Prepare to be whisked into the heart of Latina culture as we sit down with the powerhouses behind Latina Fest, Bel Hernandez Castillo and Naibe Renozo. In a tapestry of vibrant discussions, they share the secrets behind their festival's success—from its humble beginnings to becoming a beacon of inclusivity and empowerment in downtown Los Angeles. Discover how they're celebrating everything from tantalizing cuisines to the latest fashion, and how they're amplifying the voices of Afro-Latina and other underrepresented groups within the vast Latina community. Their stories of tenacity and triumph are not just inspiring; they're a call to action for Latinas everywhere to shine.
As if that wasn't electrifying enough, our conversation ventures into the realm of Latina influence on consumerism and entrepreneurship. We peel back the layers of how Latina Fest not only revels in culture but also serves as a pivotal platform for direct consumer engagement, especially in the beauty industry. Witness the incredible growth narrative of the festival, its battles for corporate recognition, and the eventual breakthrough with major brands now lining up to support this cultural powerhouse. Each anecdote from our guests is a testament to their endurance and vision, setting the stage for a future where Latina entrepreneurs are no longer the unsung heroes of the economy.
But wait, there's more! We're not just bystanders in the ongoing narrative of Latina Fest; we're proud to announce our participation in the upcoming media panel, coinciding with a very special birthday celebration. So, mark your calendars and don't let FOMO get the better of you—join us for an experience that promises to be as enriching as it is festive. With all the details available on latinafest.com, there's no excuse not to be part of the movement that's rewriting the script for Latina representation in media, business, and beyond.
Prepare to be whisked into the heart of Latina culture as we sit down with the powerhouses behind Latina Fest, Bel Hernandez Castillo and Naibe Renozo. In a tapestry of vibrant discussions, they share the secrets behind their festival's success—from its humble beginnings to becoming a beacon of inclusivity and empowerment in downtown Los Angeles. Discover how they're celebrating everything from tantalizing cuisines to the latest fashion, and how they're amplifying the voices of Afro-Latina and other underrepresented groups within the vast Latina community. Their stories of tenacity and triumph are not just inspiring; they're a call to action for Latinas everywhere to shine.
As if that wasn't electrifying enough, our conversation ventures into the realm of Latina influence on consumerism and entrepreneurship. We peel back the layers of how Latina Fest not only revels in culture but also serves as a pivotal platform for direct consumer engagement, especially in the beauty industry. Witness the incredible growth narrative of the festival, its battles for corporate recognition, and the eventual breakthrough with major brands now lining up to support this cultural powerhouse. Each anecdote from our guests is a testament to their endurance and vision, setting the stage for a future where Latina entrepreneurs are no longer the unsung heroes of the economy.
But wait, there's more! We're not just bystanders in the ongoing narrative of Latina Fest; we're proud to announce our participation in the upcoming media panel, coinciding with a very special birthday celebration. So, mark your calendars and don't let FOMO get the better of you—join us for an experience that promises to be as enriching as it is festive. With all the details available on latinafest.com, there's no excuse not to be part of the movement that's rewriting the script for Latina representation in media, business, and beyond.
You are tuning in to the Todo Latina show from Pro Audio LA Studios. I am Jovidy and I'm co-hosting with me today none other than Cosmo Latina, a long member of Todo Guafi Familia.
Speaker 1:Como estas Bien aqui feliz de estar de regreso after not being on air personality for a long time, doing a lot of behind the scenes but getting ready for Revolución 2024.
Speaker 2:So we want to thank our one of our greatest sponsors, Global Processing System, the official merchant of 2024 Revolución Festival. Now that you mentioned it, Our guests are Latina Fest Founders Bel Hernandez Castillo and Naive Renozo.
Speaker 3:Welcome, ladies welcome, thank you, gracias, and I want to start giving you a flower.
Speaker 2:So I'm going to start with Naive, if I'm pronouncing it correctly, naive, naive, naive. Multi Emmy award winning journalist, speaker and author and anchor reporter of LA County. Channel Producer and Emmy nominated show host. In 2018, she founded Contodo Pres, a publishing company that creates books to amplify the voices of underrepresented communities, and her first children's book highlights 11 women who excel in medicine, science, sports, the arts, journalism and politics.
