Media is white. The majority of people making decisions about media, from executives to directors, are white. The people who star in splashy summer movies, who play the lead roles on television cop dramas, who make music played on Top 40 radio, and who write books featured on The New York Times’ bestseller list are primarily white. One simply has to turn on the television to find white people: they are everywhere, and they are everything in media.
As a multicultural Latina, I constantly wonder what a white media landscape means for the way I interact with the world around me. Cultural Theorist Stuart Hall, whose work I read in college, posited that not only does media reflect the world around it, it also helps to create the world. And what world does a white media landscape create? One of the effects that I have experienced is invisibility in media, especially in television.
As a multicultural Latina, I constantly wonder what a white media landscape means for the way I interact with the world around me. Cultural Theorist Stuart Hall, whose work I read in college, posited that not only does media reflect the world around it, it also helps to create the world. And what world does a white media landscape create? One of the effects that I have experienced is invisibility in media, especially in television.
- 8/4/2015
- by Elena Rivera
- SoundOnSight
East WillyB, the independent web series about the Latino community of East Williamsburg (aka Bushwick), has launched a new season of six episodes. East WillyB is, simply put, a Latino Cheers, chronicling the lives of the various patrons of a local bar, the Sports Lounge, which is run by the charismatic Willy B. In the new season, Willy B must deal with a variety of pressures: his attempts to get back with his ex-girlfriend have failed, hipsters are slowly gentrifying his home neighborhood, and a reggaeton-blasting joint down the street has provides a rival to his simple watering hole. The show first popped up on our radar back in 2011, when its six episode pilot season turned some heads thanks to a talented cast and a strong, well-realized setting in the heart of Brooklyn. About a year after the final episode of season one hit the Internet, creators Julia Grob and...
- 3/21/2013
- by Sam Gutelle
- Tubefilter.com
Last summer, Julia Ahumada Grob and Yamin Segal, creators of the popular East WillyB web series took to kickstarter, hoping to raise 50K in 50 days to fund a new season. The media savvy producers took social media by storm, their funding campaign quickly became the buzz of the internet. As the deadline neared, the pledges came pouring in and they hit $50,000 with less than 24 hours to spare.
Thanks to the success of the kickstarter campaign and a fully funded budget, East WillyB is back with six new episodes starting today. Often compared to Cheers, the series centers on a Puerto Rican bar in Bushwick owned by Willie Jr. who is fighting to keep the gentrification of the neighborhood from creeping into his bar.
Willie (played by Flaco Navaja) inherited the bar from his dad and is fiercely protective of its “Latinoness.” He refuses to change anything even if it means losing out on business from the slew of hipsters who are slowly taking over the neighborhood. The rest of the characters are his friends, neighbors, and his ex, Maggie, who all drop by the bar regularly.
The new season opens with Willie mourning the loss of Maggie. Their relationship is over for good this time, she hooked with the whitetino Albert, his childhood nemesis who owns a competing bar. After chugging down drink after drink and in the depths of despair, Willie drunkenly tells his friends, “I am done with women. I’m done. Men don’t take you to a Ruben Blades concert and then break up with you. We do it straight up, with a text.” Using humor and packaged in short digestible episodes East WillyB is targeted at young Latinos.
The New York Times has called it a, “Latino Show for a New Generation.” So, who is this new generation? Sometimes called American Latinos or Generation ñ, they are Latinos born in the United States who speak English as their first language. East WillyB is a reflection of this generation. Willie, the main character, is a second generation Puerto Rican who wears guayaberas and loves baseball. Ceci (played by Julia Ahumada Grob) is half Mexican, half Cuban but gets made fun of for being, “whiter than milk.” And while some of the characters struggle with their Spanish, Albert (played by Danny Hoch) is a white guy who grew up in Bushwick and speaks better Spanish than all of them.
East WillyB is a breath of fresh air that will hopefully spark a revolution in television programming aimed at Latinos. True to the New York experience the Latino characters are not just Puerto Rican or Dominican. They are a mixture of nationalities: Mexican, Cuban, Salvadorian, Puerto Rican and even some halfsies. With Latinos in front of and behind the camera the storylines are written for Latinos by Latinos. The result is an authentic portrait of a culture that no market research could replicate, regardless of how hard mainstream television networks try to appeal to this much sought after demographic. It’s the little details that make it ring true to the American Latino experience. They argue soccer vs. baseball, make fun of each other’s broken Spanish and listen to hip-hop and salsa. Let’s hope that television executives will take note and follow suit.
