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.

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.

Omar Pérez and Caridad de la Luz (La Bruja), shown above, left to right, were featured in El Blog de Pablo (written by Pablo García Gámez) on account of their performing in the musical The Red Rose/La rosa roja. Presented as a concert version on the occasion of the production's tenth anniversary, the show is written by Rosalba Rolón and Desmar Guevara, directed by Rolón, and stars legendary Puerto Rican singer Danny Rivera. The concert will take place in June at Pregones' namesake theater located in the Mott Haven section of the South Bronx. For more information, click here. To read the blog, click here.

Anthony Ruiz is acting in the feature film Custody (written and directed by James Lapine), which stars Viola Davis, Ellen Burstyn, Hayden Pannettiere, Olga Merediz, Dan Fogler, Tony Shalhoub, Selenis Leyva and Catalina Sandino Moreno.

Eduardo Ramos (also known by his nom de musique Nueves), shown at right, is performing as a guest artist at a concert by Emanuel Levy, J. Keys and VFerg. The concert will take place on Saturday, May 30, 2015 at The Cutting Room, located in Manhattan's Rose Hill neighborhood. For more information, click here.

Lucio Fernández and MeLu Films/The Grace Theatre Workshop produced the documentary Bahía de Cochinos: Nuestra Perspectiva. Directed by Ricardo Bacallao, the documentary will have its world premiere screening in May at the William V. Musto Cultural Center/Union City Museum, located in the West Hoboken area of Union City, New Jersey. For more information, click here.

Gloria Zelaya is directing one of the five plays of the twelfth annual Raymond J. Flores Short Play Series. Presented by Around the Block/Al Doblar La Esquina, the plays are written by Lenore Granidizio, Bryan Harnetiaux, Mercilee Jenkins, Bara Swain, and Allan Yashin, respectively. The production will take place in June at the New York Public Library Grand Central Branch, located in Manhattan's Murray Hill neighborhood. The series of short plays boasts the talent of Athena Alexis, Idalmis García, and Patrick Michael Valley in the cast. 

Greta Quispe and Patricia Olvera, shown above, from left to right, are starring in the upcoming supernatural/action-adventure/fantasy television series "Necromancer" (written and directed by María Palacio). Quispe and Olvera were cast after reading about the casting notice in the announcements HOLA sends to its members and self-submitting. For more information, click here. A trailer for the series can be seen below.

Necromancer Official Trailer #1 from Jon Navarro 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?

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.

El Ministerio de Cultura of the Dominican Republic and the Comisionado Dominicano de Cultura en EEUU (CoDoCul) is presenting the fifth annual Festival de Teatro Hispano Del Comisionado, which is taking place in May and June at the Comisionado's newly renovated theater space in Manhattan's Washington Heights neighborhood. The festival is dedicated to noted Dominican actress Ana Hilda García. HOLA members abound all throughout the festival and they are listed below. For more information, click here.

• Divas de España. Produced by Heredia Productions. Written and performed by Inma Heredia, shown at left. Directed by Adolfo Vázquez.

• Delirio furioso. Produced by La Caja de los Prejuicios/The Prejudice Box. Written by Caridad del Valle. Directed by del Valle and Paul Montoya. Starring del Valle, Claudio Weisz, et al.

• Lo que hubiera amado tanto. Produced by 88 Performing Arts. Written by Alejandro Licona. Directed by Ernesto De Villa Bejjani. Starring Bianka Gómez, et al.

• Ya viene Abuela. Produced by Teatro Coronado. Written by Dinorah Coronado. Directed by Raúl Rivera (see below).

• San Salvador después del eclipse. Produced by United Productions Co. Written by Carlos Velis. Directed by Ricardo J. Salazar. Starring Natalia Ivana Escobar, Jorge Luis Figueroa, Aileene Pérez, Franco Yáñez, shown clockwise, at right.