Speaker 1:Take it over and along with Naive we have Bel Hernandez Castillo. She is the founder CEO of Latin Media, a multimedia company that concentrates on so many things in the entertainment industry. She was dubbed in the 90s as the godmother or madrina of Latino Hollywood by Movie Maker Magazine for helping expand Latino filmmakers presence. She was awarded for her journalism from the National Council of La Raza back when it was still there. Now it's called Unid Os for her 20 year plus contributions to the entertainment community. She is currently serving as the chair of the Farm Worker Justice Advisory Council and in 2021 she began working on the credentialing committee of the Hollywood Forum Press, aka Golden Globes in the House.
Speaker 2:Excellent bienvenidas. So we always going to start the show by. You know how it all became, how it all started an origin story. So my first question will be what is Latina Fest and what is its purpose, and what would you add that people still don't know about it today?
Speaker 3:Well, latina Fest is a festival, an outdoor festival that celebrates all things Latina. It happens in downtown Los Angeles at a beautiful venue where multi-generational Latinas can go and enjoy food, our food, our music, our fashion right, our cultural products. We have an author's corner, we have a cocktail garden, we have a DJ, we have a dance class, we have inspirational panels, so tenemos un poco de todo para todas, and everyone's invited. It's kind of like a one-stop shop of a Latina wonderland.
Speaker 4:Yes, it's like walking into Latina land. You know Disneyland. This is Latina land Because everything that we do speaks to who we are and there is the only outdoor festival where we are basically catering to Latinas who are up early, mobile, who are bilingual, by cultural and multi-generational, and they really enjoy seeing themselves and their culture reflected back, whether, like Naive said, whether it's in the products that are selling the speakers that are there, the people that they meet, and that's what it is. We wanted a place where it wasn't sectioned, you know, like just for business women, it wasn't, just for mommies, it wasn't. We said we are familia. That's the way Latinos are. We're all about familia and this is for all the familia. So, you see the babies, you see the grandmas, you see the tias, you see everybody there, everybody. It's a cafe. It's a cafe.
Speaker 3:I know, right, and I wanted to add that sometimes the Latina experience is that we feel excluded in so many different categories, right. So we wanted to make sure, at Latina Fest, nobody felt excluded. It's not just a festival for influencers or just for media or just for entrepreneurs, because we are tired of feeling excluded. We want everyone to feel like they're welcome, including la abuelita la visa, abuelita la comadre. Every age is welcome and there's something there for everybody.
Speaker 1:That's fabulous like from a diversity perspective, that is amazing. Yeah, I also know, having grown up in LA, not being Mexican how a lot of things can be called Latino or Latina, something or other, and yet you get there and it's still like super Mexican, which I appreciate, having grown up here. What do you say to those that say, okay, yeah, it's going to be Latina, but like, maybe it's like still like super Mexican, like what other communities are represented, or how are you intentional about having that pan Latina experience also represented there?
Speaker 4:Well, you have to understand that Mexicans are 66% of the whole Latino population and we're in LA, this is where it's Mexican, this is where almost 50% of the population. So you know, when we say Latina Fest, we didn't say Mexican Fest, we said Latina Fest. But the people that come are, they're not just Mexican, but a lot of them are, because that's the majority. But we do have within our circle, I mean, the vendors. We have Salvadoran food, we have people that sell things, that bring our artesanias from Guatemala or different places. So it is that this year, what we are adding is the Afro Latina, because of the panels, because you ladies will be there and you know it's it's it, we are Afro Latinas.
Speaker 4:You know, even in Mexico, there's Afro Latinos there or everywhere, and so that that's an element that we do want to highlight. I mean they've been there. I mean one of the actresses that was in Orange is the new black superhero woman, that oh right right, right, yes, and she's a.
Speaker 2:Jorge is her name Lorena Jorge.
