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 Facebook, Twitter 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.

WELCOME NEW AND RETURNING MEMBERS – MARCH AND APRIL 2015

Below is a list of new (and returning) HOLA members who joined between March 1, 2015 and April 30, 2015. (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): Monte Bezell, Eileen Faxas; (second row, left to right): Jorge Luis Figueroa, Jolinor Jáquez; (third row): Sofía Jiménez; (fourth row, left to right): Paul Montoya, Jacqueline Pereda; (last row, left to right): Mirla Pereira, Milteri Tucker.

 

Tío Louie Reporta: VIAJE with Paz Fábrega

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 director Paz Fábrega, director-screenwriter of the film Viaje, which made a huge impression on the recent Tribeca Film Festival in New York.

Director-screenwriter Paz Fábrega
 with Louis Perego Moreno
(Tío Louie).

One of this year’s coups at the Tribeca Film Festival, Viaje, was a Spanish-language world premiere by Paz Fábrega, director and screenwriter of the feature film. Hailing from Costa Rica, she sets a chance rendezvous by two souls at a costume party and off they go for a romantic weekend to Rincón de la Vieja National Park, a volcano forest in Costa Rica with no one around for miles. Scintillating to say the least.... But let this be an inspiration to actors– the director rejected Kattia González, the lead female in Viaje, for an earlier film, yet remembered her for this project where her star soars– not only as actress but also as co-producer. Never, ever walk away with a broken heart from an audition. You may have impressed the director who will call you back for another film more appropriate. Told in black and white, this is a film that transports you to lushness and an exploration of human relationships no matter now transient with lifelong effects.

•     Is your feature film an exploration of a “hook-up” by virtue of the relationship between the two main characters and is judgment rendered? 
I think it is. Even though society is a lot more permissive in many ways now, a hook-up is not seen as romantic. It’s okay, but it’s not great– it’s not something you should do and you should feel bad about engaging in it. I wanted to portray a hook-up that physically lasts for a short time. Frankly, it’s a story that only takes place over the course of a few days. But it doesn’t mean it’s not real and that these two people aren’t fully engaged, kind and generous to one another. It’s not about things lasting forever or getting very serious. It’s about being a good person.

Viaje co-stars Kattia González
and Fernando Bolaños.

•     •     How was casting and how was it in particular dealing with the lead actress, Kattia González, who was also your co-producer? 
She had auditioned for my previous film, Agua fría de mar (Cold Water of the Sea). I really liked her, but I felt that she was not really right for the role. But she stayed in my mind and felt that I might want to work with her later. Fernando Bolaños, who played the main male character, I knew him from kindergarten– I've known him my whole life. When we were 15 we were in a theater group together. We’re just very good friends. I had not seen him for 15 years and he got in touch because he saw my previous film, Agua fría de mar, and these two were really up for whatever I wanted to do. They said, “We’re in your hands”. They liked that previous film and they like what I do. They felt that whatever I decided to do they were going to be happy and proud of it. They were incredibly generous in that sense– they were open. They didn’t know what the story was about. They didn’t know what they were going to have to do, at all, but they were up for it.

Director-screenwriter Paz Fábrega.

•      Every film production has its ups and downs. How was it shooting in the forest with all the conceivable 
variables you must have had to wrestle with ranging from weather to animals to audio? 
The hardest part about shooting in the Costa Rican national park were the insects. We had issues with mosquitoes– primarily with bugs that bite. But apart from that, shooting was a lot of fun and easy. We camped out in the woods for nine days. We were really far away from anything and we had to bring everything including food that would last for nine days. There were basically seven of us– actors plus crew. We slept in one big tent together. Maybe it was slightly uncomfortable at times, but I actually believe that it was interesting and it was good to be together under those variables and the focus became the film. We really bonded and were comfortable with each other and really close and I loved that. Shooting was great fun.

González and Bolaños.

•      •      In this film, Viaje, you worked primarily with two actors. What is your advice to directors on how to optimize their actors’ portrayals for the screen? 
My style of working is maybe a bit unusual and perhaps may not be appropriate for others. It takes a lot of personal involvement with the actors. I almost always end up becoming really good friends with my actors. I need to be really close to them by developing an intimate relationship to understand certain things about them, how they operate and how their emotions function. For me that is the most interesting aspect of directing. It allows me to do a study on people and frankly, I find this fascinating. We talk a lot and I spend a lot of time with them. Rehearsals are not about repeating scenes– I almost never do that. It’s more about having a cup of coffee, talking about our lives and observing them. It’s good for me to learn what they talk about, what interests them, what moves them– what makes them tick. It’s sort of becoming friends with someone very quickly over a short span of time. It’s about diving into their personal sphere in order to get at the core of the person. It’s a type of work that permits me to go there.