• Te lo coloco, cobro y me voy (o, El daño que hacen los celos). Produced by Teatro Experimental Comunitario. Written by George Carlo. Adapted by Elías Balladares. Directed by Cecill Villar. Starring Edison Carrera, Raúl Rivera (see above and below), et al.

• Ya viene Abuela. Produced by Teatro Coronado. Written by Dinorah Coronado. Directed by Raúl Rivera (see above).

• Pánico moral. Produced by Teatro Dramos. Written and directed by Domingo Ramos. Starring Lissette Montolío, Ely Beri, Raúl Torres, Yvette Quintero, Fermín Suárez, et al.

• Los Lagartos. Produced by Trinitaria Siglo 21. Written by Ana Burgos. Directed by Yolanny Rodríguez (see below). 

• El invierno de Abril. Produced by Tabula Rasa NYC. Written by Ricardo Sarmiento Gaffurri. Directed by Ramiro Antonio Sandoval. Starring Jorge Luis Berríos, Carla Blasi, Soraya Padrao, Asier Kintana, Ángela Pérez, et al.

• El rey de Francia. Produced by Corezon Productions. Written by Fermín Reina. Directed by Pablo Andrade and Dimas González. Starring Andrade, et al.

• Las vueltas que da la vida. Produced by Teatro Las Tablas. Written by Dinorah Coronado and Yolanny Rodríguez (see above). Directed by Antonio Méndez. Starring Rodríguez, et al.

• Non tutti i ladri vengono per nuocere (No hay ladrón que por bien no venga). Produced by E3Outlaws Productions. Written by Dario Fo and Franca Rame. Directed by Enmanuel García Villavicencio. Starring Sebastian Stimman, Ramón Hierro, Maritza Vives, et al.

• La Boda. Produced by Teatro Columna. Written by Virgilio Piñera. Directed by Leyma López. Starring Sandor Juan, et al. 

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?

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.

Rénoly Santiago was featured in the May 2015 issue of Latin Trends magazine. He was featured with other Latino celebrities where they discussed what would be on their musical playlists this summer. To see his choices, click on the photo at right.

The Francisco Lupini Basagoiti short film Tú. Yo. Baño. Sexo. Ahora. (starring Francisco Fuertes and Mauricio Pita) continues its journey on the film festival circuit, with a stop in June at the Palm Springs International ShortFest, located in Palm Springs, California. For more information, click here.

Marco Antonio Rodríguez, shown at left, was recently awarded a writing residency at the Banff Literary Translation Centre in Banff, Alberta, Canada. The residency is scheduled to take place in June and July. For more information, click here.

Christian Gnecco Quintero acted in the short film Under The Wings of Angels (written and directed by Rodolfo Maxil), which is currently hitting the film festival circuit.

Héctor Luis Rivera, shown at left in the photo at right with Kevin Pérez, was featured in the Entreactos y Telones section of the weekly New York newspaper La Voz Hispana (note: the caption is in Spanish). He was featured for his role in the play Simón del desierto, an adaptation of the 1965 Luis Buñuel film by the same name and the Alfred, Lord Tennyson poem "St. Simeon Stylites" (based on the Syrian saint of the same name). Adapted and directed by Emir Cruz, the production also starred Raúl Rivera, and took place in May at the Broadway Blackbox Theater (located in Manhattan's Washington Heights neighborhood).

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?

Zoë Saldaña Questions Why White Actors Have Played Characters Of Color For Decades

Bravo!!! Inspired by Michael [B. Jordan]'s essay. Thank you for speaking up. If we question why Michael has been cast to play the Human Torch in Fantastic Four, then we must also question why Elizabeth Taylor played Cleopatra, why Angelina Jolie played Mariane Pearl in A Mighty Heart, why Laurence Olivier played Othello, Burt Lancaster in Apache, and the list goes on... and on... and on... Let's not throw rocks when we all live in glass houses. –Zoë Saldaña

Check out Carolina Moreno's blog in The Huffington Post where she highlights Zoë Saldaña's recent online post congratulating Michael B. Jordan and his essay in Entertainment Weekly about being the first African American actor to play the comic book character The Human Torch (originally written as a blond, blue-eyed Caucasian) in the upcoming film Fantastic Four by clicking here.

