Alex Nogales Presents Keynote Address at Western Michigan University Fundraiser
Coalition Against Hate PSAs
NHMC Television Writers Program
Casting Call for the 2017 NHMC Scene Showcase
The NHMC Action Network is Born
D.C. Policy Update
NHMC TV Writers Program Update
Dear Movie Studios, Latinos Are Ready to Give You Our Money
NHMC Welcomes Policy Counsel, Francella Ochillo
Alex Nogales Presents Keynote Address at Western Michigan University Fundraiser
In early April, NHMC President & CEO Alex Nogales, was invited to present a keynote address at Western Michigan University at their annual fundraiser honoring César Chávez. It was the 11th year the university’s Division of Multicultural Affairs, the Southwest Michigan César E. Chávez Committee, and local businesses came together to honor Chávez.
To learn more about the annual scholarship fundraising dinner, click here.
Coalition Against Hate PSAs
The Coalition Against Hate recently filmed multiple PSAs with a few of its members. To view a playlist of all of the PSAs, click here or on the video above.
Share the PSAs on social media with the hashtag #BreakHate. To learn more about the mission of the Coalition Against Hate, visit breakhate.net.
NHMC Television Writers Program
Submissions for the 2017 NHMC TV Writers Program is now open! The intensive 5-week, paid workshop prepares Latinos for writing jobs at major networks. 35% of the program’s 130 graduates have been staffed on shows on networks such as ABC/Disney, NBC, CBS,FOX, Nickelodeon, CW, BET, LATV, VH1, NUVOtv/FuseTV, Hulu and Netflix. Apply at: www.nhmc.org/writersprogram.
Southwest is one of our oldest and most loyal supporters. We owe them a great deal of thanks.
NHMC thanks Final Draft for its support this year. Final Draft is the industry standard in screenwriting software. Used by such industry giants as J.J. Abrams, James Cameron and Aaron Sorkin, Final Draft automatically paginates and formats your script to industry standards, allowing writers to focus on what they do best – writing scripts. Visit www.finaldraft.com to learn more.
Casting Call for the 2017 NHMC Scene Showcase
Calling all Latino actors! We are seeking talented Latino actors for the 5th Annual Latino Scene Showcase produced by NHMC and the Los Angeles Theatre Center.
If you are an aspiring actor please submit your resume and picture electronically via www.actorsaccess.comstarting May 10th, deadline to submit is May 25th (search by “2017 Latino Scene Showcase”). Auditions will take place in June, rehearsals in July, and the show date is August 9th, 2017. For more information please visit www.nhmc.org/latinosceneshowcase.
The NHMC Action Network is Born
On April 13th, in Pasadena, CA, local leaders gathered to officially formulate the NHMC Action Network. The purpose of this group is to leverage economic, political, and artistic power to create opportunities for Latinos in all media. Stay tuned for more details on this enthusiastic group and how you can get involved to make change.
D.C. Policy Update
NHMC Urges FCC to Preserve Requirement that Stations File Diversity Data
NHMC joined UCC, OC Inc., and four other civil rights organizations on April 13, 2017 in a letter opposing the Federal Communication Commission’s draft order regarding diversification of ownership in broadcasting services. The order was voted on at the FCC’s meeting on April 20, 2017. In a 2-1 vote, the FCC eliminated the requirement for noncommercial stations to file ownership reports with race and gender data.
NHMC Joins an Amicus Letter to Oppose the NYPD’s Operations Order on Body Worn Cameras
On April 21, 2017, NHMC joined the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights in an amicus letter to oppose the New York City Police Department’s Operations Order on Body Worn Cameras. “[W]ithout carefully crafted safeguards in place, there is a real risk that these new devices could become instruments of injustice, rather than tools of accountability.”
NHMC Endorses Revisions to Federal Standards for Maintaining, Collecting, and Presenting Data on Race and Ethnicity
On April 28, 2017, NHMC joined comments from the Leadership Conference to the Federal Interagency Working Group on revisions to standards for maintaining, collecting, and presenting data on race and ethnicity. As the comment explains, “the US population continues to becomes more diverse, collecting and reporting data only on broader race or ethnicity categories masks important differences within these population groups and hinders efforts to improve circumstances for all Americans.” Collecting accurate data from hard to count communities, a practice rooted in constitutional mandate, helps policy makers make more informed decisions on allocating public resources.
