CHCC Leaders Luncheon “The State of Latinos in Hollywood: Taking Our Place at the Table” Sponsored by Bank of America & Energy Upgrade California
Wednesday, August 22th
For more information on the 2018 CHCC, CLICK HERE.
The California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce celebrates its 40th Anniversary in Los Angeles, California. Each year, the CHCC Annual Statewide Convention attracts over 3,000 entrepreneurs, small business advocates, corporate representatives, community leaders and government officials. Join us as we unite as one voice, to empower the present and transform the future. California’s Voice, your voice, my voice.
Every year, the CHCC Leaders Luncheon, held on the first day of the convention, is one of the most highly anticipated invitation-only gathering of VIP Latino professionals. This year’s luncheon will tap into “The State of Latinos in Hollywood: Taking Our Place at the Table,” to be presented by a panelist of entertainment industry professionals and talents, that know exactly where Latinos are and what is needed for more Hollywood Latino representation on and off the screen.
Latinos are now fully realizing their economic power in all society. This economic power ranks as the 6th largest in the world if the Latino GDP were its own country. In Hollywood, content creators, considered “small businesses” of entertainment industry, have found power in producing their own stories, and very few have made their way into mainstream Hollywood.” –Latin Heat Magazine
Panelists:
Sandra Varona
Sandra Varona, Indie Film Producer, Line Producer, President/Varona Productions; Enrique Castillo, Actor/Writer/Director and Author; Pepe Serna, Actor/Producer/Artist and David Damian Figueroa, Host/Producer, The David Damian Show, Civil Rights & Entertainment Advocate and Performing Artist.
Moderator: Bel Hernandez, LatinHeat Publisher/Producer/TV Host of TheTRENDTALK Show, Entrepreneur and Author.
Each of the panelists are content creators, and/or marketing experts who have produced films and/or TV shows.
Sandra Varona‘s debut indie film, Shine, is a drama-dance will be releasing this Steptember. It won Best Feature (Audience Award) at Urbanworld Film (HBO) on September, 2017. Shine is set in New York, Los Angeles and London, stars, David Mayas (Dexter & Gotham), Alysia Reiner (Orange Is the New Black/Netflix), and world-renowned bachatero, Jorge Burgos (Ataca). Shine acquired distribution by GVN and is scheduled to hit theaters on October 5, 2018. Verona is a past recipient of the Panavision New Filmmaker Grant, and now at the helm of her own company, Varona Productions– a banner that has been at the forefront of numerous music videos, short films, new media projects, and now feature films. Veronica is actively hiring minorities and women in key positions to promote and prove diversity behind the camera is certainly attainable.
For many years, it is the independent producers who consistently create content that speaks to their audience sometimes with little success at the box office. It’s time to RAISE our VOICE and be visible by partnering with our business community for support to propel independent producers to promote our culture, stories, struggles, and success. It is time to band together and finally, ‘Take Our Place at the Power Table,’ utilizing our economic $1.7+ trillion-dollar buying power.” — Bel Hernandez, CEO, Latin Heat Media, LLC
Pepe Serna, then and now
Pepe Serna is an award-winning veteran actor known for Scarface, Car Wash, Day of the Locust, Cake and Man From Reno, currently wrapped the Rajesh Golla‘s Flavor of Life, where he stars with Roberto Sanchez, and Rene Moran, about “a weary Latino chef and his estranged grandson must reconcile in order to save their beloved Mexican restaurant.” Serna is an accomplished painter, his artwork considered some of the best by a Latino contemporary artist of this generation. Currently, Serna’s life and career as an actor/artist and producer is the subject of a PBS documentary, Pepe Serna: Life Is Art that is in production and will air nationally in 2019.
Enrique Castillo
Enrique Castillo, is an award-winning actor/writer/director of theater, television, and film with over 60 credits. He is best known for Showtime’s long-running, Weeds, where he was nominated for a SAG award for his portrayal of the lethal Cesar; and in Taylor Hackford’s Blood In, Blood Out, where he portrays the iconic “Montana.” A prolific working actor, Castillo, has worked consistently since 1979. He has starred in dozens of prime-time TV series, including: NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, Major Crimes, and Outlaw among others. More recently, he is also producing the action film Operation Wild which begins production next Spring. Castillo is also the writer of the award-winning play, Veteranos: A Legacy of Valor, a theater piece honoring the military contributions by Latinos in America’s defense, which was recognized by the Hispanic Congressional Caucus. He has also written three film scripts, and authored his first novel, The Dead of Summer: You Can’t Escape Its Reckoning, a favorite among thriller, suspense, mystery fans.
“Independent Latino content producers in film, TV and online are the ‘small business’ owners of Hollywood,” stated actor/Producer Enrique Castillo. “The tired old ‘Crab in the Bucket’ grip needs to die and the ‘New Wave of Support’ should be used to attain our power place at the table,” he added. “Together, we can create our own entertainment empires.”
David Damian Figueroa
David Damian Figueroa is a multitalented professional in the entertainment industry. He is the host/producer of The David Damian Show, a civil rights advocate and former VP for MALDEF, and performing artist. He started his career as a singer after having won second place in the grand finals of the male vocalist category of Star Search‘s international show, Buscando Estrellas 1990. He sang backup for a variety of recording artists and specializing in the Latino market, he transitioned into an independent publicist and media consultant to recording companies. Figueroa is an important contributor to the Farmworker Justice, helping and fighting for justice for farmworkers in businesses. He executive produced the documentary, The Harvest/La Cosecha, and associate produced, Food Chains, which premiered at The Berlin Film Festival in 2014. Both documentaries were in collaboration with Eva Longoria. Figueroa is the recipient of the 2017 Dolores Huerta Award from Farmworker Justice. He has been commended by many elected officials and is the recipient of KCET/PB’ Local Hero Award (Greater Los Angeles).
Bel Hernandez
Bel Hernandez, Moderator is an award-winning journalist and CEO of Latin Heat Media, LLC, an integrated media and entertainment company. Hernandez oversees the multi-media company which encompasses an online publication (www.latinheat.com); She is a producer and along with journalist Naibe Reynoso, co-hosts of TheTRENDTALK show, currently in its second season on METV Networks (locally in Los Angeles’ KAZA Channel), with a viewership of 4 million. Hernandez previously produced HOLA! LA talk show for CBS/KCAL9. She is also Executive Producer of the David Damian Show. As an actress her credits include, MyFamily/Mi Familia, Selena, The Purge: Anarchy, Pretty Rosebud, and TV series, Chicago Hope, among others). In 1992, Hernandez and actress Loyda Ramos, launched Latin Heat magazine, in protest against studios consistently casting non-latinos in Latino roles. Twenty-six years later, Latin Heat is a powerful brand and considered one of the top three industry publications along side of The Hollywood Reporter and Variety. Hernandez and Reynoso along with La Plaza de Cultura y Artes are set to co-produce, LATINAFest, a lifestyle event honoring all things Latinas, to be held on Saturday, August 25, 2018 at the downtown venue of La Plaza de Cultura y Artes.
The L.A. Downtown Hotel 333 S. Figueroa St., L.A. 90071 1:30, Pacific Ballroom 2-3
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