Getting to the Root of Univision's Acquisition of The Root

Check out Rochelle Newman-Carrasco's article in Advertising Age which highlights four reasons why marketers should care about Univision Communications' recent acquisition of The Root (the leading online news, opinion and culture destination for African Americans), by clicking here.

Jimmy Smits Joins Cast of Netflix-Baz Luhrmann Series "The Get Down"

Jimmy Smits, shown at right, has been cast in the role of Francisco Cruz (aka "Papa Fuerte") in the upcoming Netflix series "The Get Down" (created by filmmaker Baz Luhrmann). The series, which takes place in the 1970s South Bronx during the birth of hip hop, was recently criticized for a lack of Latino representation in the main cast (African Americans and Latinos were both present for the creation of hip hop). 

Luhrman commented on the casting by saying, "The Puerto Rican culture of the ’70’s Bronx plays such a large role in the story we are telling that the character of Papa Fuerte had to be played by an actor who could bring experience, gravitas and authenticity to the role. I know our entire cast is excited to have someone of Jimmy’s talent joining us on the journey we are undertaking. We are thrilled to have him on 'The Get Down'."

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.

Olga Merediz, shown at right, is filming the feature film Custody (written and directed by James Lapine), where she stars opposite Viola Davis, Ellen Burstyn, Hayden Pannettiere, Dan Fogler, Tony Shalhoub, Selenis Leyva and Catalina Sandino Moreno.

Natalia Ivana Escobar will be acting in John Ladd's A Difference in Taste. The play is directed by Eric Leeb and will be presented in July as part of the ActSense: Ladies First festival at The Bridge Theater at Shetler Studios, located in the theater district of midtown Manhattan. 

José Roldán, Jr., shown at left, is currently in pre-production for the feature film Father Forgive Me For I Have Sinned, based on his HOLA Award-winning self-penned solo show of the same name. He wrote the screenplay, will star in the film (with a full cast) and co-direct it. For more information, click here or here.

Teatro SEA presented a sneak preview of their upcoming production of Sueño at the Loísaida Festival, which took place in May on Avenue C in the Loísaida (Lower East Side) of Manhattan. A trilingual (English-Spanish-Portuguese) musical retelling of William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream (complete with puppetry), it is adapted by Norge Espinosa (with English translations by Alan González and Portuguese translations by Adalberto Müller), and feature original music by Manuel Calzada and Alejandro Zuleta. The production boasts direction by Manuel Morán, assistant direction by José A. Esquea, hair and makeup by Jeannie Sol, choreography by Daniel Fetecua, and scenic and puppet design by José López. The sneak preview featured the talents of Roberto D Jesús, González, Morán, and Milteri Tucker, among others, and will be presented outdoors in June at the La Plaza space of the Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural and Educational Center (home to HOLA) in Manhattan's Loísaida neighborhood. For more information on 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?

Univision Announces Acquisition of The Root

On Monday May 18, 2015, Univision Communications Inc., the leading media company serving Hispanic Americans, announced that it has acquired The Root, the leading online news, opinion and culture destination for African Americans.

“This bold new partnership between Univision and The Root underscores the ties that have long bound people of color together throughout the Western Hemisphere, and is a sign of even greater levels of communication, collaboration and exchange between these culturally vital groups of people,” said Henry Louis Gates, Jr., director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University and chairman of The Root, who co-founded The Root along with Donald Graham, CEO and chairman of Graham Holdings Co., in January 2008.

The Root is the No. 1 news, opinion and analysis website for African-American influencers and reaches an average of 5 million unique users per month, according to ComScore.

For more information about the acquisition, read Yesha Callahan's blog in The Root by clicking here.