This is the official blog of the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors (HOLA). www.hellohola.org
HOLA has been funded, in part, through the New York State Council on the Arts, The City of New York Department of Cultural Affairs, Friends of HOLA and the dues-paying members of HOLA.
Bochinche refers to “gossip”. In this sense, we use it to mentionHOLAmembers 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.
2016HOLAAwards recipient A.B. Lugo and Emilio Delgado, shown above, from left to right, have co-starring roles in the television series "West of the City". Created and executive produced by Arian Blanco, its proof of concept video was shipped to Amazon for consideration. To see the proof of concept video (and to rate it), click here.
Paola Tonini, shown at right, is a new talent acquisition of Telemundo. One of her first projects with the network will be a Halloween special for the television series "Acceso Total Nueva York". Dubbed "Acceso Al Terror" for the day, the episode will air on Monday morning, October 31, 2016 on Telemundo New York.
2016 HOLA Awards recipient Alfonso Rey will perform the Marcos Purroy solo show #Popular (directed by Rey) on Friday, November 11, 2016 at the ArtSpoken Performing Arts Center in Miami, Florida, as part of the Sexto Festival de Teatro de Pequeño Formato.
The award-winning feature film Millie and the Lords is set to premiere on HBO Latino on Friday, November 4, 2016. Written and directed by Jennica Carmona, the film stars Jessica Carmona; Cedric Leiba, Jr.; Alfredo Romeo Suárez; Gabriel Castillo; Carolina Ravassa; Alfredo Huereca; Alex Castillo; 2016 HOLA honoree Modesto Lacén; Plinio Villablanca; and Mateo Gómez. For more information, click here.
Suni Reyes, shown at left, will be one of the guest performers in Fake Church. An improvisational show conceived by and starring Geoff Grimwood, it will take place on Thursday, October 27, 2016 at The Gallery at (le) Poisson Rouge, located in Manhattan's NoHo neighborhood. For more information, click here. Éric-Dominique Pérezstarred in the short film Crusade in Wonderland: Rise of the Drumpf (directed by Alejandro Marín). The short film will be released on Thursday evening, October 27, 2016. 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?
Bochinche refers to “gossip”. In this sense, we use it to mentionHOLAmembers 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.
2016 HOLA Awards recipient Marisol Carrere, shown at right, co-produced, wrote and co-starred in the short film I Am Julia. The film, co-produced by Gloria Zelaya, directed by David Capurso, and co-starring Zahaira Curiel, will be screened on Thursday, November 17, 2016 at The New School University (located in Manhattan's West Village) as part of an evening highlighting Latino filmmakers. She will also speak with fellow filmmakers on a panel (moderated by Luis Galli) at the screening. For more information, click here. 2016 HOLA Awards recipient Héctor Luis Rivera is directing Azul Caribe. A trio of short plays from writers from the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Cuba, respectively, they are Azul imposible (by Iván García Guerra), Romance en el bohío (by Myrna Lluch), and Estudio en blanco y negro (by Virgilio Piñera). The cast includes 2016 HOLA Awards recipient Agar García, Lissette Montolío, and Rivera, and will be presented by TEBA at the En Un Acto Theater and Film Festival, taking place in November at the Broadway Blackbox Theater in Manhattan's Washington Heights neighborhood.
Yvette Quintero, shown at left, will be performing the Tomás Urtusástegui solo show La bruta bruja Bruna. Directed by J. Edgar Mozoub, the Group of the Arts production will be presented at the En Un Acto Theater and Film Festival, taking place in November at the Broadway Blackbox Theater in Manhattan's Washington Heights neighborhood. 2016HOLAAwards recipient A.B. Lugo was featured in the music video "Rok Wit It" by La Roka. Directed by Melissa Ulto, the video can be seen below.
BW TREATED Version from Melissa Ulto 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?
Bochinche refers to “gossip”. In this sense, we use it to mentionHOLAmembers 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.