East WillyB will premiere six brand new episodes beginning March 20th and running bi-weekly through May 15th on their dedicated Youtube channel and website. Follow @EastWillyB on Twitter and Facebook. Tweet about the premiere and use the hashtag #ewbpremiere
Written by Juan Caceres and Vanessa Erazo, LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow @LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook.
Thanks to the success of the kickstarter campaign and a fully funded budget, East WillyB is back with six new episodes starting today. Often compared to Cheers, the series centers on a Puerto Rican bar in Bushwick owned by Willie Jr. who is fighting to keep the gentrification of the neighborhood from creeping into his bar.
Willie (played by Flaco Navaja) inherited the bar from his dad and is fiercely protective of its “Latinoness.” He refuses to change anything even if it means losing out on business from the slew of hipsters who are slowly taking over the neighborhood. The rest of the characters are his friends, neighbors, and his ex, Maggie, who all drop by the bar regularly.
The new season opens with Willie mourning the loss of Maggie. Their relationship is over for good this time, she hooked with the whitetino Albert, his childhood nemesis who owns a competing bar. After chugging down drink after drink and in the depths of despair, Willie drunkenly tells his friends, “I am done with women. I’m done. Men don’t take you to a Ruben Blades concert and then break up with you. We do it straight up, with a text.” Using humor and packaged in short digestible episodes East WillyB is targeted at young Latinos.
The New York Times has called it a, “Latino Show for a New Generation.” So, who is this new generation? Sometimes called American Latinos or Generation ñ, they are Latinos born in the United States who speak English as their first language. East WillyB is a reflection of this generation. Willie, the main character, is a second generation Puerto Rican who wears guayaberas and loves baseball. Ceci (played by Julia Ahumada Grob) is half Mexican, half Cuban but gets made fun of for being, “whiter than milk.” And while some of the characters struggle with their Spanish, Albert (played by Danny Hoch) is a white guy who grew up in Bushwick and speaks better Spanish than all of them.
East WillyB is a breath of fresh air that will hopefully spark a revolution in television programming aimed at Latinos. True to the New York experience the Latino characters are not just Puerto Rican or Dominican. They are a mixture of nationalities: Mexican, Cuban, Salvadorian, Puerto Rican and even some halfsies. With Latinos in front of and behind the camera the storylines are written for Latinos by Latinos. The result is an authentic portrait of a culture that no market research could replicate, regardless of how hard mainstream television networks try to appeal to this much sought after demographic. It’s the little details that make it ring true to the American Latino experience. They argue soccer vs. baseball, make fun of each other’s broken Spanish and listen to hip-hop and salsa. Let’s hope that television executives will take note and follow suit.
East WillyB will premiere six brand new episodes beginning March 20th and running bi-weekly through May 15th on their dedicated Youtube channel and website. Follow @EastWillyB on Twitter and Facebook. Tweet about the premiere and use the hashtag #ewbpremiere
Written by Juan Caceres and Vanessa Erazo, LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow @LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook.
- 3/20/2013
- by Vanessa Erazo
- Sydney's Buzz
Valentine's Day is here! For some, it's a day full of joy and hubris, where cherubs are your local baristas complete with handle-bar mustaches. It's a day you ride unicorns to work and nothing will get in the way of you delivering those flowers you fought for like “This is Sparta”. This day your wildest dreams will be exceeded and you may even get a marriage proposal! Nothing can top this feeling of euphoria – not even Luther Vandross singing 'Always and Forever’ to a bunch of dolphins can top that sh*t... And then there's those for whom the day is abhorrent and full of rue. It's like a herpes breakout - an embarrassing reminder that somewhere you went wrong (like the time you proposed on Valentines Day). A catalog of memories of past failed romances, all accumulating in one day. You wish you had been 'catfished', so you would have never met them at all... Anyways, LatinoBuzz got to chop it up with young Latino Hollywood about their most romantic films, their cine-crush and in the spirit of los haters de San Valentin: their worst date!
