MI GENTE! EVENT RECAP

equity in entertainment

COMMITTEE

TURQUOISE WASHINGTON

I was scrolling through Tik Tok one evening and came across a small child, who is presumed to be Latine, cosplaying as Namor, at a convention. The crowd roared with applause as he shouted the Talokan war cry. It was a touching moment of representation, as the character Namor is portrayed by Mexican actor, Tenoch Huerta. This form of representation was one of the topics brought up in the CSA: ¡Mi Gente!: Our Future and History in the Industry Townhall put on by CSA board members, and led by Candido Cornejo. I had the unique opportunity to work behind the scenes and see this event come together.

The event, which has been recorded, lasted around 2hrs, opening with a wonderfully pieced together video introduction, followed by a live discussion with a panel of industry professionals, and ending in Q&A from the audience. There were many topics of conversation but three stood out to me. One being the harmful portrayals of Latine people in film/tv and how it affects society. Luis Valdez spoke how early on the industry was taken over and dominated by “the white male gaze” and so Latine characters were made to be “othered” by portraying gangsters, villains, whores, etc. When these roles are the only representation of a brown person in communities that are not diverse, it could be harmful. Another interesting topic was the Latine community not being a monolith. There have been many instances where a certain ethnicity plays a different ethnicity, only because they both fall under the Latine diaspora. Carla Hool gives the example of a Puerto Rican person, with a Puerto Rican accent, portraying a Mexican person with a Mexican accent.

Top row L to R: Carla Hool, Erika Sabel Flores,GretaTaliaFuentes,andLuisValdez. MiddleLtoR:ModeratorsCandidoCornejo JrandDanielaGanoza. Bottom row L to R: Victor Vazquez, Natalie Moran, Jeirmarie Osorio, IvanDePaz,and JoleneRodriguez.

Finally, a big topic of discussion was “does the community come together as one unified voice?” IN THE HEIGHTS was a project highlighted that received a lot of backlash within the community for issues with colorism. Jolene Rodriguez made sure to point out, “studios are watching. ” She pointed out the importance of supporting each other or projects won’t get picked up by higher executives. Victor Vazquez added the controversy behind the casting of IN THE HEIGHTS could be solved by making sure these projects “are being led and imagined by Latine people. ” So not only diversifying actors, but the execs, writers, casting directors, etc.

Overall, this was a great conversation to watch, listen and learn from. These conversations are happening in a time our industry is seriously considering change and wanting to back it up with action. I highly recommend watching the recording to further educate on issues affecting the Latine community in the entertainment industry.

Editor ' s Note

CAITLIN D. JONES

Editor-in-Chief VP OF COMMUNICATIONS

If you needed help getting into the holiday spirit - you're in luck, we have almost ten pages of cocktail recipes that should do the trick! Make sure you say "cheers" to Casting Society's 40th Year and many more to come.

Reflecting back on 40 years, it's so fitting to have Nancy Klopper on the cover. As a member of the union steering committee, Nancy helped many of our members working in film and TV unionize with the Teamsters, by far one of the biggest accomplishments casting professionals have seen to date.

Looking forward, our Equity in Entertainment Committee has done sensational work with ¡Mi Gente! a panel discussion about the Latine experience in the industry.

Casting Society Cares had holiday opportunities for service to make sure no matter their situation, children will have gifts to open this holiday season.

We wish you all a safe, happy and restful holiday season as you look back on 2022 and look forward to 2023.

And if you can, think about submitting an article to The Zine in 2023!!

Cheers and Happy Casting!

DESTINY LILLY

PRESIDENT OF CASTING SOCIETY

ELIZABETH BERRA

Copy Editor SECRETARY OF CASTING SOCIETY

KATRINA WANDEL GEORGE

Contributor MEMBERSHIP COORDINATOR

JESSICA DANIELS

Contributor CASTING SOCIETY BOARD MEMBER

JESSICA PELLETIER

Contributor ABC SIGNATURE CASTING INTERN

TURQUOISE WASHINGTON

Contributor CSC T&E ALUMN & CASTING ASSST.

LAURA ADLER

CASTING SOCIETY ADMINISTRATOR