All About HOLA (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, fill out the member application form here.

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.

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 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?

HOLA member 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!

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 NEW 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, social media pages (Facebook and Twitter), and via their weekly newsletter 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; .pdf) via e-mail.

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.

J.W. Cortés (a 2012 HOLA Award honoree) was cast as Freddie Hernández in a workshop of Eliza, a musical "re-visioning" of Shaw's Pygmalion. Directed by Charles Randolph-Wright and produced by Suzanne De Passe and Madison Jones, the workshop will star Wayne Brady and Krystal Joy Brown and take place in January. For more information, read the Broadway World article, by clicking here.

Abraham Makany will be acting in the Thomas Bradshaw play Job (directed by Benjamin Kamine), which is extending its run at The Flea Theater in the Tribeca section of Manhattan through the end of January due to popular demand. For more information, click here.

Mahammatt Baba acted in two Brooklyn College student films from directors Edgar Méndez and Ebony Sommerville, respectively.

The new SAG-AFTRA webseries "¡Madre mía!" premiered on Friday, December 21, 2012. Written and directed by Francisco Lupini Basagoiti and produced by Francisco Fuertes, the webseries stars Soledad López and 2012 HOLA Award recipient Alfredo Huereca. For more information on the project, click here, here, here or here. To see the "Preface" episode (also known as Episode 0, or Episode Zero), entitled "La éxtasis de Concha"/"Concha's Ecstasy", click on the video below. (The webseries is in Spanish with English subtitles and with some slight strong language.)



Edwin Pagán co-produced and was the cinematographer of the webseries "Poker Night". Click on the video below is the final episode ("Last Hand") of the first season (written by Daniel Warren and directed by Michael Valinsky). (There is some slight strong language.)



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 are not an HOLA member, why not join? If you are not a Friend of HOLA, why not become one? 

Report: 2012 HOLAfestival

The 2012 HOLAfestival of staged play readings took place from Tuesday through Thursday, December 18-20, 2012 at Teatro LATEA, located in the Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural and Educational Center (home to HOLA) in New York. The HOLAfestival showcases the work of HOLA member-playwrights. This year, the scribes were Florencia Lozano (girl in window), Alfonso Ramírez (Toxic Saints) and Alberto Bonilla (María), and the readings were directed by Lozano, Allison Astor-Vargas and Shana Solomon, respectively.

The HOLAfestival gave the HOLA member-playwrights the opportunity to have their work heard and aid in its future development. HOLA members who participated in the readings included Tony Chiroldes, Gilbert Cruz, Miriam Cruz, Soledad del Río, Audrey Esparza, Marcelino Feliciano, A.B. Lugo and Raoul Daniel Luna. Additional actors included Valentine Aprile, Lawrence Ballard, Dalia Davi, Megan Greener, Cari McHugh, Blake Merriman, Bobby Moreno, Briana Packen, Justin Reinsilber and Laura Spaeth.


HOLA would like to thank Teatro LATEA, the Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural and Educational Center, Anthony Ruiz, Jeannie Sol, HOLA volunteers (Blanca Córdova, Mónica Delgado, Alex Celeste Muñiz, Yane Suco), Gloria Zelaya, and all the participants and attendees for their parts in the success of the 2012 HOLAfestival.

[Photos by Alphabeta Photography. To see more photos of the 2012 HOLAfestival, including behind the scenes shots, click here.]

Report: HOLAtalks event with David Zayas

Guest Blogger: María Nieto

I was thrilled to be in the audience at the recent HOLAtalks event featuring actor David Zayas as he was deftly interviewed by documentary filmmaker Louis Perego Moreno, more affectionately known as “Tío Louie.” I left the HOLAtalks event not only impressed with David Zayas as a determined, intelligent and talented actor but, more so, as a deeply passionate man who truly cares about and– carries with him– the Latino community. His career trajectory from the Bronx to the Air Force to the New York police force to the set of Showtime's “Dexter” is not only fascinating, it’s truly inspirational. David credits his deep roots in the Latino community and his father’s work ethic for some of the ingredients vital to the success he’s enjoyed throughout his career.

It’s been a rare success that he has also included being cast in roles that were originally written as Caucasian but which were rewritten to reflect his particular brand of unique Latino identity. This rarity is made all the more startling given that he was once told to give up on acting as he would never make it as an actor.  But, make it he has. And how. As one of the few Latinos to be prominently featured on television, David’s very presence is leading the way for the legion of Latino actors who await their own shot at success. It is a responsibility that he is cognizant of and which he readily embraces. As a staunch supporter of HOLA and its work, he is not just talking the talk– he is walking the walk and directly contributing to the empowerment of his fellow Latino actor.

Throughout the interview, David shared his personal story as both a person and as an actor of film, television and theater. As one of the longtime members of the LAByrinth Theater Company, he has opened the door for greater Latino representation on the stage. However, it is his high-profile television roles, including those of Enrique Morales on HBO's “OZ” and Ángel Batista on “Dexter”, that most powerfully point to the contributions that he has made to the entertainment landscape. David shared that he was granted great input into the formation of Batista, his character on "Dexter" and has used his insights into the Latino culture to help shape it into a role that is not only memorable but is also culturally authentic. This type of artistic integrity is one that characterizes David, who has turned down roles in high-profile films, because the characters were not ones he would wish to be seen as 15 years later. These are not easy choices but are easily seen as the right choices, and they speak for the depth of character of David Zayas, a man for whom identity and integrity come first.

[Photos from the HOLAtalks event by Anthony Ruiz/ARuiz Photography. To see more photos, click here.]

María Nieto is a Colombian-American writer and multi-platform producer (film-web-television-theater-live event) who is passionate about creating opportunities for Latino entertainment. For more information, click here.

2012 HOLA Awards Highlights

Check out this video (directed by Ricardo Bacallao) showing some of the highlights of the 2012 HOLA Awards gala, held this past October 8, 2012 at the Battery Gardens in Battery Park, located at the southernmost tip of Manhattan in New York City.

For more information, click here or here.