The 1st ever Multi-Cultural Upfronts Debut in New York
Hosted by Latin Hollywood Films and LatinHeat Media Institute
By Amalia Briceno
It’s time for a Velvet Underground or a Life Coach or any of the other pilot presentations or sizzle reels which are part of Kiki Melendez’s slate of TV content presented in the first ever Multicultural Television Sizzle Reel Upfronts; where Latinos shine in lead roles and the writers and produces give you stories where there is no “barrio” or “border” in sight.
LHF Upfronts Producing Team: Rudy Mela, Julia Carias-Linares, Kiki Melendez, Evette Vargas, Lino Garcia (Not pictured Bel Hernandez)
On September 30th the Latin Hollywood Film’s Multicultural Television Sizzle Reel Upfronts were hosted by Latin Hollywood Films and LatinHeat Media Institute, a non-profit organization, at a standing room only screening. Atop Union 1199’s Penthouse overlooking NY Times Square, executives from a variety of TV networks got a glimpse of what the future of Latinos on TV looks like — and they loved it!
Created as a series of industry screenings designed to spotlight independently produced, cross-cultural programming for mainstream broadcast networks and advertisers the event was a success. The next screening of Latin Hollywood Films Multicultural Television Sizzle Reel Upfronts will be presented in Hollywood on October 13th.
One of the TV executives, Liz Fine, Executive VP Development & Programming at A&E Networks FYI Cable Network, aid:
“Latin Hollywood Films Upfronts is an important must attend event for every network executive. The projects presented at this historic event are must see and above industry standards as far as production and entertainment value. This event is a reminder that “diversity” is not simply a buzzword but a word that often represents a pool of untapped talent. As soon as we recognize this as an industry and embrace those who have often been overlooked the sooner we all gain from the abundance of their talent.”
“It’s exciting and very timely for us to tell our stories,” said Melendez, who recently directed the critically acclaimed documentary, Journey of a Female Comic. “We want to show the world how we want to be portrayed on mainstream television and make a historical contribution to the future of multicultural talent in Hollywood.”
U.S. Latinos account for more than $1.3 trillion dollars in annual power, and with many “cutting the cord” and seeking relatable content elsewhere, it is an audience the networks can’t afford to lose. According to The Guardian “…television networks need to win over this audience…But at the moment few networks are catering for Latinos specifically.” With Hollywood’s perennial focus on the the “bottom line” and their “achilles heel” for diversity, Melendez’s Multicultural Television Sizzle Reel Upfronts is the opportunity to view content with a Latino sensitivity not usually seen on English language TV.
The on-camera talent behind the sizzle reels include Yancey Arias (Bosch), Emilio Rivera (Sons of Anarchy), Sofia Milos (CSI: Miami), and other top names like Noemi Gonzalez, Jorge Diaz and Gabriella Walsh (Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones), Zulay Henao (Meet The Blacks), Chelsea Rendon, Joseph Julian Soria (The Purge: Election Year), Rene Rosado (Star Trek: Into Darkness), Guy Ecker (Only The Brave), Will Rothhaar (Line of Duty, Jason Gedrick (Sinatra Club), Ilia Volok (NCIS: New Orleans), and Shari Belafonte (General Hospital). Also exciting is the introduction of new talent that will surely catch Hollywood’s eye, one of which is Lamar Bibi.
The projects were directed by actor/comedian, Paul Rodriguez; Greg Wilson (The Girl Next Door); Erick Crespo (Confessions of A Womanizer); Craig Moss (Bad Ass), and Melendez (Hot Tamales Live!). Writers such as Jon Macks (The Academy Awards) also contributed.
The series is executive produced by Moss, Sarkis Semerjyanand and Arsen Pananyan from Jear Entertainment LLC.
Dominican-born Melendez, who has been entertaining audiences for years in both the Spanish and English language media markets has her pulse on what is missing on TV. Starting in radio on the East and then the West coast, she quickly landed her own magazine style show on Univsion’s Galavision upon arriving in Los Angeles. She started he stand up career and then produced her Kiki Melendez Hot Tamales Live comedy special for Showtime. It aired over 400 times in three years (2009-2011). In 2014, she also produced the TV show, Locos Y Contentos for Lieberman Broadcasting. Produced in the tradition of SNL and MAD TV for Latinos, this was the first time this genre had been produced for the U.S. Hispanic TV market. The first special, which aired on Oct 10th @ 8 PM on National Estrella TV earned a 1.7 rating – coming in at #2 only to Univision, in it’s time slot. In addition, her feature docu-comedy, Journey of a Female Comic, a humorous tale of her trajectory in Hollywood, was Oscar qualified in 2015.
With a long history as an actress/comedian/producer and writer, Melendez sees the future and with the Multicultural Television Sizzle Reel Upfront, is changing the paradigm for multi-culturalism in Hollywood.
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