Spanish-language trailer of Viaje.

Spanish-language trailer of Agua fría de mar (Cold Water of the Sea).

Louis E. Perego Moreno (Tío Louie) is President of Skyline Features, he is an interactive content producer and educator who for the past 33 years has owned a bilingual (English- and Spanish-language) multimedia and educational production company developing documentaries, television programming and advertising commercials featuring Latinos, Blacks, Women, Urban Youth and LGBT people. He is also the Executive Producer of PRIME LATINO MEDIA, the largest network of Latino multimedia-makers and actors in the metropolitan New York area that gather once a month to interview proven leaders in the community.

"Jane The Virgin" Star Jaime Camil Explains Hollywood's Latino Problem With The Perfect Analogy

“Hollywood, they make up these Latinos because they have a certain physical type or a certain name or whatever… It’s not that easy. It’s like me wanting to do a movie with an American actor and I say, ‘Hey listen, I have either Johnny Depp or Carrot Top.’ You’ll go, ‘Dude are you f***ing insane? Are you really putting those guys in the same category?’ And my answer would be, ‘Well, yes, they’re both Americans and they both do films.’ That’s kind of a way to explain. There are different categories of Latinos.” –"Jane The Virgin" star JAIME CAMIL, as told to Latina magazine

To read more about what Jaime Camil says about Hollywood's Latino problem, read Carolina Moreno's blog in Huffington Post, by clicking here. (Above, left to right: Johnny Depp, Carrot Top).

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.

Sebastian Stimman, shown at right, wrote and will be starring in the short film Red, to be directed by Pierre Taisne and Paul Bomba, and produced by B10 Productions. The film is currently filming in New York City. For more information on the psychological thriller, including a video in English, Spanish and German (with French subtitles), starring Stimman, click here.

The Rocío Lladó feature film La amante del libertador (which stars HOLA members Luis Galli, Ana María Estrada and Nathalie Tolentino) will have a screening on Friday, May 15, 2015 at the New School University Auditorium, located in Manhattan's West Village.

Jason Torres, shown at left, filmed a promo for the second season of the Flama webseries "The Bodega".

Carlos Molina is acting in the James Bosley play Epic Poetry. Directed by Gregory Wolfe,  the UP Theater Company production is running in April and May at The Hebrew Tabernacle located in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. For more information about the production, click 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?

Latinos Are Our Own Worst Enemy: Why Shows Like "Cristela" Matter

Jonathan Marcantoni.

There is a heavy burden placed on minority-run shows, and the burden does not come from White America but rather from the communities being depicted. Sometimes the concerns voiced have merit, especially on shows that degrade a certain community for no redeemable reason.... However, whenever minority artists draw from their own lives and tell stories that may not be flattering, suddenly they are the enemies. I beg to differ, the enemies are those in the community who wish to whitewash our culture in order to fit in, otherwise known as “assimilationists.” The assimilationists are the people who embrace their culture only when it is convenient, but who otherwise embrace all things white, and is mortified whenever someone from their group does something that they find embarrassing (i.e., something a white person would disapprove of). –novelist and publisher JONATHAN MARCANTONI

Check out Jonathan Marcantoni's blog in Latino Rebels, where he talks of Cristela Alonzo's eponymous ABC sitcom and why diversity (even within marginalized groups) matter by clicking here.

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.

Kiki Meléndez, shown at right, was profiled in an article of Latin Trends magazine, where her receiving the Dominican Film Festival of New York Achievement Award was highlighted. To read the article, click here.

Marlene Forté acted in a national AT&T commercial.

Gilbert Cruz can be seen in another webisode of the satire webseries "Ayayay Witness News" (MiTú), where he can be seen (at about 01:45 of the clip) as a Cuban-American complaining about the polar vortex gripping South Florida. The webisode can be seen below. [Caution: Some strong language.]

The feature film Medardo (directed by Nitsy Grau Crespo and written by and starring Julio Ortega), was highlighted in Héctor Luis Rivera's column "Minuto Nuyorkino" in the ArteNY blog. The film, which also starred Edna Lee Figueroa (see below), Edison Carrera, Inma Heredia and Juan Villarreal. To read the column, which is in Spanish, click here. For more information on the film, click here. [Above, clockwise from top left: Ortega, Carrera, Heredia, Villarreal.]