Speaker 4:She's Afro Latina and she's been there. She's been, you know she's. She's been highlighted there and so it's not that we haven't included them this year. We're highlighting them in the panels which, by the way, the panels are new. We've not really had panels. What we usually have is we interview someone on stage for the trend talk, but this year we're having panels which you will be part of the media panel. We're also having a sports panel. We're having a wealth panel, like stepping into your wealth panel.
Speaker 2:You really actually answered my question?
Speaker 4:Yeah, and I was about to ask you, and the other panels are the ladies of Lopez, who are the ladies from the show, the NBC TV show Lopez and Lopez. So the showrunner, debbie Wolf, will be there, selena Sleva, who plays the mom, and my and Lopez was George Lopez's daughter who plays the lead, and she will be there as well. And then we have a panel that's called the Latina disruptors and that's who that's who we are.
Speaker 4:We're disrupting the norm, and the norm is that we're not included. Well, we are included, and this panel will be two of the founders of latinas acting up which they started.
Speaker 1:You saw that right. Yeah, no, I was like Lisa's going to be there, diana's going to be there.
Speaker 4:And, again, lisa's Puerto Rican and Diana is Dominican and she's Afro, also both of them for Latina. So you know, so we're we're really excited about, about that representation that we're adding, and I think that this is we've. We've done the festival and everybody loves the festival. Now we're adding, like a lot of you know, like ingredients A lot of so there you go.
Speaker 4:And because, you know, we're very opinionated, we love to talk about who we are, we love to to promote each other and we like to like state this is what I think, and so I think that's going to be grand the panels yeah, and when you decided to make it happen in March, what was that?
Speaker 2:How you guys you know how you guys came came along in putting this idea together, because it's been a while since the festival took you know place and was created. Can you tell us more about that?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so Bell's background and my background are both in media. They're both, you know, journalists, and I've been a host for many years and a reporter for many years, and Bell started a talk show when she invited me, because it's kind of like that, saying if they don't invite us to the table, build your own table right. So, like for the view, for example, which has been so popular for many, many, many years, there weren't any Latinas. Of course, now there's two Latinas yes, I love Anna Navarro, and Sonny Hostin.
Speaker 3:But back then there weren't any Latinas on major talk shows, national talk shows. So Bell, being the pioneer that she is in media, decided to start her own and she gracefully invited me to be part of that panel right Of hosts for the show. The show started evolving. Then we kind of just broke out and it was just Bell and I and we just thought of an idea of like well, first of all we started to interview entrepreneurs and we noticed like they weren't getting a lot of attention from media, they weren't getting a lot of platforms where they could talk about their businesses. Secondly, the show itself needed a little bit more buzz, right. So we kind of thought like what can we do to like, get more sponsors or get more attention, etc. So that's how Latina Fest was born. But I'll let you take it from there.
Speaker 4:We have the show, and it's been done for the six years at La Plaza de Cultura y Artes, which is right across the street from Old Verresty, and they have so many events there. And we were at an event that Naíbe saw and she said they're doing a podcast on stage. And then she said wouldn't it be great if we did the talk show episode there? Again, we're thinking we're going to do this event and we're going to invite women. That's who our main audience is. So that's how it started. And then I remember when we talked to La Plaza and we said, oh, we would like to do this here. And then they asked us well, how many people do you think you're going to expect? And I think they said 300, three or maybe 500.
Speaker 4:And that was 1500 the first year, and then we, the next year was 25. And then the next year was COVID. So we pivoted and we did entrepreneurship like online. We did a virtual.
Speaker 2:I actually took the opportunity to check it out and it was really really nice.
Speaker 1:what, how you guys put it together, you know with this resources that we had at the time but it came out really, really good.
Speaker 2:I think that tends to you know all everybody that was displayed and you know show their business and the interaction was very, very cool.
Speaker 4:And there also was an Afro Latina director, did you see that part?
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, I saw that part.
Speaker 4:Because she did the documentary on.
Speaker 1:Stacy Abrams.
