2013 HOLA Award Honorees: Vanessa Verduga

Vanessa Verduga (HOLA Excellence in Multimedia Award) is a multitalented actress, writer and producer is a Los Angeles-born, Bronx-raised performer— who legitimately includes “singer” and “lawyer” on her resume for those daring to keep score— is making her mark instead as “Justice Woman,” the lead character in the popular webseries she created and launched in 2012, and for which she won an Outstanding Lead Actress award at the 2013 Los Angeles Web Festival, and the HOLA Excellence in Multimedia Award. Currently in post-production for seasons 2 and 3, the show has earned positive reviews by NBC Latino and its first three 10-minute episodes have garnered over 1 million views on its dedicated YouTube channel.

Written and produced by Verduga, “Justice Woman” was inspired in part by her passion for Batman and Robin, Wonder Woman and other superheroes growing up. The series, which Vanessa envisions going five six-episode seasons, follows the story of Sofía Escala, a.k.a. Justice Woman, a spunky Assistant D.A. by day, defender of truth and justice by night. With the help of her office-mate and sidekick Robert (a.k.a. Roberta) Gallion, she fights to right the wrongs committed against the innocent and powerless by a corrupt legal system – and naturally winds up in some tight spots along the way.

A smart, funny, fast-paced series with a touch of risqué business and perhaps the first Latina superhero and gay sidekick duo ever, “Justice Woman” tackles serious issues, but with large doses of campy humor. Some have likened it to “Law & Order” meets “Will & Grace” via Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and “Sex and the City.” Expanding her creative outreach further, Vanessa has written a Justice Woman prequel comic book entitled Justice Woman Begins, which she plans to debut at the New York Comic-Con in 2013.

In addition, she is currently producing and starring in H.O.M.E., a feature film by award-winning director Daniel Maldonado comprised of two character-driven stories, loosely tied in theme to the concept of urban alienation.  She is also heading into pre-production this fall for a comedy feature film she wrote entitled The Implications of Cohabitation. Having just gained pundit status on PolicyMic, she is also an active blogger who writes about current events and the reasoning behind her many artistic endeavors.

A graduate of both the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) and Seton Hall University of Law, she returned to acting during law school when she joined the theater student group there. With a knack for developing strong yet vulnerable characters, she has appeared in numerous theater productions and films since graduating from AADA. She got into filmmaking as a result of acting and writing. Co-writing the award-winning short film Danny First, based on the story of her relationship with her brother Tony, who is autistic, further impressed upon her the power of film to move and inspire a much wider audience.

For more information about Vanessa Verduga, click here or here. 
For more information about the 2013 HOLA Awards, click here.