Thursday, July 31, 2014

Banner Ads Now Available on HOLA Website

Wanna promote your upcoming stage production? Your upcoming film screening? Your upcoming special event?

HOLA members often get publicity in our Members in Performance page, but what if you could promote on our main homepage, or in our directory (The HOLA Pages), where more people can see your ad?

What if you had a project with no HOLA members that you wanted to promote?

What if you wanted to promote something that wasn’t a show (like your production company itself or a new website)?

Now you can do so by BUYING A BANNER AD on the HOLA website.

Banner ads come in half-page and full-page sizes and can be on the HOLA website for one week, two weeks, three weeks or a whole month. HOLA can also link your ad to a particular website at no additional cost.

Prices on the banner ads are affordable. Also, not-for-profit organizations receive a 10% discount on ad prices.

The HOLA website receives thousands of visits each month. The HOLA website is viewed by many professionals in the industry and is a unique way of reaching the Latino/Hispanic and mainstream audiences, which make buying a banner ad a smart investment for you.

Wanna buy a banner ad? Call (212) 253-1015 or (888) 624-HOLA or e-mail us for prices and ad dimensions.

HOLA Regional Membership Available For Those Outside New York Metropolitan Area

If you are an actor who lives in an area of the U.S. outside of the New York metropolitan area, New Jersey or Connecticut (HOLA's programming and administrative headquarters region), HOLA is proud to announce its Regional Membership level - for only $65 (versus a $125 regular NYC region membership price) for one full year!

As an HOLA Regional Member, you'll be entitled to the following member benefits:

• Your headshot, resume, reel and voiceover demo*  showcased on the HOLA Pages, the internet's only concentrated source of Latino acting talent. The directory is a trusted resource for casting directors, producers and talent agents receiving, on average, over 5,000 visits per month. (* There is an additional charge 
of $15 for adding your voiceover demo.)

• Your performances listed and promoted via HOLA's website and social media pages (Facebook and Twitter) that reaches thousands of people in the entertainment industry.

• Casting notices that will alert you to employment opportunities tailored to the Latino actor.

• Advocacy to combat stereotypes of the Latino/Hispanic community in media and entertainment as well as the opportunity to join in solidarity with the Latino/Hispanic acting community.


Application for regional memberships accepted by telephone order only. Call HOLA toll free at (888) 524-HOLA or (888) 524-4652. (VISA, MasterCard and American Express accepted.) Please submit your headshot (in .jpg format) and resume in a Word 
document or in Portable Data Format (.doc or .docx; or .pdf) via e-mail to HOLA.

Why Join HOLA? Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About HOLA


WHY JOIN HOLA?

Frequently Asked Questions

• 
Is HOLA an agency or management company?
No. While we work similarly to an agency or an artist management company, we do a lot more. In essence, HOLA is a membership organization, a not-for-profit arts service and advocacy organization that offers jobs and casting opportunities, workshops and seminars and special events to its membership.

• 
Does one have to audition for HOLA?
No. HOLA is a membership organization. Just pay the annual membership and you become an HOLA member.

• 
I am a new actor. Does HOLA apply to me and how so? (Or conversely, I have a fair amount of experience. How does HOLA apply to me?)
HOLA members range from the beginner to the established and everywhere in between. HOLA will apply to you at every stage of your career.

• 
Do I have to speak Spanish (or Portuguese) to be an HOLA member?
No. HOLA members speak English only, Spanish only, or both languages fluently. Our Brazilian members speak Portuguese as well as English. There is no requirement for any member to speak Spanish (or Portuguese) to be an HOLA member.

• 
What kind of casting notices do you receive?
HOLA receives all kinds of casting notices— from union and nonunion, through the disciplines of film, television, theater and voiceover. The majority of our notices are distributed to our membership. There are some instances, whether because of short notice or because of the search for something very specific, that HOLA makes referrals to certain talent.

• 
I have signed representation. Would that be in conflict with HOLA?
No. In fact, we would put your signed representative’s name and number on your online profile. It would be another way to promote yourself without conflict.

• 
If I book a job through HOLA, do I owe you a commission?
No. We are not an agency or artist management company. You are under no obligation to give us a commission. (But if you want to show your appreciation with a donation, we’ll be forced to take it, I suppose.)

• 
I am in the process of getting my citizenship. Could I still join HOLA?
Yes. As long as you can legally work in the U.S., you can join HOLA.

