Premieres May 13th — YouTube Channel
By Elia Esparza
Most of us know the distinguished playwright, Alfredo Ramos, for his critically acclaimed The Last Angry Brown Hat play, and from his indie films Road Dogz and Kill Kapone—two impressive crime dramas. But Alfredo Ramos, a TV comedy writer? Well it’s true and his new web series Food Stamps is proof that a comedy about Latinos, made by Latinos, acted by Latinos can be uproariously funny without it being stereotyped.
After watching the trailer—laughing like a hyena and being impressed with the caliber of talent cast, we knew we had to track down Alfredo for a little one-on-one about his new comedy series.
LatinHeat: What was the inspiration to create this show?
Alfredo Ramos: I’m a big fan of the urban comedy Friday so I thought it would be cool to write a movie with all the eccentric and weird Latino characters I saw in my own East L.A. neighborhood. Initially we shot and edited Food Stamps as a full feature, and it turned out to be a funny little film. But during the project’s long journey it was decided it might be better suited as a TV show with a 22-minute pilot and 3 episodes that followed the pilot. As we shopped the project around town, executives responded with ‘it’s hilarious’ but no company pulled the trigger to acquire it. I attribute that to a ‘committee mentality.’ Everyone in the room has to absolutely love it, or they won’t take a chance on it especially if it has Latinos in it.
As a result of the project’s metamorphosis, a maverick decision was made to empower Food Stamps and put it up as a web series on YouTube. We went back to the editing room and repurposed it to create 16 webisodes. And it worked out very well. In actuality each 5-minute episode became funnier to us—I suppose it came from such a short burst of comic energy rolled-up in 5 minutes spurts. Less is more kind of thing.
LH: How were you able to wrangle in such an impressive cast?
AR: It’s a great group of actors that know their craft well, especially comedy, which is hard to do if not executed correctly. Mainly, all the actors responded positively to the screenplay. They all thought it was a very funny script and they wanted to be part of it. Our casting director Mina Vasquez did a great job at getting some of the talented actors on board. Most of the actors are good friends of mine like Noel G (Furious 7), Ronnie Alvarez (Kill Kapone), and Rolando Molina (Next Friday). Other actors I’ve worked with before like Emilio Rivera (Sons of Anarchy), who has such a dynamic presence, that I want him in all my projects.
I was very fortunate to get Danny Trejo, who by the way, is truly hilarious in the show. He doesn’t play comedic roles too often so it’s cool to see him in a comedy. Valente Rodriguez who played ‘Ernie’ on The George Lopez Show really rocked it as did Tiny Lister who played ‘Pebo’ in Friday. Dyana Ortelli is amazing in her role as the atypical Latina mom—I call her ‘Lady D’ because she has this comic royalty about her. At the end of the day, I was truly blessed with all the talent I had.
Danny Trejo and Dyana Ortelli
“Alfredo Ramos hit it out of the park writing and directing this distinctively and authentically Latino-barrio comedy! I absolutely loved working with my ‘hubby’ Danny Trejo, and my son, Ronnie Alvarez, a true breakout star! If you want to get your ‘barrio pass’ validated, you gotta check out Food Stamps,” said co-star Dyana Ortelli.
LH: How long are the webisodes? How many will premiere for the first season?
AR: The episodes run roughly five to six minutes long. We have a total of 16 episodes with the first episode premiering May 13th on our Youtube Food Stamps Web Series Channel. By the way, it’s opening on Friday the 13th for good luck! We’ll be releasing a new episode every week with some very funny behind-the-scene footage during the week leading up to each new episode on Friday.
LH: From playwright to TV writer, what is more challenging?
Director Alfredo Ramos
AR: I think both are challenging mediums. It’s never easy when there’s a blank page staring at you. Over the years, I’ve realized that it doesn’t matter what kind of writing I’m doing, it’s all about the approach. Whether it’s a stage play, screenplay or TV episode, you have to approach it organically and honestly. By that I mean if I always write from my heart and my experiences, everything else seems to fall into place.
LH: What’s next for you?
AR: Currently, I’ve just completed a script titled, Tomorrow We Laugh. It deals with a dysfunctional Latino family in East L.A. that is trying to cope with mental illness. It’s a comedy/drama that’s going to require some powerful performances from the actors. That’s why I’ve attached som elf the talented actors that I’ve worked with already. Danny De La Paz, who I worked with in Road Dogz is attached, as are Dyana Ortelli (Food Stamps), Ronnie Alvarez (Kill Kapone), and Robert Cepeda (Food Stamps). Hopefully, we can shoot this project before the end of the year.
Thank you, Alfredo!
“In the hood, you hustle your money any way you can.” –Valente Rodriguez, Food Stamps
Folks, if anyone knows the heart and soul of East L.A., it’s Alfredo Ramos—no non-Latino, non-East L.A. resident has the ability to capture his neighborhood as honest and raw as Alfredo.
An Angry Dog Pictures, Food Stamps web series stars Danny Trejo (Machete), Noel G (Furious7), Tiny Lister (Friday), Ronnie Alvarez (Kill Kapone), Dyana Ortelli (Jane The Virgin, Ana Maria in Novela Land), Valente Rodriguez (The George Lopez Show), Emilio Rivera (Sons of Anarchy), Rolando Molina (Next Friday) and Walter Perez. It premieres on May 13, 2016 on YouTube Channel, Food Stamps Web Series.
Follow Food Stamps on social media: Facebook: Food-Stamps
About Alfred Ramos -- Ramos started his career at Walt Disney Studio’s prestigious Fellowship Writer’s Diversity Program, where he trained as a television writer. He is a distinguished playwright, his play “The Last Angry Brown Hat” had the honor to perform for The Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. Ramos is also a filmmaker, having written and directed Road Dogz and Kill Kapone, two action-crime dramas set in East Los Angeles. Currently, his comedy web series, Food Stamps, premieres on May 13, 2016 on the YouTube Channel.
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