Speaker 4:Yeah, so we, you know everybody got interviewed, you know, because that's what we had. We couldn't be out there, and so it was like to me, like the home shopping network.
Speaker 2:Because it's like what do you?
Speaker 4:do and blah, blah, blah, and they would say and then, yeah, you know, you can buy my stuff, here's my Instagram, or whatever. So it was fun.
Speaker 2:It was very interactive, very, very approachable. I mean, I was watching it it was like why content, why it's diverse, you know elevated, and it was really inspiring. It was very, I was very inspired by that Wonderful.
Speaker 1:After everything you've told us about where the festival or how it started, how it's grown, how you've pivoted, share your vision for Latina Fest over the next five years.
Speaker 2:I mean you started at 1500.
Speaker 3:It's only gonna come up from here. So I personally and Bella and I, you know we're business partners and that is a feat in and of itself to be in a partnership for six years now and survive the partnership this long.
Speaker 2:It's giving me a good feeling.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean you know it's been a lot of growing pains, but I think we are. You know we're on the same page as far as, like, where do we see it? And I wanna see it become the biggest go-to festival for all things Latina. Every year. I would love for it to grow to two days, possibly even three days. Start incorporating a concert into Latina Fest at the end, you know, towards the end, because we are, latina Fest stops at six. But, like, after that it's after hours and let's party right.
Speaker 2:Let's, we love music, let's take it in must. Yeah, they want more.
Speaker 3:So yeah, just like, have it grow. I really like what we have going on now with the panels, with the vendors, with the food, with the authors corner, with yoga, we have paint and sip, we have cocktail garden. So, keeping those elements, but incorporating more days, incorporating, like I said, a band or like music concert, let's bring in, you know, Carol G.
Speaker 2:Hello.
Speaker 4:Let's party for the top. Let's party for the top. I don't know if you I view ladies are familiar with the Essence Festival.
Speaker 2:Yes of course, that's what I see.
Speaker 4:I mean, let's make that which goes along with what Naeba was saying. The concerts you know, and also we have a powerful and a great opportunity for the bigger sponsors to come on board. And I want to tell you guys, come on board now, because right now, you went to the camera, tell her.
Speaker 1:tell her. Tell her, I'm like, so if I stay there, do you want to get in now?
Speaker 4:So if I stay there, If you want to get in now, because we are a consumer, a business to consumer, our attendees are, for the most part, consumers. They're the ones that watch the television shows, they're the ones that buy everything that we have to offer there. There's a lot of places where it's B2B, you know, and it's an industry event, and they talk to industry, and that's great. But we have your consumers, you know, and, ladies, the Latinas are forced to be reckoned with, as I'm sure you know. You know, because if we as a community have a $3.2 trillion buying power, that if we Latinos in the US were a country, we'd be the fifth largest country.
Speaker 2:Who makes the?
Speaker 4:decisions in the Latina familia.
Speaker 2:Mostly those numbers Belle.
Speaker 4:Mostly it's the women. The women and we're 18% of the beauty consumerism that's what they're doing.
Speaker 1:So it's like clothing, makeup, all that, All the products.
Speaker 4:So that's what's really different is like we bring the consumer to you. So we really want to be able to grow and also to further steps to get to essence level. Yes, we want to also grow the festival out into the street.
Speaker 1:Get you know, as you say that honestly, this is all I picture. It's like we take over Inglewood. There's the IMA, sinopolis is right there, and then the YouTube theater is there. So if I see them, is there the form?
Speaker 2:it's all that row.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Come on, Latina. I was like we can't do this. Yeah, I was like we can.
Speaker 3:Yeah, we can, we can, but you know, what frustrates me is that Belle and I are doing this by ourselves. Why aren't we getting corporate sponsorships that believe in our vision? We have been knocking on doors, we have been emailing. It's not like we're just waiting for them to come to us. We have been emailing right. And it's very frustrating because, to me, this is a reflection of what's going on as a nationwide, not just with a festival, but with anything.
Speaker 1:When Latinas want an opportunity. Yeah, like how many TV shows have been canceled?