“I think I'll have to say Natalie Portman in 'Garden State'. 'Love her in that. Maybe minus the helmet and epilepsy but I think I'd be able to deal with it. Something about a beautiful woman that can make me laugh. My favorite romantic film has to be Charlie Chaplin's 'City Lights' - Beautiful! One of my favorite movies ever, and not a word is spoken. I remember seeing it at the age of 16 for the first time and it made my heart explode. And 'Pretty in Pink' always makes me feel like I'm 'Duckie' at heart” - Jorge Diaz, 'Love, Concord', 'Filly Brown'
“My worst Valentine's date was when my ex-boyfriend spent the day with his best friend instead of me because his best friend's birthday is on Valentine's Day. He tried to make up for this by scheduling our date for February 13th instead of the 14th. He had a nice dinner date and a movie planned but his best friend (the birthday boy) and his other friends crashed our entire date and took over. Dinner was awkward and the birthday boy joined us after and even chose the movie. The worst was what happened during the movie, I decided to lay my head on his shoulder and because I was wearing a hat he couldn't see my eyes and he thought that I had fallen asleep. His phone received a text message from a girl that read "Happy Valentines baby! Miss you and care about you. You're very special, I hope your girl knows what she got". And that's when I found out he had been cheating on me!!!” - Francia Raisa, 'Chastity Bites'.
“Favorite Romantic Film: 'The Umbrellas of Cherbourg' is probably the most romantic story I have ever seen. This film moves me in a way no other film has. No matter how many times I see it I always cry and that to me is wonderful. It is a story of impossible love accompanied by the most beautiful music and color. Although the main characters do not end up together, the film shows their early stages of love and courtship so beautifully. One can be so lucky to experience such hope and blissfulness, even for just a moment. It is anything but predictable just the way life and love really is” - Diane Guerrero, 'Emoticon'
“Lou Diamond Philips as Richie Valens in 'La Bamba'. I dreamt of him serenading me to "Oh Donna" when I was younger. I still swoon at the thought of it. Lou is so young, handsome, and hopeful and "Richie Valens" is such a tragic hero. To have a man write and sing you songs, I mean come on, it doesn't get anymore dreamy than that. I married a poet and he writes me poems, I guess I made my dream come true!” -Julia Grob, 'East WillyB'
“I was once set up on the worst blind date ever. It was like eating dinner with Dr. Jekyll and Mrs Hyde. One minute she was trying to wine and dine me and the next she was throwing every insult you can imagine my way. It was very confusing” - Roberto Aguirre, 'Struck By Lightning'
“My crush would be Salma Hayek... Come on now, do I really need to say any more? She's perfection” - Joseph Julian Soria, 'Army Wives', 'Mission Park'
“My favorite romantic movie is 'True Romance'. Always. A reckless love story. When two unlikely lovers cross paths and fall madly in love in record time and he fights to the death for her freedom from her pimp so they can run away together with millions of dollars worth of drug money!? Oh! My heart melts” - Alicia Sixtos, 'East Los High'
“My perfect cine girlfriend would have to be Kate Winslet! She is not only stunning, but also ridiculously talented and the British accent doesn't hurt either. She had me at Titanic! And 'King Kong' is the most romantic film of all time! There is nothing more touching that the love of a giant gorilla and Jessica Lange. Lol! Seriously, 'Out of Africa' is my favorite romantic film. How can you beat Robert Redford and Meryl Streep, and the music by Stephan Grimes really punctuates a beautiful true story” - Jeremy Ray Valdez, 'Mission Park', 'H.O.M.E'
“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Just a great film! We all wish we could forget that someone who may have caused us pain. It's a bitter sweet movie and bitter sweet is what love is all about”- Rayniel Rufino, 'Trouble in the Heights'
“Lisa Bonet circa late 80's early 90's, hands down! I think she's just gorgeous. Everything about her screams Take Me On A Date Ej! I have an agreement with my girlfriend. I'm allowed to cheat on her with early 90s Bonet” - E.J . Bonilla, 'Four', 'The House That Jack Built'
“My favorite film is 'Big Fish' by Tim Burton and although it's not a traditional romantic film, it definitely showcases “Love” the way I like to think it truly is. That movie inspires me every time I watch it. Ewan McGregor is the perfect leading man in this film and it makes me believe in love at first sight. My worst date ever would have to include too much Pda. There is nothing more unattractive than two people in public doing what should be done in private. I also would be tortured if I went on a date with someone who smells bad and talked only about themselves haha!” - Denise Bidot, 'Curvy Girls', 'Habla'
“Matt Bomer!!! Oh wait, I'm barking up the wrong tree aren't I? But goodness, look at that face! My fave romantic film is definitely Dirty Dancing. It's actually my favorite movie, period. I don't care if I sound cheesy or corny, I've loved that movie ever since I can remember. Yes, I watched it as a kid and my mom would make me close my eyes during certain parts. It's nice to be able to watch the full movie now, even though I still feel like someone's telling me "cover your eyes" sometimes haha.” - Janine Larina, 'East Los High'
