In this issue:
Registration now open!!
Mark your calendars for NHMC’s 2013 MediaCon taking place on June 20 at the Pasadena Convention Center. MediaCon will convene media advocates & influencers, industry executives and celebrity talent to network, discuss trends and gain insight on emerging issues. From keynote speakers and timely panel sessions; to creative and executive tracks; to best practice case studies, MediaCon delivers access and content. Attendees include TV, cable, film, marketing and social media executives as well as producers, writers, directors, advertisers and entertainment fans to name a few.
NHMC Salutes Latino Talent at 16th Impact Awards Gala
“Every year we come together as a community — a family, to commemorate the work of brilliant artists who are instrumental in the promotion of positive Latino images in media. NHMC is proud to recognize their outstanding contributions in the entertainment industry,” stated NHMC President & CEO Alex Nogales.
MCing the event were previous NHMC Impact Award recipients Tony Plana and Aimee Garcia who effortlessly kept the crowd entertained and laughing throughout the night. The show was kicked off by the first honoree, Emmy Award winner John Leguizamo who received the Outstanding Theatrical Performance Impact Award for his return to Broadway in his solo show Ghetto Klown. Mario Lopez was next up to receive theOutstanding Media Entrepreneur Impact Award for his extensive accomplishments in the media industry as the host of FOX’s hit program X Factor, the nationally syndicated daily show EXTRA and the nation wide radio show On with Mario Lopez on 104.3.
Beloved actress Lana Parrilla was presented with her Outstanding Performance in a Television Series Impact Award by the creators of Once Upon a Time where her roles as Mayor Regina Mills/Evil Queen has made her a cult fan favorite. Michael Peña received the Outstanding Performance in a Motion Picture award for his role as Officer Zavala in the critically acclaimed film End of Watch, you can catch him this fall playing civil rights and labor organizer Cesar Chavez in the film Chavez directed by Diego Luna. Gina Torres received the Outstanding Performance in a Television Series award for her role as Jessica Pearson on USA Network’s hit original series Suits, which will be starting production on its third season.
Tony Hernandez, co-founder and executive producer of theImmigrant Archive Project received the inaugural Lupe Ontiveros Indomitable Spirit Award. The mission of the Immigrant Archive Project is to capture, archive and share the unique stories of immigrants of all nations living in the U.S. so that current and future generations may learn from their collective experience. And lastly, acclaimed actress Morena Baccarin received the Outstanding Performance in a Television Series Impact Award for her performance in Showtime’s Emmy award-winning series, Homelandwhich will start its third season this fall.
As always, it was a night to remember for the Latino community and if you happened to miss it please visit NHMC’s youtube channel and Facebook to check out the honoree’s speeches and all the wonderful pictures of the event. We hope to see you next year!
View honoree pictures and acceptance speeches at www.nhmc.org/gala.
Additional pictures can be viewed on Facebook and Flickr.
Washington, D.C. Policy Shop Update
This Spring In DC – Snow?!, Cherry Blossoms, And Big Changes At The FCC
What a week in the nation’s capitol! With the Cherry Blossom Festival fast approaching, tourists from across the country are pouring into D.C. Yet this week was about so much more than the beautiful cherry blossoms (or even the snow storm that took root on Cherry Blossom Eve). After months of speculation, this week FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski and FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell indicated that they would be stepping down from their posts at the FCC. Chairman Genachowski has been around since 2009. Commissioner McDowell was the only Commissioner left from the original five that sat at the FCC when I moved to D.C. back in 2007 – which reminds me, have I been on the East Coast for too long?
The changing of the guard at the FCC could not come at a more critical time. In the next few years the FCC has many crucial decisions before it. As media and telecommunications technologies continue to evolve, the FCC will have to grapple with pressing legal and policy questions. These issues could impact how Latinos are portrayed in the media, and the type of access that Latinos have to television, cable, telephone and broadband services. This is why I have some fairly specific ideas about who should be the next FCC Chair.
In other news, the D.C. policy team has been very busy so far in 2013. Among other things, we have been advocating before the FCC for greater diversity in broadcast media, to ensure that quality broadcast service remains in place for the Latino community after the FCC’s upcoming “spectrum auctions,” that telephone service remains reliable, affordable and universal, and for just and reasonable rates for prisoners to call their families. In addition, D.C. staff continues to pursue its 2013 policy priorities, including responsible and inclusive media, universal and affordable telephone and broadband connections, empowered media and telecommunications consumer and privacy in the digital age.
NLMC to meet with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
During the Academy Awards telecast in February, members of the National Latino Media Coalition along with thousands of Lupe Ontiveros’ fans were shocked and upset at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences’ neglect to include Ontiveros in the Oscars in Memoriam. Lupe Ontiveros passed away last July.
