Dominican actor Manny Perez, perhaps best known for his films 'Washington Heights,' 'El Cantante,' 'Bella' and the hit action film ‘La Soga,’ is now doing his directorial debut with the sequel - 'La Soga Salvation'. We discuss what it takes to write, direct and produce his own movie, what the future of Dominican cinema looks like, and his opinion on the film ‘In The Heights’.

In our first episode, we welcome actress Justina Machado. You know her from the Emmy Award-winning comedy reboot of “One Day at a Time” from legendary producer Norman Lear and several other tv shows and films. Our conversation covered several interesting subjects such as Latino representation in the animation industry, why Hispanic animated films succeed and real-life Latino content doesn’t, and why she stopped using the term Hispanic to describe herself.

Gloria Calderon Kellett's 'With Love' is the best Latinx television I have seen. It combines all the American TV characteristics we grew up with, but with a US Latino family at the center. Think of ‘When Harry Met Sally,’ ‘Love Actually,’ 'The Holiday,' but with Latinos. It's all the shows that make us cozy up to a warm fire, a snug blanket, and hot chocolate. Gloria shares the details of how she got into the business, and how legendary producer Norman Lear believed in her.

This week I welcome Colombian photographer Josefina Santos who as of late has been photographing some of the biggest names in music, tv, and film, such as Olivia Rodrigo, MJ Rodriguez from ‘Pose’ and indie director Jim Jarmusch to name a few, plus has photographed covers for The New Yorker, The New York Times, Teen Vogue and more. Josefina and I discuss what she did to make media mainstream’s elite notice her, how Instagram is a blessing and a curse and we tackle the creative’s debate - should a creative work free for career-changing opportunities OR take the opportunity for no pay.

On a new episode of Highly Relevant, I talk to director/producer Lissette Feliciano about her new indie film 'Women Is Losers'. The film which premiered at 2021's SXSW Festival, has gotten good reviews for it's female empowerment story and her use of multicultural characters. She tells me how lies about Latinos in the media has become the driving force behind the mantra of her production company, Look at the Moon Pictures. She also lets me in on how she raised funds for her own film, and how young producers can do the same for themselves.

In this rebroadcast of our interview with director Robert Rodriguez from February 27, 2019, we discuss his new film at that time 'Alita: Battle Angel,' how one of the main goals of his TV network 'El Rey' was to find and hire more Latino filmmakers, and if it is the responsibility of a Latino directors to create Latino stars.

Adriana Barraza is one of five Latinas to have ever been nominated for an Academy Award in acting. She is now starring in the new Blumhouse horror film 'Bingo Hell' on Amazon Prime Video, perfectly timed for Halloween. In this new interview, Adriana and I discuss being the first Latina actress in her 60s to lead a film. It was also directed and co-written by a Latina filmmaker Gigi Saul Guerrero. We discuss her 50 year acting career, ageism in Hollywood, how someone once told her to never speak Spanish, and why she doesn’t mind the label of Latinx.

Actress/producer Aubrey Plaza has become a cult indie film queen since her big break as April Ludgate on NBC’s “Parks And Recreation”. Since then she’s done popular films such as Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, and the Child’s Play reboot. She’s now coming off of a dramedy with Michael Caine called Best Sellers, is currently working with Jason Statham on the action thriller “Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre”, and is gearing up for HULU’s comedy Olga Dies Dreaming. In this interview from November 26, 2020, Aubrey and I discussed her recent comedic psychological thriller Black Bear, her interest in producing Latinx content, and why breaking Latina stereotypes is a priority for her.

Known for being one of the biggest comedians in Mexico, Derbez made a splash in the indie film scene with his bilingual movie ‘Instructions Not Included,’ which became the highest-grossing Spanish-language film and the fourth highest-grossing foreign film of all time in the United States. He followed that up with ‘How to Be a Latin Lover,’ ‘Overboard,’ ‘Dora and the Lost City of Gold,’ ‘Coda,’ and now Acapulco, his latest TV series with Apple TV+ October 8th. In this interview from April 27, 2018, Eugenio and I discussed his new movie at the time - "Overboard" - but what we really talked about was some of the struggles he was having “fitting in” to Hollywood’s exclusive club. We talked about accents, transitioning to starring in English-language movies, how he overcame the sellout stigma from Mexican peers, and why he believes Hollywood is afraid of creating Latino movie stars.

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month! I am kicking off a retrospective series for Hispanic Heritage Month where I revisit with you my favorite interviews of the last five years. We start it off with the star of In The Heights and Transformers 7, actor/singer Anthony Ramos. In this interview I did with him October 5th, 2018, Ramos is coming off of a co-starring role in Broadway’s HAMILTON with Lin-Manuel Miranda, and the Oscar-winning film A STAR IS BORN (no pun intended) with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. You can hear him reflective, grateful, and open to whatever the universe has in store for him. It’s an interesting interview with a star in the making.

My guest this week is Camila Legaspi, the Chief Content Officer of Latina Media Ventures, the company which owns Latina Magazine. She joins me this week for an in-depth discussion on the relaunch of Latina.com. We discuss why the brand took a hiatus, why it decided to return, and what role will it play for this new generation of Latinas.

In this episode, director Rodrigo Reyes discusses his new film '499,' a documentary about how Spanish colonialism has traumatized the people of Mexico today. He and I will talk about how he got his movie funded and what inspired him to make this film. And I also talk to Stanford Professor Tomas Jimenez about the latest Census numbers and what they really mean to Latinos.