“I can say, best boyfriend from any era of film would have to be the dude from the movie 'The Princess Bride'! What's that dudes name? Oh, he was so delicious and heroic! Chivalry at its best! I don't admire men often but when I do it's the dude from 'The Princess Bride'. Omg Worst Date Ever was with this dude about 2 years ago! I want to say his name only for the small, minute, almost impossible possibility that he would read this because he should know how awful it was! But alas I won't! He took me to this bar, Village Idiot, for dinner and if tossing his car keys to the valet while he walked in the joint (keys that were definitely not caught by valet) wasn't obnoxious enough, he then told the hostess "best table, they know me here" except No they didn't! We proceed to sit down and he goes on this rant about how much money he has, who he knows and why he is the ultimate La bachelor! As I sit there stirring in my contempt for this over the top ridiculous man, he stops and says "Well it's not ladylike to look so ugly, smile at least!" I wanted to stab him with my fork! I respond "Well I usually smile when I'm happy, entertained, excited and I'm none of those right now. I would like to leave...now" and with that I dropped cash on the table and walked right out. Worst date ever! Gina Rodriguez, 'Filly Brown', 'Sleeping with the Fishes'
“It'd have to be January Jones and of course, in the Mad Men era. What is that, the 60's right? I love the show but also hate it because Don Driver gets to come home to her. There's something about how patient and loving she is. Such a soothing voice. I'd let her talk my ear off”- Walter Perez, 'Mission Park'
“My favorite romantic film would definitely be 'Amelie', because it's about a young girl on a journey fueled by love, the love of helping others selflessly and in the midst of it all, she falls in love with a quirky guy who collects photo booth pictures. It's a sweet little unique story, not to mention it was such a musical inspiration for me, I can play majority of the songs from it on the piano - Just so lovely!!! I'd highly suggest adding it to your movie list”– Andrea Sixtos, 'Sunset Stories'
“The Wedding Planner, because they were going down different paths but still ended up together. For awhile after I watched the movie I would only eat the brown M&Ms haha! And worst date, one Valentines Day I was supposed go out with my boyfriend, he picked me up and when we got in the car we had a huge fight and broke up. So the date just made it to the drive way” - Chelsea Rendon, 'A Better Life', 'Kill Kapone'
“Andy Garcia in 'When a man loves a woman' and the worst date ever was the time when this guy took me out and tried to get me drunk so he could hit it. He left me stranded on 6th Street in Austin Texas” - Corina Calderon, 'All She Can', 'End of Watch'
“I had two horrible dates with the same person. The first date we went to a karaoke bar and he got sexually molested by his ex-girlfriend. He told me about it and he felt really uncomfortable. He wanted to leave and I wanted to confront her. So we stayed and I took her outside and she and I exchanged words. We agreed to be civil, but I missed my turn and never got to sing. The second horrible date happened a couple months into our relationship. We went to 'Lucky Strike' for a birthday party and ran into another ex-girlfriend who swore they were meant to be together and that he shouldn't be bringing me into her work. Long story short, I laughed and asked her to get me a coke. I never got the coke. After all that drama, we are still together and It only took him a over 1000 good dates to make up for those two” - Veronica Diaz-Carranza, 'Blaze You Out', 'Taco Shop'
Written by Juan Caceres and Vanessa Erazo, LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow @LatinoBuzz on twitter and www.facebook.com/latinobuzz...
“I think I'll have to say Natalie Portman in 'Garden State'. 'Love her in that. Maybe minus the helmet and epilepsy but I think I'd be able to deal with it. Something about a beautiful woman that can make me laugh. My favorite romantic film has to be Charlie Chaplin's 'City Lights' - Beautiful! One of my favorite movies ever, and not a word is spoken. I remember seeing it at the age of 16 for the first time and it made my heart explode. And 'Pretty in Pink' always makes me feel like I'm 'Duckie' at heart” - Jorge Diaz, 'Love, Concord', 'Filly Brown'
“My worst Valentine's date was when my ex-boyfriend spent the day with his best friend instead of me because his best friend's birthday is on Valentine's Day. He tried to make up for this by scheduling our date for February 13th instead of the 14th. He had a nice dinner date and a movie planned but his best friend (the birthday boy) and his other friends crashed our entire date and took over. Dinner was awkward and the birthday boy joined us after and even chose the movie. The worst was what happened during the movie, I decided to lay my head on his shoulder and because I was wearing a hat he couldn't see my eyes and he thought that I had fallen asleep. His phone received a text message from a girl that read "Happy Valentines baby! Miss you and care about you. You're very special, I hope your girl knows what she got". And that's when I found out he had been cheating on me!!!” - Francia Raisa, 'Chastity Bites'.