Edna Lee Figueroa (see above) was also featured in Héctor Luis Rivera's column "Minuto Nuyorkino" in the ArteNY blog, due to the recent solo show Láyel (written by Joselo Arroyo and directed by Karina Casiano and Figueroa), which was recently presented in New York's Teatro Círculo (located in Manhattan's East Village). In addition, A.B. Lugo was featured in the same column for his self-penned solo show Manchild Machismo (directed by Omar Pérez), which is taking place in April and May in the Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre, located in the theater district of midtown Manhattan. To read the column, which is in Spanish, click here. [Above, clockwise from top left: Figueroa, Rivera, Lugo, Pérez.] 

Eduardo Ramos guest-starred as a bartender in an episode of "Inside Amy Schumer" in the skit titled "Plain Jane". He can be seen below playing a bartender at about 01:15 of the clip (which also stars Dennis Quaid). [Caution: Slightly strong language.]

Get More: Comedy Central,Funny Videos,Funny TV Shows

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?

Chita Rivera Picks Up Her Tenth Tony Nomination

The 2015 Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theater, better known as the Tony Awards, nominees were announced Tuesday, April 28, 2015 at the Diamond Horseshoe at the Paramount Hotel in the Broadway theater district of midtown Manhattan. The Tony Awards are presented by the Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing and are given for excellence in Broadway theater. The announcements were hosted by Tony-winning actress Mary-Louise Parker and Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning film star Bruce Willis.

Among the nominees is the ageless icon Chita Rivera, who picked up her tenth Tony nomination for Best Actress in a Musical for the John Kander-Fred Ebb-Terrence McNally tuner The Visit (based on the Friedrich Dürrenmatt play of the same name), which picked up five nominations in total. Rivera has two Tonys, for The Rink and for Kiss of the Spider Woman. She is truly theater royalty, a grande dame of Broadway (she had her Broadway debut in 1953). For more information on this living legend and force of nature, click here.

The George Gershwin-Ira Gershwin-Craig Lucas musical An American in Paris and the Lisa Kron-Jeanine Tesori musical Fun Home (the latter based on the Alison Bechdel graphic novel of the same name and co-starring HOLA member Joel Pérez) tied for the most Tony nominations this year, with 12 each. The Hilary Mantel and Mike Poulton play Wolf Hall Parts One & Two received the most nominations for a play with eight, while the classic Richard Rodgers-Oscar Hammerstein II musical The King and I (based on the novel Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon) received the most nominations of any revival, with nine nominations.

The Tony Awards ceremony will be broadcast live on CBS from Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, June 7, 2015. The masters of ceremonies will be Kristen Chenoweth and Alan Cumming. For more information, click here.

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.

Aamira Martínez, shown at right, recently completed Root of All Good Productions' short film BFF (written and directed by Jean-Paul Isaacs, winner of the 2014 Team Oscars competition). She will next be appearing in May in Lone Star Theatre Company's Big Tex 23-Hour Play Festival, scheduled to take place at The Kraine Theater, located in Manhattan's East Village. For more information on the production, click here.

Mauricio Pita and Francisco Fuertes star in the Francisco Lupini Basagoiti short film Tú. Yo. Baño. Sexo. Ahora. The film is an official selection of the 2015 Short Film Corner at the world famous Cannes Film Festival (scheduled to take place in May in Cannes, France). The film was highlighted in an article in Venezuelan newspaper El Nacional. For more information, click here.

A.B. Lugo, shown above, at left and see below, was featured in the ArteNY blog, where his solo show Manchild Machismo, directed by Omar Pérez (shown above, at right; also see below), is scheduled for a run in April and May at The ONE Festival, being held this year at the Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre, located in the theater district of midtown Manhattan. (HOLA member Víctor Cruz, see below, is also mentioned in the blog.) To read the blog, click here.

Also mentioned in the ArteNY blog is The ONE Festival, where, in addition to A.B. Lugo and Omar Pérez (see above), HOLA members Víctor Cruz (shown above, at left; also see above) and Rhina Valentín (shown above, at right) are mentioned– the former for directing (with Enlightment) the Rick Herrera monologue The Naked Truth, and the latter for co-writing (with Andrés Chulisi Rodríguez) Freestyle Friday (directed by Rodríguez). To read the blog, click here.

Ángel Gil Orrios and Thalía Hispanic Theatre is presenting Flamenco amalgama. An evening of flamenco music and dance with Danza España, in collaboration with Omayra Amaya, the production will run in April and May at Thalía's eponymous theater located in the Sunnyside area of Queens. 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?