• 
Does HOLA have a social media presence?
Yes. We are on FacebookTwitter and have our own channel on YouTube. In addition, we are on Wikipedia and have our own blog, titled El Blog de HOLA.

• 
What if I am not an actor but I like what you do?
You could support HOLA by becoming a Friend of HOLA and donating to the organization. If you are a producer or director, a Friend of HOLA donation allow us to promote your productions!

All About Becoming an HOLA Member or a Friend of HOLA

Wanna be an HOLA member? Wanna know more about HOLA first?

HOLA
 is a not-for-profit arts service and advocacy organization founded in 1975.


HOLA members get their headshots and resumes on our web directory. In addition, HOLA receives casting notices from various sources that we pass on to our members (or in specific cases, help refer actors to the casting director).

HOLA offers low-cost workshops and seminars, professional counseling, special events and networking activities. We also produce the HOLA Awards which honor outstanding achievement by Latinos in entertainment.

HOLA has a Facebook page and a Twitter page in addition to this blog (imaginatively titled El Blog De HOLA). Whenever a member is doing a project, we can promote via e-mails we send out, through our Members in Performance page on the website or in El Blog on our HOLA Member Bochinche column (only good bochinche, never bad bochinche). It functions as another outlet to promote your work. HOLA is also on YouTube and on Wikipedia.

What if you are not an actor? You can support HOLA by being a Friend of HOLA. For more information, click here.

To become an HOLA member online (New York metropolitan area), fill out the member application form here.

To become an HOLA member (and you don't live within the NYC metropolitan area), call (212) 253-1015 or (888) 624-HOLA and inquire about our Regional Membership.

To become a Friend of HOLA, click here.

If you have any more questions, check out our FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page by clicking here.

We like to think of HOLA as "la comunidad del actor latino." We would love for you to be part of that community. 

Become an 
HOLA member.
Become a Friend of HOLA.

Ya es la hora.
Now is the time.

HOLA Member Bochinche

Bochinche refers to “gossip”. In this sense, we use it to mention HOLA members or Friends of HOLA who are getting acting, performance or similarly artistic gigs and/or recognition in the media. The names of HOLA members and Friends of HOLA are listed below in boldface. To see what other HOLA members are doing currently, click here.

Marco Antonio Rodríguez, shown at right, let us know that the award-winning play that he wrote, La Luz de un cigarrillo, will be produced as the 2014 mainstage production of the Raíces Theater Company in Buffalo, New York, where it will run in November. For more information, click here.

The short film You're Dead To Me (written by Adelina Anthony and directed by Wu Tsang) continues its run on the film festival circuit. The film starring Laura Patalano and Harmony Rose Santana was recently screened at the Woods Hole Film Festival at Falmouth, Massachusetts (on Cape Cod). For more information, click herehere or here.

Milena Dávila is starring as Bianca in The Drilling CompaNY's production of William Shakespeare's Othello. Directed by Hamilton Clancy, the production is part of the company's Shakespeare in the Parking Lot series, now in its 20th season. The show will run in July and August at the Municipal Parking Lot on the corner of Ludlow and Broome streets in Manhattan's Loísaida neighborhood. For more information, click here.

Lucio Fernández is associate producing the short film Ploy (written by Jesse E. Salgado and Julius B. Kelly and directed by Kelly). The film stars Stan J. Adams, Omar Torres, Judy San Román, Jim Thalman and Donny Chávez. For more information, click here.

Repertorio Español is presenting Matthew Paul Olmos' Así van los fantasmas de México, primera parte. Directed by Estefanía Fadul, the play will have an August run and will star Felipe Bonilla, David Consejo, David Mila, María Peyramaure and Bobby Plasencia in the cast. For more information, click here.

If you are an HOLA member or a Friend of HOLA and want to submit a bochinche item, send us an e-mail. If you live in the New York metropolitan area and want to be an HOLA member, why not join? If you live outside the New York metropolitan area and want to be an HOLA member, you can find out more information on how to do so, by clicking here. If you are not a Friend of HOLA, why not become one?

HOLA Member Bochinche

Bochinche refers to “gossip”. In this sense, we use it to mention HOLA members or Friends of HOLA who are getting acting, performance or similarly artistic gigs and/or recognition in the media. The names of HOLA members and Friends of HOLA are listed below in boldface. To see what other HOLA members are doing currently, click here.