“Favorite Romantic Film: 'The Umbrellas of Cherbourg' is probably the most romantic story I have ever seen. This film moves me in a way no other film has. No matter how many times I see it I always cry and that to me is wonderful. It is a story of impossible love accompanied by the most beautiful music and color. Although the main characters do not end up together, the film shows their early stages of love and courtship so beautifully. One can be so lucky to experience such hope and blissfulness, even for just a moment. It is anything but predictable just the way life and love really is” - Diane Guerrero, 'Emoticon'
“Lou Diamond Philips as Richie Valens in 'La Bamba'. I dreamt of him serenading me to "Oh Donna" when I was younger. I still swoon at the thought of it. Lou is so young, handsome, and hopeful and "Richie Valens" is such a tragic hero. To have a man write and sing you songs, I mean come on, it doesn't get anymore dreamy than that. I married a poet and he writes me poems, I guess I made my dream come true!” -Julia Grob, 'East WillyB'
“I was once set up on the worst blind date ever. It was like eating dinner with Dr. Jekyll and Mrs Hyde. One minute she was trying to wine and dine me and the next she was throwing every insult you can imagine my way. It was very confusing” - Roberto Aguirre, 'Struck By Lightning'
“My crush would be Salma Hayek... Come on now, do I really need to say any more? She's perfection” - Joseph Julian Soria, 'Army Wives', 'Mission Park'
“My favorite romantic movie is 'True Romance'. Always. A reckless love story. When two unlikely lovers cross paths and fall madly in love in record time and he fights to the death for her freedom from her pimp so they can run away together with millions of dollars worth of drug money!? Oh! My heart melts” - Alicia Sixtos, 'East Los High'
“My perfect cine girlfriend would have to be Kate Winslet! She is not only stunning, but also ridiculously talented and the British accent doesn't hurt either. She had me at Titanic! And 'King Kong' is the most romantic film of all time! There is nothing more touching that the love of a giant gorilla and Jessica Lange. Lol! Seriously, 'Out of Africa' is my favorite romantic film. How can you beat Robert Redford and Meryl Streep, and the music by Stephan Grimes really punctuates a beautiful true story” - Jeremy Ray Valdez, 'Mission Park', 'H.O.M.E'
“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Just a great film! We all wish we could forget that someone who may have caused us pain. It's a bitter sweet movie and bitter sweet is what love is all about”- Rayniel Rufino, 'Trouble in the Heights'
“Lisa Bonet circa late 80's early 90's, hands down! I think she's just gorgeous. Everything about her screams Take Me On A Date Ej! I have an agreement with my girlfriend. I'm allowed to cheat on her with early 90s Bonet” - E.J . Bonilla, 'Four', 'The House That Jack Built'
“My favorite film is 'Big Fish' by Tim Burton and although it's not a traditional romantic film, it definitely showcases “Love” the way I like to think it truly is. That movie inspires me every time I watch it. Ewan McGregor is the perfect leading man in this film and it makes me believe in love at first sight. My worst date ever would have to include too much Pda. There is nothing more unattractive than two people in public doing what should be done in private. I also would be tortured if I went on a date with someone who smells bad and talked only about themselves haha!” - Denise Bidot, 'Curvy Girls', 'Habla'
“Matt Bomer!!! Oh wait, I'm barking up the wrong tree aren't I? But goodness, look at that face! My fave romantic film is definitely Dirty Dancing. It's actually my favorite movie, period. I don't care if I sound cheesy or corny, I've loved that movie ever since I can remember. Yes, I watched it as a kid and my mom would make me close my eyes during certain parts. It's nice to be able to watch the full movie now, even though I still feel like someone's telling me "cover your eyes" sometimes haha.” - Janine Larina, 'East Los High'