Dominican-born Emilio Sosa, the new Chair of the American Theatre Wing, is the first Latino to chair the prestigious organization. He is a Tony-nominated costume designer whose Broadway career includes, ON YOUR FEET!, MOTOWN: The Musical, and his Tony nomination for Gershwin’s PORGY AND BESS. We discuss his humble beginnings as a young Dominican living in the South Bronx, how his ambitions and dreams led him to work with the likes of Spike Lee, Celine Dion, and Wynton Marsalis, and what his vision for America’s stages will look like in the next four years. Will it become more multicultural under his tenure?

I talk to Uruguayan filmmaker Maximiliano Contenti whose new horror film THE LAST MATINEE is in theaters right now. We discuss the 90’s inspiration behind the film as well as tackle colorism in Uruguayan and Argentine cinema. How does it relate to American cinema today? Plus, how do his generations’ filmmakers feel about the Hollywood industry today? Do they aspire to it OR are they rebelling against it?

It's no secret Asian talent and creators are in high demand in Hollywood right now. Teresa Hsiao, creator and showrunner of 'Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens,' realizes how much interest there is for her and her friends right now. Latinos are starting to see glimmers, but for us, it's not the same. We're struggling in Hollywood, the numbers back it up. So what advice does Teresa have for us? Listen in and hear what she has to tell me.

In this week's episode, I invite a few friends to recommend what they've enjoyed reading, watching, or listening to as of late. Maybe it'll help you choose your next mental escape. Gonzalo Peña - InnoLatino Podcast Agustina Gamero Roman Rojas - Tremenda Vaina Podcast Juan Doe - http://www.juandoe.com

In this episode, we discuss Camilo's new 'Kesi Remix' with Canadian pop star Shawn Mendes who sings in Spanish for the very first time. Entertainment reporter Lucas Villa from wearemitu.com joins me to find out how Latino Mr. Mendes wants to be since he's also dating Cuban megastar, Camila Cabello. I also recommend 3 quality films you might have known about for your viewing pleasure this weekend.

Joining me today are the podcast hosts of Pero Let Me Tell Yo, DJ and Ish, two Cuban-Americans based in Miami who give their perspective of the protests in Cuba and what it all means for the future of Cuba and Cuban-Americans in Miami.

Newsletters have become a very popular way of consuming news. The first newsletter I ever read was Brian Stelter's from CNN. The first Latinx newsletter I remember subscribing to was Elisabeth Rosario's 'The Latinx Collective' which I interviewed her about it almost 3 years ago. Back in March, the news website Axios partnered with Telemundo to create Axios Latino. Co-editor Mariana Franco joins me today to discuss how the newsletter is going, why non-Latinos are subscribing, and she shares some reasons why she believes Spanish-speaking newspapers aren't booming.

Christian Herrera and producer 2Deep, co-founders of LA's Gasolina Records, join me today to discuss American Reggaeton, a new musical movement by US-born Latino reggaeton artists who want to break into the Latin-American market. How did they build their record label, why are American Latino reggaetoneros being iced out by the fans and industry? How will Gasolina Records change that? Listen in and find out.

In this week’s episode, Cuban-American writer-director Carlos V. Gutierrez discusses his first feature-length film - LOCKED IN. We discuss what it took him to get his first Hollywood movie made, if directors and writers are responsible for improving the image of Latino-created characters on film, and what we have to do to convince studio executives that Latino stories are worth watching.

My guest today is actor Juan Pablo Raba who co-stars in Liam Neeson’s border thriller The Marksman out on streaming now. He plays Mauricio, a Mexican cartel soldier out to retrieve his missing prize. We tackle Hollywood’s fixation with border stories and why Juan Pablo believes border stories need to continue to be told. We also debate The Marksman’s “white savior” narrative and why he believes the movie is really a “brown savior” film. Then I review J Balvin's 'Boy From Medellin' documentary. Highly Relevant Playlist Nagano - CLUBZ y Ela Minus Commitment - Luna Luna Neon - Patterns

Los Rivera Destino are a young Puerto Rican band who are driving a new wave of modern boleros in Latin music. They’ve already collaborated with the likes of Bad Bunny and Pedro Capó. We discuss why they believe boleros are having a renaissance, the story behind how they collaborated with Bad Bunny, and whether they are pro or nay for Statehood in Puerto Rico.

My guest this week is actor/singer Christian Chavez, former member of the musical phenomenon RBD. Christian has a new Telemundo super-series out now called “LA SUERTE DE LOLI” where he plays Matías, a clever and openly gay assistant who is having problems in his marriage. We discuss identity, language, fame, depression and if there is a RBD super-series reunion in the works.

This week my guests are Cuban Poet Richard Blanco and Puerto Rican band Buscabulla. Richard Blanco was the first Latino, immigrant and openly gay poet to be chosen to read at a Presidential inauguration. He recited 'One Today' at Barack Obama's 2013 Inauguration. We spoke on the role poetry should play in our country right now. Puerto Rican duo 'Buscabulla,' founded by Raquel Berrios and Luis Alfredo Del Valle, have a recent album called 'Regresa' which includes 11 tracks. This is my favorite album of 2020, English or Spanish. We talked how they’ve handled not having a live-audience to perform to, why they won’t sing in English, how their track 'La Fiebre' is really about Bad Bunny, and how Reggaeton is being influenced by indie music.