J.W. Cortés, shown at right, booked a recurring role as Detective Álvarez on "Gotham" (Fox).

Sebastian Stimman, Héctor Luis Rivera and Kathy Tejada will be acting in the play La reina virgen. Adapted from Francisco Ors's Contradanza and directed by George Riverón, the play is produced by TEBA and Teatro del Aire and will run in the autumn at Broadway Blackbox Theater, located in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. The cast also features the talents of Raúl Rivera, Rita Ortiz, Daniel Ojeda Astigarraga, Juan Manuel Sanábria and Sully Bonnelly.


Roberto Sanábria, shown at left, booked a World Cup-themed, anti-jaywalking public service announcement viral video through an HOLA referral, and now the video was the subject of a report on Time Warner Cable New York 1 Noticias. To see the report, which is in Spanish, click here.

Francisco Ramos was interviewed by Joe Shock López and DJ Lexx on the podcast "Shocking Underground", where he spoke on his leading role as Latin freestyle singer Víctor Velásquez in the feature film The Hardest Love (written and directed by Henry B. Roa). The film is currently hitting the film festival circuit. The interview can be heard by clicking on the icon below.




If you are an HOLA member or a Friend of HOLA and want to submit a bochinche item, send us an e-mail. If you live in the New York metropolitan area and want to be an HOLA member, why not join? If you live outside the New York metropolitan area and want to be an HOLA member, you can find out more information on how to do so, by clicking here. If you are not a Friend of HOLA, why not become one?

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

HOLA Member Bochinche

Bochinche refers to “gossip”. In this sense, we use it to mention HOLA members or Friends of HOLA who are getting acting, performance or similarly artistic gigs and/or recognition in the media. The names of HOLA members and Friends of HOLA are listed below in boldface. To see what other HOLA members are doing currently, click here.

Luis Salgado, shown at right, was profiled in Latin Trends magazine, where he spoke of his current gig on the Flaherty-Ahrens-Meehan Broadway show Rocky: The Musical (based on the Academy Award-winning Sylvester Stallone film and currently set to close on Sunday, August 17, 2014) and of the newest role he is tackling– that of a father to a newborn son. To read the interview, click here.

Howard Collado is composing a score, to be played live by him, to Lorraine Rodríguez-Reyes' self-penned solo show Mami Confessions (directed by Susan G. Reid). The show is scheduled to run in July and August at Teatro Círculo, located in Manhattan's East Village. For more information, click here.

The Hudson Fine Arts Foundation/Grace Theatre Workshop's production of Comfort (written and directed by Jung Han Kim), co-starring Lucio Fernández, was featured in Cambio newspaper. The play, which is currently playing at the Workshop Theatre Company's Jewel Box Theatre (located in the Fashion District of midtown Manhattan), and will follow up that run with additional performances in August at the Bruno Walter Auditorium at Lincoln Center. To read the article, which is in Spanish, click on the image above, at left.

Vanessa Verduga and Linda Nieves-Powell have produced the second season of the webseries "Latinas Chat Media". While the first season took place in New York, this season deals with Latinas in Los Angeles talking about media and the image of the Latina. For more information, click here.

Anthony Ruiz made a return engagement as Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim (billed on the show as "the wealthiest man on the world" or "the richest man in the world") on "Late Show With David Letterman" (CBS). To see the skit, click on the video below.



If you are an HOLA member or a Friend of HOLA and want to submit a bochinche item, send us an e-mail. If you live in the New York metropolitan area and want to be an HOLA member, why not join? If you live outside the New York metropolitan area and want to be an HOLA member, you can find out more information on how to do so, by clicking here. If you are not a Friend of HOLA, why not become one?

HOLA Member Bochinche

Bochinche refers to “gossip”. In this sense, we use it to mention HOLA members or Friends of HOLA who are getting acting, performance or similarly artistic gigs and/or recognition in the media. The names of HOLA members and Friends of HOLA are listed below in boldface. To see what other HOLA members are doing currently, click here.

Eric Robledo and Frank Robles, shown at left and at right, respectively, are starring in Julio Ramón Ribeyro's Fin de semana. The play is directed by Diego M. Chiri and is running in July and August at Repertorio Español, located in the Rose Hill neighborhood of Manhattan. For more information, click here.

Gerardo Gudiño will star opposite George Bass and Mariana Buoninconti in Walter Ventosilla's Flor de lirio. Directed by Julián Mesri, the play will be presented in September and October at IATI Theater in Manhattan's East Village.
For more information, click here.