2016HOLAAwards recipient A.B. Lugo, shown at left in the photo at right, holding his award, won a Best Supporting Actor Award at the 9th Annual NoHu International Short Film Festival for his role in the short film ¡Ay, Que Susto! Written by Mo Zapata (shown, center, in the photo) and Lugo, and directed by Zapata, the film (shot by Anthony Ruiz, also see below,and also co-starring Natalia Ivana Escobar) won six awards in total, including Best Visual Effects (Clayton P. Allis for Media Horde; shown, right, in the photo), Best Supporting Actress (Yecenia Cotto), Best Actor (Andrés Chulisi Rodríguez), Best Director (Zapata) and Best Picture. The awards ceremony took place on Saturday, October 22, 2016 at the Union City Museum/William V. Musto Cultural Center in the West Hoboken area of Union City, New Jersey. Anthony Ruiz (also see above) stars in the film short Hasta Mañana. Written and directed by Pedro Bermúdez, the film also stars Susanna Guzmán. The film is an official selection of the International Puerto Rican Heritage Film Festival (IPRHFF) and will screen on Saturday, November 12, 2016 at the Center for Puerto Rican Studies (Centro) at Hunter College in Manhattan's El Barrio neighborhood. For more information, click here. Eduardo Leáñez, Samuel Garnica, and Inma Heredia will be performing at the latest incarnation of Actors With Accents performance series. The event will take place on Thursday, October 27, 2015 at Teatro SEA, at The Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural and Educational Center (home to HOLA) located in Manhattan's Loísaida neighborhood. For more information, click here or here. Lucio Fernández is singing with the group Máxima Alerta on their new song "Que viva USA/Let's Rock USA". The music video for the bilingual (Spanish/English) song, directed by Brandon Medina, can be seen below (Fernández solos on the first verse, the one in English).
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?
A last attempt to reach an agreement between SAG-AFTRA and video game employers this past week was not successful. Management remains unwilling to agree to fair terms that would bring the interactive contract into the 21st century. Therefore, as of 12:01 am Pacific Time on Friday, October 21, 2016, SAG-AFTRA is on strike against the following video game employers with regard to all games that went into production after Febuary 17, 2015– Activision Publishing, Inc.; Blindlight, LLC; Corps of Discovery Films; Disney Character Voices, Inc.; Electronic Arts Productions, Inc.; Formosa Interactive, LLC; Insomniac Games, Inc.; Interactive Associates, Inc.; Take 2 Interactive Software; VoiceWorks Productions, Inc.; WB Games, Inc. For more information, click here.
Manuel Herrera once again conducted his renowned Spanish-Language Voiceover Workshop. For six (6) sessions, which took place at the HOLA office on Tuesdays and Thursdays between October 4 and October 20, 2016, he taught eager HOLA members diction in Spanish, interpretation and audition techniques in order to make it in the burgeoning Spanish language voiceover market. His classes are usually done for small groups of students, so that attention can be paid to each student. The workshop is one of the only (if not the only) one of its caliber in the U.S.
Some of the feedback from the students are below. • Extremely satisfied. Classes are affordable, the professor's vast experience makes the workshop invaluable. • Very professional. I enjoyed every class and I learned many things. • I learned how the voiceover business works. • The professor is great. He is a huge fountain of knowledge, he is patient, nice, a true gentleman, very dedicated to his students. • Manuel Herrera is [an] excellent workshop leader, he is very clear in his concepts and honest in his advice based on his 30 years of experience as an actor/voiceover artist. • This workshop is very helpful for Spanish[-speaking] voice actors who want to be successful in this career. • The professor makes it seem easy; he is an incredible motivator. I recommend it 100%. • Extremely satisfied. One of the best workshops I've ever taken.
Bochinche refers to “gossip”. In this sense, we use it to mentionHOLAmembers 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. Edwin Pagán, shown at right, wrote an essay that was republished on the Latino Rebels blog (it was originally published in The Pagan Image blog). To read the blog, a love letter to Pagán's native South Bronx and talks of the threat of gentrification to the neighborhoods of the South Bronx (including the proposed rebranding of the area as "The Piano District"), as well as his youth as a photographer, click here (caution: slight strong language).
Due to popular demand, the TEBA production of Elena Garro's Un hogar sólido is having a command performance. The play, which is directed by 2016 HOLA Awards recipient Héctor Luis Rivera (also see below), stars 2016HOLAAwards recipient A.B. Lugo(also see below), Kathy Tejada, Rivera, and others, and will have its performance on Saturday, November 5, 2016 at the Fort George Presbyterian Church, located in Manhattan's Washington Heights neighborhood. [Above left: Lugo; above right, left to right: Rivera, Tejada.]
Elizardi Castro, Samuel Garnica, 2016HOLAAwards recipient A.B. Lugo(also see above and below), Mike Oquendo, and Yvette Quintero were highlighted in an Héctor Luis Sin Censura blog (edited by 2016 HOLA Awards recipient Héctor Luis Rivera, also see above and below), as a result of productions in which they participated being finalists for the 2016 HOLA Performer's Choice Awards. The 2016 HOLA Performer's Choice Awards were decided by online voting and the winners (in the categories of Outstanding Production and Outstanding Solo Production, respectively) will be announced on the evening of the 2016 HOLA Awards, taking place on Wednesday, November 2, 2016 at the Flamboyán Theater in The Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural and Educational Center, located in Manhattan's Loísaida neighborhood. To read the blog, which is in Spanish, click here. To see a list of the finalists, click here. [Above, clockwise from top left: Castro, Garnica, Oquendo, Quintero.]