“I can say, best boyfriend from any era of film would have to be the dude from the movie 'The Princess Bride'! What's that dudes name? Oh, he was so delicious and heroic! Chivalry at its best! I don't admire men often but when I do it's the dude from 'The Princess Bride'. Omg Worst Date Ever was with this dude about 2 years ago! I want to say his name only for the small, minute, almost impossible possibility that he would read this because he should know how awful it was! But alas I won't! He took me to this bar, Village Idiot, for dinner and if tossing his car keys to the valet while he walked in the joint (keys that were definitely not caught by valet) wasn't obnoxious enough, he then told the hostess "best table, they know me here" except No they didn't! We proceed to sit down and he goes on this rant about how much money he has, who he knows and why he is the ultimate La bachelor! As I sit there stirring in my contempt for this over the top ridiculous man, he stops and says "Well it's not ladylike to look so ugly, smile at least!" I wanted to stab him with my fork! I respond "Well I usually smile when I'm happy, entertained, excited and I'm none of those right now. I would like to leave...now" and with that I dropped cash on the table and walked right out. Worst date ever! Gina Rodriguez, 'Filly Brown', 'Sleeping with the Fishes'
“It'd have to be January Jones and of course, in the Mad Men era. What is that, the 60's right? I love the show but also hate it because Don Driver gets to come home to her. There's something about how patient and loving she is. Such a soothing voice. I'd let her talk my ear off”- Walter Perez, 'Mission Park'
“My favorite romantic film would definitely be 'Amelie', because it's about a young girl on a journey fueled by love, the love of helping others selflessly and in the midst of it all, she falls in love with a quirky guy who collects photo booth pictures. It's a sweet little unique story, not to mention it was such a musical inspiration for me, I can play majority of the songs from it on the piano - Just so lovely!!! I'd highly suggest adding it to your movie list”– Andrea Sixtos, 'Sunset Stories'
“The Wedding Planner, because they were going down different paths but still ended up together. For awhile after I watched the movie I would only eat the brown M&Ms haha! And worst date, one Valentines Day I was supposed go out with my boyfriend, he picked me up and when we got in the car we had a huge fight and broke up. So the date just made it to the drive way” - Chelsea Rendon, 'A Better Life', 'Kill Kapone'
“Andy Garcia in 'When a man loves a woman' and the worst date ever was the time when this guy took me out and tried to get me drunk so he could hit it. He left me stranded on 6th Street in Austin Texas” - Corina Calderon, 'All She Can', 'End of Watch'
“I had two horrible dates with the same person. The first date we went to a karaoke bar and he got sexually molested by his ex-girlfriend. He told me about it and he felt really uncomfortable. He wanted to leave and I wanted to confront her. So we stayed and I took her outside and she and I exchanged words. We agreed to be civil, but I missed my turn and never got to sing. The second horrible date happened a couple months into our relationship. We went to 'Lucky Strike' for a birthday party and ran into another ex-girlfriend who swore they were meant to be together and that he shouldn't be bringing me into her work. Long story short, I laughed and asked her to get me a coke. I never got the coke. After all that drama, we are still together and It only took him a over 1000 good dates to make up for those two” - Veronica Diaz-Carranza, 'Blaze You Out', 'Taco Shop'
Written by Juan Caceres and Vanessa Erazo, LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow @LatinoBuzz on twitter and www.facebook.com/latinobuzz...
- 2/13/2013
- by Juan Caceres
- Sydney's Buzz
If there aren’t Nielsen ratings to look to and you can’t add up advertising revenue, how do you determine the success of an independently produced web series? No matter how you measure it, East WillyB is a smash hit. Since it premiered online last year the hilarious ‘gentrification comedy’ received over 40,000 views in a matter of days and received press coverage from NY Daily News, Fox News Latino, MTV, and Latina.com among others. Julia Grob, co-creator explains, “Set in gentrified Brooklyn, it's an online series about a Puerto Rican sports bar owner, Willy Jr. (Flaco Navaja), who is working hard to keep his bar alive in the face of the hipster invasion of his neighborhood. We like to affectionately call it a Latino Cheers.”
Despite rave reviews and an audience who wants to see more content, the producers have been unable to find a place for the series at a TV network. Rather than being discouraged, they have launched a kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to raise $50,000 for a new 12 episode season. They have raised close to $40,000 but if they don’t reach 50k by June 1st, they won’t receive any of the money that has been pledged so far.