Mauricio Pita, shown at left, is in the cast of I Like to Be Here: Jackson Heights Revisited, or, This Is A Mango. A series of plays written by Camilo Almonacid; Jenny Lyn Bader; J. Stephen Brantley; Ed Cardona, Jr.; Les Hunter; Melisa Tien; and Joy Tomasko, it is directed by Ari Laura Kreith as part of the Theater: Village Festival of New American Plays, presented in September by Theatre 167 at the New Ohio Theatre (located in Manhattan's West Village). For more information, click here. He will follow that up with a role in the play 1989, a collaborative effort using Anne Bogart's Viewpoints. Directed by Tatiana Pandiani, the show will take place in November at Columbia University in the West Harlem/Manhattanville area of Manhattan. (He received this latter gig through a referral that took place via HOLA.)

Mônica Steuer, shown at right, will be playing Sylvia Plath to Rebeca Alemán's Frida Kahlo in Néstor Caballero's Musas. Directed by Iraida Tapias, the play imagines a meeting between the Mexican painter and the English poet. Performances will take place at the Greenhouse Theater Center in Chicago, Illinois. For more information, click here or here.

Laura Patalano and Harmony Rose Santana star in You're Dead To Me (written by Adelina Anthony and directed by Wu Tsang). The short film has been hitting the film festival circuit; its next screening will be in August at the Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival (MVAAFF) in the town of Oak Bluffs, located on the island of Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts. For more information, click here, here or here.

If you are an HOLA member or a Friend of HOLA and want to submit a bochinche item, send us an e-mail. If you live in the New York metropolitan area and want to be an HOLA member, why not join? If you live outside the New York metropolitan area and want to be an HOLA member, you can find out more information on how to do so, by clicking here. If you are not a Friend of HOLA, why not become one?

Monday, July 28, 2014

Tío Louie Reporta: RASHAAD ERNESTO GREEN and REINALDO MARCUS GREEN

HOLA is proud to present Tío Louie Reporta, where filmmaker and Executive Producer of Prime Latino Media, Louis Perego Moreno (also known as Tío Louie) interviews actors and multimedia-makers in the business.


In this edition, Tío Louie interviews filmmakers (and brothers) Rashaad Ernesto Green (Gun Hill Road, an episode of NBC's "Grimm") and Reinaldo Marcus Green (Stone Cars), who together have created Green Brothers Films. The interview took place at the July edition of the Prime Latino Media Salón (presented by Tío Louie, HOLA and United Latino Professionals-New York) on Thursday, July 23, 2014 at Meridian 23 Bar and Lounge in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood. He asked the Green Brothers about their recent work, their philosophies regarding casting and even their $0.10 worth (what used to be known as your opinion, or your "two cents", but has since risen in price due to inflation) about the importance of creating a community of artists.

Is it about brotherly love or a recurring theme among Latino multimedia-makers and actors who have attained success? Sticking together and the old adage that “two heads are better than one” is not only pragmatic, but it’s a proven business model. It’s about getting projects accomplished well and through a tight-knit circle that can lead to rightfully securing opportunities in front and behind the camera. As they were introduced at the last PRIME LATINO MEDIA Salón, the 19th Century was for the Brothers Grimm, but the 21st Century belongs to Brothers Green – Rashaad Ernesto and Reinaldo Marcus. Their father firmly set the tone many years ago, “You’re brothers... you have only each other... stick together.”

​​​Meet the two brothers who are blazing trails successfully in their own respective way and collaboratively as proven recently with the acceptance of their film project, Big Man, at New York’s Independent Film Project (IFP) in the Project Forum for September 2014. 

​​​Being our brothers’ and sisters’ keeper is more than a philosophical belief; it’s an essential business principle that drives our community in order to gain an edge ensuring a great degree of success. These were the pearls of wisdom they shared at the event. 