Workshop: Online Hate Speech and How to Stop It
On April 21, 2017, Carmen Scurato represented NHMC in a workshop called “Online Hate Speech and How to Stop It.” Alongside Cheryl Leanza of UCC, OC Inc. Carmen explained the sophisticated nature and far-reaching consequences of online hate speech. Carmen also shared information regarding the Coalition Against Hate, an effort spearheaded by NHMC to combat hate speech in our media. The workshop helped participants understand a shared responsibility to address hate speech in all forms. Most importantly, the workshop educated participants on how to recognize and address hate speech in their communities, and provided participants awareness that online platforms have tools specifically tailored to report hate speech and other offensive content.
FCC Updates
On March 28, Congress voted to use the Congressional Review Act to rescind the FCC’s broadband privacy rules. Carmen Scurato noted that it was a “disturbing rubber stamp from conservative policymakers aimed at dismantling needed consumer protections for corporate profit.” President Trump signed this into law on April 3, 2017.
On April 20, 2017 the FCC voted to reinstate the UHF discount, allowing further media consolidation, and eliminate the requirement for noncommercial broadcasters to file reports about media ownership without race and gender data. In a statement, Carmen Scurato made clear that this policy “will cause irreversible harm to diverse owners of small to mid-sized companies trying to access their audience in a crowded field of giant corporations dominating the airwaves.
Finally, on April 26, 2017 FCC Chairman Ajit Pai revealed his plans to kill net neutrality by dismantling the legal framework based in Title II of the Communications Act that makes the rules enforceable. The FCC is set to vote on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking at its next Open Meeting on May 18th. In a press release, Carmen Scurato warned that revoking the net neutrality rules “opens the door for corporations to limit free expression, organizing efforts, educational opportunities and entrepreneurship by imposing a new toll to access information online.”
NHMC TV Writers Program Update
NHMC is proud to announce that Sofía Dávila, graduate of the Television Writers Program, has been staffed on USA’s Colony as a Writers Assistant.
Congratulations Sofía!
Dear Movie Studios, Latinos Are Ready to Give You Our Money – If You Include Us!
Photo: Claudette Barius
Diversity is currently dominating the box office with Fate of the Furious and Pantelion/Lionsgate’s How to Be A Latin Lover with $12 million in just over a thousand theaters nationwide. Latin Lover includes two Latino leads – Maximo, portrayed by Eugenio Derbez, and Maximo’s sister, Sara, played by Salma Hayek.
The success of this film is proof enough that Latinos are going to the movies and want to see diversity on screen. NHMC’s Andy Lomeli recently took to the Medium page #LatinxMic to discuss representation and the film studios.
To read Andy’s article, click here.
Photo Credit: Justin M Lubin
Also, coming to theaters May 12th is Ricardo de Montreuil’s film Lowriders. Set in East Los Angeles, Lowridersexplores the struggle of family and expression for street artist Danny (Gabriel Chavarria) and his lowrider background and old-school father, played by Demián Bichir.
The film stars NHMC Impact Award honorees Demián Bichir as ‘Miguel Alvarez’ and Eva Longoria as ‘Gloria’. For tickets, visit Fandango by clicking here.
NHMC Welcomes Policy Counsel, Francella Ochillo
Francella Ochillo is a new addition to NHMC’s D.C. Policy Team. She is committed to the fight for fair access to communications services and ensuring that communities of color have equal representation in the media.
Francella brings a unique combination of litigation and community activism experience to the team. At the Department of Justice, she worked on securities fraud investigation teams, prosecuting banks for corporate misconduct under the False Claims Act and Financial Institutions Reform Recovery and Enforcement Act.
To learn more about Francella, click here.]]>
National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) is a woman-led 501(c)(3) non-profit civil and human rights organization that was founded to eliminate hate, discrimination, and racism toward the Latino communities.
In early April, NHMC President & CEO Alex Nogales, was invited to present a keynote address at Western Michigan University at their annual fundraiser honoring César Chávez. It was the 11th year the university’s Division of Multicultural Affairs, the Southwest Michigan César E. Chávez Committee, and local businesses came together to honor Chávez.
To learn more about the annual scholarship fundraising dinner, click here.
Event Sponsor[/caption]
Francella Ochillo is a new addition to NHMC’s D.C. Policy Team. She is committed to the fight for fair access to communications services and ensuring that communities of color have equal representation in the media.
Francella brings a unique combination of litigation and community activism experience to the team. At the Department of Justice, she worked on securities fraud investigation teams, prosecuting banks for corporate misconduct under the False Claims Act and Financial Institutions Reform Recovery and Enforcement Act.
To learn more about Francella, click here.]]>