Speaker 2:Oh, when it comes to created by us, but are we being supported by us too?
Speaker 4:Correct, but I do want to say that Chase, this is what we chase this fourth year, except for Chase.
Speaker 3:They've been our champions for the past three years.
Speaker 4:They have been our champions because they started like this will be their fourth time that they are the title sponsor and they saw something in our festival and they said this is what we want to support, because the heart of the festival are your entrepreneurs that are there vending. They're the ones that come and they invented, like a new you know, tamarindo, whatever and the purses and the clothing and the big earrings and it's all, like, related to our culture.
Speaker 4:So they saw that. They saw that this was a chance to connect with the entrepreneurs and so they came on board and we're really grateful to them. But they're one company. We need more because we can't grow until we have the funding Right.
Speaker 2:But they saw the value on being connected and you guys being that resource to put it together with the community and say this is what's going on.
Speaker 4:And you know what's interesting this year? Right Naebe, the brands reached out to us Nice.
Speaker 2:Like we have Neutrogena.
Speaker 4:See to me, that's smart. That's smart, a brand that's smart and knows the numbers, because you have to be driven. They're not driven by like, oh, they do such a pretty thing, let's do it. No, they're driven by like oh, latinas, we want to reach them because they buy a lot of, like I just said, the beauty products, right? So Neutrogena reached out to us, you know, and several other brands have reached out to us. That's when we know we're really getting traction. But it took six years right. Meanwhile it was, like you know, with tape and cheek glue we're pasting everything together.
Speaker 2:Yeah, bring all the primos and the primas.
Speaker 4:Yes, it was the first one, right? The first event that we had, the very first Latina Fest. We were like all dressed up in our outfits and everything. And then it's over, right? And so we have a picture of La Yves and I, like we had to bring, go on stage and start bringing all of the decorations down.
Speaker 3:In our, in our, in our, and we had this fake little makeup because everyone left. And it's like her and I are the founders, right? If we don't do it, no one else is gonna do it.
Speaker 4:The main has the main has the both of you and so we were there with a big ladder like pushing it up and it's hilarious, but you know it's. We've also had people who have started to come, you know, to, to help, and we do have, like, volunteers that come and, and so it is that community, but again, you know, it's not like their employees. We can't afford the employees yet, but you know a lot of the.
Speaker 4:Latinas come out and they support by by being in the fashion show, by volunteering, by helping us before you know, with little things that we need to do. So we are being supported by some of the Latinas that come and help and by you, because you're, we're here and you're talking about this and that's helping us.
Speaker 2:So is that what inspire you to really kind of like crafted every year, every year, like you know, when you guys sit down and say, okay, I almost said, what are you guys gonna come up with every year? Where is that strive, that energy, you know that motivation too.
Speaker 3:Oh my gosh, I ask myself that every single year. Like do I really wanna do this again? And I cannot say no, I can't. I just feel like there's so much potential there and I don't wanna give up on my community because we are doing this at the end. Like Belle and I, if we charged an hourly rate for the amount of hours that we put in that putting Latina Fest together would have, like we would be getting paid in the six figures if you count the hours.
Speaker 3:And the experience that we have and what our value is right as far as sweat equity. But it's just personally. I've also made so many connections just by like meeting, like the people we've met. It's like, who am I gonna meet next year? Who you know? We've met so many amazing women that we are still friends with that, we go to events with that, we connect with, that, we commiserate with and I don't wanna lose that. It's just beautiful.
Speaker 4:And that happens with everybody that goes there.
Speaker 3:I mean, you'll see.
Speaker 4:You'll see on the resources and that they connect. Like all the vendors. They talk to each other and then they go off and do things on their own or they make events. Once they get together, it happens with everybody there. You can not help but meet somebody and then from there start friendships, whether you're an attendee or whether you're a vendor or a sponsor even sponsors, because that's what the sponsors are there for. They're there to connect with the community and they definitely do that.