Reinaldo, what prompted your career change into filmmaking? I was Director of Talent, Acquisition & Diversity at AIG. It was a great role and I was making nice money. Diversity is tricky when it comes to the corporate world. There was lots of window dressing, which happens in many of these departments. I had gone through a break-up with a girlfriend and then wondered if something happened to me, what would define my life? My brother at the same time was making his feature film, Gun Hill Road. I was 27, 28 [years old] and wondered what other options were out there. I came across the NYU website and explored getting an MBA and MFA and thought I could leverage my corporate experience and merge it with the film side. I felt NYU was the best film school. I had to make a short film with my brother and someone else. I had a friend act in it. I didn’t think I would get in and then I did and had to make a decision. I figured I was young enough and did not have a family and that was 3.5 years ago and I have not looked back. 
Rashaad, explain how you got the opportunity to direct episodic television on "Grimm" for NBC when executives don’t like to gamble with a $4-5 million budget for one program? They have a valid concern. It takes a pro to be in there and deliver a show on time. It’s fast-paced and stressful. You have a responsibility for 100 people. If you don’t have a feature that can demonstrate your ability it’s difficult. My agent had forewarned me that it would be difficult to direct for TV. He felt that it would be easier to direct a second film. Many of the showrunners and networks rely on the Old Boys Club. That is the business formula and it’s not going to change. But we need to be improving our game and producing great works to prove that you’re cut out for it. I wound up recommending a fellow filmmaker from a 2009 New York International Latino Film Festival. She thanked me for the letter of recommendation that helped her with the Emerging Writers Fellowship at NBC-Universal and she suggested that based on Gun Hill Road, which she loved, that I should participate in the NBC-Universal’s Directing Diversity Fellowship. 
Reinaldo, as a narrative film director how did making Stone Cars, your short film set in Africa, tap your casting capabilities? As a young filmmaker the assumption is that you always need a star aligned with a film. If you look at the basic human instinct that anybody can be an actor, that’s how the non-traditional form of casting was helpful in this process. We used non-professional actors and made them professional. The acting is superb, because they desire to act. They study theater and they want to be acting. This film gave them a platform. When I ride the train in NYC, there could be someone who fits a part. It’s about keeping an open mind and someone who has a burning desire to engage in the arts can also do it given the right platform. Which of my professional colleagues in the business world would have thought four years ago that I would be having the filmmaking career I have now. It’s about keeping your eyes open. You never know where you will get a story or actor. 
Rashaad, what do you look for when casting? I look for truth. And that goes from the second that they enter the room. It’s how they present themselves, before they even read anything. Are they putting on a show or are they being a human being? It’s okay to be nervous, because it shows truthfulness. Sometimes actors feel that they have to blow you out of the room and you never got to the real them. I like actors that are grounded. Familiarity with the material is a major plus. It’s okay to look down at the paper– as long as they keep the pace alive. As soon as they start and stop and apologize and have to start again, it’s awkward for the two of us. 
Reinaldo, how was going to the Cannes Film Festival with your short film, Stone Cars? It’s the cream of the crop. They do take care of the filmmakers there. It is a spectacle. It’s everything you can imagine a film festival can be. They care about the film and the filmmakers. They care about your future. It’s about the film and the actual work that goes into it. It’s amazing. It’s inspiring for someone who goes there. I am over the moon that I was selected. I try to analyze, was it luck or did I deserve it? I have to enjoy and believe that I deserved to be there and they made me feel that way. I was one of 16 films from a total of 1,600 films submitted. 
Rashaad, what are your $0.10 worth of wisdom in regard to the importance of community and networking for someone’s career in our industry? It’s who you know. That’s how this business works. Your work speaks for itself. People like helping people that they like and that is very important in this industry. I would be remiss, when it comes to my brother. It was my father who instilled that philosophy with us growing up. He always said that you only have one brother. He had only one brother. We would bicker as children and he would always say, “You only have one brother.” We lost our father last year. He was a single father. We’re very blessed to carry his legacy as we continue in our careers. 
Reinaldo, why a production company with your brother? My brother is the whole reason I have entered this field. I have read all of his scripts and every iteration. I knew him when he was acting. When I see others with their own business or family-owned business and then I thought, “Why can’t I?” Moreover, if I had to open this business, why not with my brother and what would it be? And that’s where the idea arose, “Why don’t we make films together?” I was around while he was making his feature-length film, Gun Hill Road, and it was a grueling experience. I then thought, “Why can’t I make his experience better by supporting him through the process– and to make our own films and content? How can we join forces– two are always better than one? The happiest day in my brother’s life was the day I got into film school. However, there are risks and we are brothers and I don’t ever want this business relationship to put that brotherhood at risk. But we’re grounded. We are a team and whatever we produce, we put time and effort into it– rendering quality that is well thought out.

For more information about Green Brothers Films, click here.
To see more photos from this event, click here.