Monday, June 30, 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.

WELCOME NEW AND RETURNING MEMBERS – MAY AND JUNE 2014

Below is a list of new (and returning) HOLA members who joined between May 1, 2014 and June 30, 2014. (Note that "returning members" refer to those members who have returned to HOLA after having their memberships expire for some time and do not  include renewing members.)

Top row, left to right: Ámbar, Roberto D Jesús; second row, left to right: Darcya Del Castillo, Diego Donoso; third row, left to right: Greidys Gil, Christian Gnecco Quintero; fourth row, left to right: Alan González, Alexandra Manzano; fifth row, left to right: Ariann Murad, Sejal Shah; sixth row, left to right: Enrique Suárez-Olmos, Carlos Torres; bottom row, left to right: María Del Mar Velázquez, Reina Viruet.








Thank You For Taking The Next Step With HOLA (And For Helping HOLA Take The Next Step)

The Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors (HOLA) would like to thank all the people who donated to its The Next Step Spring 2014 fundraising campaign. While that campaign is over, it is never too late to make a tax-deductible contribution to HOLA. The Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization.

Call 
HOLA at (212) 253-1015 or (888) 624-HOLA (4652), or click HERE to make your tax-deductible donation today.

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.

Tony Rodríguez, shown at right, was featured in the Argentine magazines and newspapers Pronto, Clarín and Exitoína, respectively, where they highlight his plans to take the life of the late Argentine performer-director-model-businessman Ricardo Fort and dramatize it for the stage. To be called My Way, the show will star Rodríguez as the popular flamboyant media personality, who died in November 2013 at the age of 45. The show is scheduled to be presented in New York at the end of 2014. To read the articles (which are in Spanish), click here, here and here.

Liza Colón-Zayas, shown at left, is starring in the Stephen Adly Guirgis play Between Riverside and Crazy. Directed by Austin Pendleton, the play will be presented in July and August at the Atlantic Theater Company, located in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood. The play also stars Víctor Almanzar, Elizabeth Canavan, Rosal Colón, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Michael Rispoli and Ray Anthony Thomas. For more information, click here.

Johanna Tolentino's webseries "Whatever It Takes" (in which she stars, produced and wrote) was selected as a finalist for the 2014 Mini Indie Fest. The project was screened at the end of June at the festival which took place at MIST (My Image STudios) in Harlem.

Raquel Almazán's play Dar a luz will be presented as part of the New Theatre's Miami One-Acts Festival. To be directed by Jair Bula, the play will be presented in July at the South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center in Cutler Bay, Florida. For more information, click here.

Anthony Ruiz and Ed Trucco directed the music video "To Do List (Intro)" from hip hop artist Marco Ruiz-Camacho. To see the video, click on the screen below. (Caution: Slight adult language.) For more information, click here.



Víctor Cruz's film La operación (which he wrote and directed) won four MFSP Awards from the My Final Shot Production Film Series, including Best Actress and Best Editing. The film, which is in Spanish with English subtitles, and which starred Margarita Tavarez, Mauricio Bustamante and Melody Rose Vendrell can be seen by clicking on the video below.

Victor Cruz's LA OPERACION from Victor Cruz Entertainment LLC on Vimeo.

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?

Friday, June 27, 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.

Elaine Del Valle, shown at right, was declared one of the "People You Should Know" in Zack Calhoun's blog Visible Soul. In the accompanying interview, she talks of her many artistic endeavors, including the webseries she produces, directs, writes and stars in, "Reason Y (I'm Single)"; and her self-penned solo show, Brownsville Bred (directed by Pamela Moller Kareman). The latter is enjoying a summer residency at the Nuyorican Poets' Café, located in Manhattan's Loísaida neighborhood. To read the blog, click here.

J.W. Cortés and Tony Plana guest-starred in episodes of "Taxi Brooklyn" (NBC).

Natalia Ivana Escobar, shown at left, booked an industrial educational video after the casting directors saw her profile on the HOLA Online Directory of Talent and called her in to audition.

Rénoly Santiago booked a starring role in the feature film Stuck. Written and directed by Michael Berry, the film also stars Amy Madigan and Ashanti.

Kiki Meléndez's film Journey of a Female Comic, will have a second weeklong run at AMC movie theaters in New York starting Friday, June 27, 2014. Written by Lyn McCullough and Meléndez and directed by Erick M. Crespo and Meléndez, the "documentary comedy" stars Meléndez and features appearances by Edward James Olmos, Esaí MoralesNadine Velázquez, Lupe Ontiveros, María Conchita Alonso, Johnny Ray Rodríguez, Jacob Vargas, Guy Ecker and Susan Rybin. 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?