With your support East WillyB could become the first community-funded Latino sitcom. More than just a Latino Cheers, this innovative web series showcases the talents of Latinos in front of and behind the camera. And though set in Latino Brooklyn, it offers a critique of gentrification that resonates with all urban dwellers. But most importantly it is an example of media that bypasses the traditional mode of production and is made ‘by the people and for the people.’
The team behind East WillyB, sick of not seeing themselves represented in the media, set out to tell humorous but authentic stories that American Latinos could connect with. Grob along with her co-creator Yamin Segal were, “frustrated by the lack of stories or characters that represented our reality as new generation Latinos, raised in the states. With 50 million Latinos who are English-dominant, we are the new majority and still suffer from lack of representation in media.”
Their goal was modest--to make a few short webisodes. In retrospect they took on a monumental task--to challenge the stereotyped representations of Latinos. “We wanted to create a new American sitcom” says Grob. “You don't have Latinos in positions of power in Hollywood. So, until we have more Latino executives, producers, directors, writers, and casting agents we'll continue to see token stories or storylines that are based on ‘research’ of our demographic, not on authentic knowledge of the Latino experience. East WillyB resonates because it was created by a full Latino creative team. We have an ability to speak authentically to our audience and that is more powerful than any research!”
The pilot season was created without any money and as a labor of love. Any size donation will help them reach their fundraising goal so they can continue to create original and innovative content that not only speaks to the Spanglish-speaking American-born Latino but to all audiences. Because ultimately, “East WillyB is really at its heart an American comedy about working class people struggling to stay alive and so many different communities can relate to that story, in this economy.”...
Despite rave reviews and an audience who wants to see more content, the producers have been unable to find a place for the series at a TV network. Rather than being discouraged, they have launched a kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to raise $50,000 for a new 12 episode season. They have raised close to $40,000 but if they don’t reach 50k by June 1st, they won’t receive any of the money that has been pledged so far.
With your support East WillyB could become the first community-funded Latino sitcom. More than just a Latino Cheers, this innovative web series showcases the talents of Latinos in front of and behind the camera. And though set in Latino Brooklyn, it offers a critique of gentrification that resonates with all urban dwellers. But most importantly it is an example of media that bypasses the traditional mode of production and is made ‘by the people and for the people.’
The team behind East WillyB, sick of not seeing themselves represented in the media, set out to tell humorous but authentic stories that American Latinos could connect with. Grob along with her co-creator Yamin Segal were, “frustrated by the lack of stories or characters that represented our reality as new generation Latinos, raised in the states. With 50 million Latinos who are English-dominant, we are the new majority and still suffer from lack of representation in media.”
Their goal was modest--to make a few short webisodes. In retrospect they took on a monumental task--to challenge the stereotyped representations of Latinos. “We wanted to create a new American sitcom” says Grob. “You don't have Latinos in positions of power in Hollywood. So, until we have more Latino executives, producers, directors, writers, and casting agents we'll continue to see token stories or storylines that are based on ‘research’ of our demographic, not on authentic knowledge of the Latino experience. East WillyB resonates because it was created by a full Latino creative team. We have an ability to speak authentically to our audience and that is more powerful than any research!”
The pilot season was created without any money and as a labor of love. Any size donation will help them reach their fundraising goal so they can continue to create original and innovative content that not only speaks to the Spanglish-speaking American-born Latino but to all audiences. Because ultimately, “East WillyB is really at its heart an American comedy about working class people struggling to stay alive and so many different communities can relate to that story, in this economy.”...
- 5/31/2012
- by Vanessa Erazo & Juan Caceres
- Sydney's Buzz
Crowdfunding campaigns for independent online video properties are usually comprised of pitch videos, varied perks for cash contributors of increasing value based on the size of the contributions, and the promise of compelling content once the crowdfunding goals are met and production is complete. East WillyB’s Kickstarter campaign, which is looking to raise funding for a second season of the original web series includes all of the above, plus endorsements by Hollywood notables of Hispanic heritage, a Dominos Tournament & Fundraising Party at the real life East WillyB bar (that not only looked awesome and was totally apropos, but raised $1,000 for the show), and a Bushwick Barbershop cut-a-thon, all the proceeds from which will benefit the program’s production. Pretty cool, right? Andre Royo from The Wire thinks so, too (and so does with Rick Gonzalez of War of the World and Lin Manuel-Miranda from In the Heights and that...
- 5/30/2012
- by Joshua Cohen
- Tubefilter.com
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