Also mentioned in an Héctor Luis Sin Censura blog (edited by 2016 HOLA Awards recipient Héctor Luis Rivera, also see above) were Manolo García Oliva, Enmanuel García Villavicencio, 2016HOLAAwards recipient A.B. Lugo(also see above), Lissette Montolío, and Carlos Navedo, as a result of varying current and/or upcoming projects. García Villavicencio just wrapped up his latest annual edition of the Lorca Al Desnudo/eARTh Theatre Fest, which this year took place in October at 777 Theatre's Stage II, located in the theater district of midtown Manhattan. Lugo will have an upcoming collection of poetry published in 2017 by La Casita Grande Editores. García Oliva, Navedo and Montolío will be participating in TEBA's upcoming En Un Acto Theater and Film Festival, taking place in November at the Broadway Blackbox Theater in Manhattan's Washington Heights neighborhood. To read the blog, which is in Spanish, click here. [Above, clockwise from top left: García Oliva, García Villavicencio, Montolío, Navedo.] 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?
Bochinche refers to “gossip”. In this sense, we use it to mentionHOLAmembers 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. Iliana Guibert, shown at right, is starring in the film Twice Upon A Time. Written by Guibert (who also executive produced) and directed by Paul Borghese, the short film, inspired by true events, is hitting the film festival circuit and winning awards along the way. Its most recent accolades including three awards at the L.A. Shorts Awards in Los Angeles, California. The film earned Best Short Film, Best Screenplay (Guibert) and Best Director (Borghese) honors.
Vladimir Ríos, shown at left, collaborated with photographer Lester Blum on two photo series: Warrior of Hope and I Still Remember, respectively. Both are photographic narratives taken by Blum featuring Ríos (who also served as artistic director) as the main or lead character. Both photo series have been published as photo books and are hitting the art gallery circuit. The next stop will be a joint presentation of both photo series at The Loft: LGBT Community Center in White Plains, New York opening on Thursday, December 1, 2015 in commemoration of World AIDS Day. Kathy Tejada and Soledad López will be reprising López's HOLA Award-winning role in the solo show We Women Do It Better Than Men/Nosotras las mujeres lo hacemos mejor que los hombres. Written by Roberto Ramos Perea and directed by Ángel Gil Orrios, the solo show will feature Ms. Tejada performing it in English and Ms. López performing it in Spanish. The production is a joint effort of Thalía Hispanic Theatre and Teatro Círculo (in association with Teatro SEA) and will be presented in November as part of the Borimix Festival (presented by Teatro SEA) at Teatro Círculo's eponymous space located in Manhattan's East Village. For more information, click here.
Marcos Sotomayor, shown at right, was highlighted in Broadway World as a result of his co-starring role in August Strindberg's play Abu Casem's Slippers. Produced by the August Strindberg Repertory Theatre and directed by Janet Bentley, the play will be presented in alternating rep with two short Strindberg plays (Pariah and The Stronger), both directed by Robert Greer. The production will run in November and December at the Gene Frankel Theatre, located in Manhattan's NoHo neighborhood. To read the article, click here. 2016HOLAAwards recipient A.B. Lugo will have a collection of poetry published in 2017. Titled Spanish Coffee/Black, No Sugar, it will be published by La Casita Grande (an imprint of Black Rose Writing). For more information, click here. In addition, he co-wrote and co-stars in the short film ¡Ay, Que Susto! Co-written and directed by Mo Zapata, the horror-comedy was co-produced and shot by Anthony Ruiz (also see below)and co-stars Andrés Chulisi Rodríguez, Jessie Cotto, Félix Hiciano and Natalia Ivana Escobar and is hitting the film festival circuit. Its next stop will be at the Macabre Faire Film Fest, scheduled for January 2017 in Ronkonkoma, New York. For more information, click here.
Anthony Ruiz (also see above) acted in a skit with Stephen Colbert for "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" (CBS). To see the skit, which was the cold open for the show, click on the video below.
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?
Paola Tonini, shown at right, is a new talent acquisition of Telemundo. One of her first projects with the network will be a Halloween special for the television series "Acceso Total Nueva York". Dubbed "Acceso Al Terror" for the day, the episode will air on Monday morning, October 31, 2016 on Telemundo New York.
Suni Reyes, shown at left, will be one of the guest performers in Fake Church. An improvisational show conceived by and starring Geoff Grimwood, it will take place on Thursday, October 27, 2016 at The Gallery at (le) Poisson Rouge, located in Manhattan's NoHo neighborhood. For more information, click here.
