and more beautifully) than ever. We're giving away 3 prize packages that total over $50,000. #ProjectFilmSupply is all about helping three winning Filmmakers bring the short film ideas they’ve been dreaming of to life! If you’re a Filmmaker, all you have to do is pitch your short film idea, get votes, and the top three winning ideas will receive loads of incredible tools from The Music Bed and our friends to help make your vision a reality.
The Music Bed staff will be choosing the Grand Prize Winner, and public voting will determine the other two prize winners. We can’t wait to be inspired by your ideas! Go ahead and submit to make your dream film a reality.
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Why Aren't Top Films Diverse As The Real World? They Miss Hispanics
Posted by NALIP · August 06, 2014
By Eric Deggans
Imagine you were the most loyal customer to the hottest restaurant in town. And when you walked in the door, you were given the worst seat in the house.
That's kind of how Hollywood is treating Hispanic filmgoers, if you believe the results of a new study by the University of Southern California. It shows that the 100 highest-grossing films of last year underrepresented nonwhite characters in speaking roles.
One big reason, according to the numbers in the study, was a lack of nonwhite Hispanic characters in the 3,932 speaking roles analyzed. Just 4.9 percent of those parts were filled by Hispanic characters, though they are 16 percent of the U.S. population.
But Hispanics also buy 25 percent of all movie tickets, leveraging $1 trillion in spending power. Which means Hollywood isn't paying much of a price for ignoring a loyal constituency.
Other numbers are less problematic. White characters were slightly overrepresented at 74.1 percent (they are 72 percent of the population, according to the 2010 U.S. Census); black characters were also overrepresented at 14.1 percent (12.6 percent of the population); and Asians were at 4.4 percent (4.8 percent of the population).
Overall, nonwhite characters filled just 25 percent of speaking roles, though nonwhite people are 37 percent of the U.S. population and buy almost half of all movie tickets.
And as much as people might hope successful minority-centered films such as 12 Years a Slave and The Butler may have shown increasing diversity in film roles, the study shows the percentages haven't changed much in seven years.
We see similar numbers in television. The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation looked at diversity in the 2012-13 TV season, discovering that prime-time TV shows on the broadcast networks had 78 percent white characters, 12 percent black characters, 5 percent Asian characters and 4 percent Latino characters.
These are almost exactly the same levels of underrepresentation for Latino/Hispanic characters that the USC study found in movies. The USC study also found Hispanic women most likely to be shown nude or baring lots of skin (37 percent of Hispanic female characters had such roles), while Hispanic men were the second most likely group among males to be shown that way, at 16 percent of their characters.
The study doesn't suggest many reasons why these numbers have played out this way, but I have a few theories.
First, Hollywood doesn't seem to be paying a price for its mistakes. To continue the analogy from above, if you keep going back to the restaurant after it gives you an awful seat, where's the incentive to treat you better? If nonwhite consumers keep flocking to movies that underrepresent them, filmmakers have little reason to improve.
Secondly, Hispanic filmgoers don't seem to embrace movies with high-profile Hispanic characters en masse in the same way black movie consumers do. Black-centered films like 12 Years a Slave and The Butler were championed by black people across the country as must-see viewing.
But, perhaps because there are so many different cultures and nationalities defined as Hispanic in America, such waves of support don't seem to happen as often for the few movies featuring Hispanic stars.
Also, it's not always clear to audiences when a Hispanic actor is playing a Hispanic character. Zoe Saldana is Puerto Rican and Dominican, but in last year's Star Trek movie, she played Lt. Uhura — a character who is of African descent in the TV series. Jennifer Lopez played a character called Leslie Rodgers in last year's Jason Statham movie Parker and her mother was played by Patti LuPone. Though her ethnicity was never stated, Lopez's character wasn't easily identifiable as Hispanic.
This kind of colorblind casting can have two effects on diversity. Supporting characters such as spouses, parents and siblings are less likely to also be Hispanic, and audiences that want to support Hispanic characters may be confused about which roles fit that bill.
Finally, the USC study found that black directors were more likely to cast black people in speaking parts (white directors cast black characters in 10.8 percent of speaking roles, compared with 46 percent of roles for black directors).
But two of the most prominent films of last year led by Hispanic directors — Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity and Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim — had just one major part for a Hispanic actor between them. And that character, played by the Mexican-American actor Clifton Collins Jr., was a Chinese-American technician.
The study's numbers suggest that Hollywood continues to have difficulty featuring a world that's as diverse ethnically and culturally as real life.
But the reasons behind the lack of representation may be more complex and interconnected than anyone realizes.
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Comcast Already Delivering Latino Channels, But Lawmakers Want More With Pending TW Cable Merger
Posted by NALIP · August 06, 2014
In a letter to Comcast CEO Brian Roberts and Time Warner Cable CEO Rob Marcus, House lawmakers asked that the companies’ proposed merger make a commitment to carry channels aimed at the Hispanic market, as the new company will reach over 90% of Latino households.
When Comcast took a majority share in NBCUniversal in 2011, the company made a similar pledge to lawmakers, adding 10 new channels by 2019; one of the more recent network launches being El Rey last December as well as Baby Americas.
House lawmakers, led by Tony Cardenas (D-Calif.) want to ensure that Latino independent program providers do not operate in an uneven market field, where they have historically struggled to get access to channels, in the face of larger competition.
According to Variety, Comcast executive VP David L. Cohen defended the cable company’s Latino lineup, specifically that they distribute 60-plus networks in Spanish and English, not to mention most of them have Latino ownership and management.
Cohen wrote, “Since 2011, Comcast has expanded the total distribution of seven Hispanic programming networks by more than 14 million subscribers. This exceeds by more than 40 percent our commitment in the NBCUniversal transaction to expand three Hispanic networks by 10 million subscribers.”
The one caution that Cohen made to lawmakers, was that their request for independent Hispanic programming, “Should not be confused by parochial business interests seeking more money and distribution for themselves.”
Check this out on Deadline | Hollywood.