It is also astonishing that an actress of Ontiveros’ caliber and experience was denied membership to the Academy even with the endorsement of Academy members Miguel Sandoval and Edward James Olmos. Lupe worked in the entertainment industry for thirty five years, her film credits include: “El Norte,” “The Goonies,” “Selena,” “Real Women Have Curves,” “As Good as it Gets,” and “Chuck & Buck.”
The Academy has since agreed to meet with members of the NLMC on April 18th to discuss the requirements to become an Academy member, and to address the issue that only 2% of its members are Latino.
Organizations Now Have an Opportunity to Own a Radio Station!
Imagine if your organization had a radio station? The possibilities are endless. Discussing relevant issues, playing local music, announcing events, sharing the news, etc.! This year, nonprofits will be able to apply to the FCC for non-commercial FM radio licenses (Low-Power FM/LPFM).
NHMC has teamed up with Prometheus Radio to help educate Latino-led and/or Immigrant-focused organizations on this opportunity by informing them about the process.
The application process is competitive! Organizations must act quickly and start planning now, the application window is set for October 2013.
Interested organizations should create a profilehere to receive information. If you have any questions, please contact Brenda Montes,bmontes@nhmc.org or stay in the loop by signing up for the next webinar here (webinars in Spanish available too!). Spread the word!
Fall 2013 NLMC/NHMC Television Writers Program
Submission Period Begins April 2
Hear ye! Hear ye!
NHMC will be opening the submission period for the 2013 NLMC/NHMC Television Writers Program on April 2. Please visitwww.nhmc.org/writersprogram for the application link and follow the directions carefully.
About the Program:
The television writers program is designed to familiarize participants with the format, characters and storyline structure of specific shows that are currently on the air. The five-week, total immersion workshop is mentored and guided by former NBC V.P of Script Development, Geoff Harris and is conducted in Burbank, CA. A total of 10 writers are accepted nationwide from an established network of non-profit agencies, schools, universities, guilds and media organizations. The goal is that the writers garner the skills necessary to obtain employment in the industry. Please note the program is for seasoned writers who are capable of writing at least a one half-hour comedy or a one-hour dramatic television script in English within a five-week period of time.
Congratulations to NLMC/NHMC Writers Program Alum Leslie Valdes for making the 2013 WGA Writers Access Project honorees list. The WGA picked the top 10 scripts from mid-level WGA minority writers and he’s the only Latino! Check out his pilot (The Sight) and bio here.
NHMC at NCMR!
Join the National Hispanic Media Coalition at the National Conference for Media Reform in Denver, Colorado from April 5-7! Thousands of activists, media makers, journalists, policymakers, technologists and artists will be there to focus on how to change the media and build a better democracy. NHMC will be very active at NCMR, including participating in the following events:
What’s Next For Internet Policy?
Fri., April 5, 10:00-11:30 am
Jessica Gonzalez, NHMC’s Vice President of Policy & Legal Affairs, will be part of a panel of experts discussing the upcoming policy battles and opportunities that will decide the future of the Internet.
The Impact Of Hate Speech On Latinos
Sat., April 6, 4:00-5:30 pm
NHMC President & CEO, Alex Nogales, will moderate and NHMC Policy Counsel, Michael Scurato, will participate on a panel considering hate speech and stereotyping in the media and explore ways to counteract this messaging.
Keynote: Celebrating Our Media Moment
Sat., April 6, 7:30-9:30 pm
Alex Nogales will join a number of other luminaries, such as Free Press CEO Craig Aaron and actress Evangeline Lilly, to offer remarks on the fight for better media.
The full program can be found here: http://conference.freepress.net/schedule.
If you are interested in attending the conference, more information is available here:http://conference.freepress.net/register-now.
Must Watch Documentary: Latinos Beyond Reel
Filmmakers Miguel Picker and Chyng Sun examine how U.S. news and entertainment media portray – or fail to portray – Latinos. Drawing on the insights of Latino scholars, journalists, community leaders, actors, directors and producers, the filmmakers uncover a pattern of gross misrepresentation and gross underrepresentation – a world in which Latinos tend to appear, if at all, as gangsters and Mexican bandits, harlots and prostitutes, drug dealers and welfare-leeching illegals.
The film challenges viewers to think critically about the wide-ranging effects of these media stereotypes, and to envision alternative representations and models of production more capable of capturing the humanity and diversity of real Latinos.
The National Conference for Media Reform in Denver, Colorado will be screening the film on Sat., April 6, 2:00-3:30 pm.
Watch the trailer here.]]>