Speaker 1:They definitely connect, and does Latina Fest itself do anything to continue those conversations and connections Are there and I know you have a mixer coming up on Monday, or are there other events where also people can come and maybe get involved for Latina Fest next year? Do you keep that up throughout the year?
Speaker 4:We have done events, you know, between and between, and we're doing more now. Like the first year, we did an event called Stepping Into your Badass and it was a panel.
Speaker 2:It was a title.
Speaker 1:Like, find me up the title right.
Speaker 4:And it was a panel of women, business women who had something to offer to everybody else, and so it was a brunch. We all sat around and had mimosas and brunch and then we talked, so we had that. We're doing more events like, for instance, you know, the mixer that we're having. We're doing another event with Chase, which you're all invited to come. It's on the fifth 14th. No, the 13th, it's on March 13th. Go to our Instagram and, you know, get in there and make sure you sign up. This is for business women who need a grant and a lot of us don't know the what to do.
Speaker 4:We, we don't know what to do or what to say or how to put, so this will be a class on how to write a really wonderful, you know, grant proposal which, naive, is very successful. I mean, I've gotten grants, but she's like the queen of, I got a tick-tock grant.
Speaker 3:I'm gonna see a look on tick-tock. I've gotten one from Alibaba, I don't know if you're heard of Alibaba. It's basically the Amazon of yes, yes, so she.
Speaker 4:She'll be on the panel because, she's. She's had success at securing more than just one, and A lot of us Latinas were afraid to try.
Speaker 2:We're like oh, they're not gonna give it to me. You know, I'm just forget it.
Speaker 4:You know I don't have what's this financial stuff, I don't know anything about that. Forget it, but you have to try it and then you know. And so this is what that panel is gonna be like. So we do do things. In between, we're also thinking of doing a wellness retreat. Maybe you know to look, was it our partner that we met at let that she came to let.
Speaker 1:Enough, as Gina, I will sponsor all the oil that will not therapy.
Speaker 3:Is that your business? That is what that is one of well personal wellness.
Speaker 1:See you should. You should have been at Latina.
Speaker 4:Because we have a my head zone and the my head zone is going to be like massages and meditation. And we have reiki and then also the, the coranderas doing like you know.
Speaker 1:Yeah so you know it's it's a variety.
Speaker 4:And, like I said, it's a Latina Disneyland.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and we actually have a fun, fun run, jog, walk. So that's March 16 for us. It was it's so important to incorporate wellness right and One way that we're like how can we get together and like, just you know, do something fun together? So we decided to do this fun run, but it's like fun run, walk, jog like you don't have to.
Speaker 3:So yeah, it's happening. It's free March 16th in a park in downtown Los Angeles. We have a sign-up sheet in our link and bio. You sign up and we will email you all the information.
Speaker 4:Yeah, and, and our whole title is Latina fest mind, body and soul. So we're about that. We're about the mind you know it's the entrepreneurs and learning. We're about the body and on keeping our body and also our soul in the meditation right. That makes a complete Person, without you know addressing all of the different areas that we need to.
Speaker 2:Yes, I have anything going on online me while the festival is going to.
Speaker 3:No, well, we yeah. Well, with who has it? Mm-hmm you want to talk about? Yeah.
Speaker 4:So we partnered with a company called who has it and who has it. What they do is they do swag bags for the Grammys, for any like parties, and they have a group of Women or with or men just businesses that have, you know, new products that they want to promote. So they do gift bags and they're doing something like what we did for entrepreneur fest, but they're gonna be at Latina fest there. So we've selected 15 of our vendors who are gonna be part of this. They're gonna have a booth and they're gonna have three, three cameras and it's gonna be an interview show, and so they're you're gonna sit there and they're gonna interview you and, you know, talk about your journey, like we did an Entrepreneur fest. However, the key here is that they're gonna have a, they're gonna live, sell, so it's gonna go out to like QVC.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's like you see, yeah it's like QVC.
Speaker 4:So you're gonna have, like we're gonna be on our social media, we're gonna be on IG, on Instagram, facebook, ig, facebook and YouTube. So, as the women are being interviewed, like for me, like I have this great Water bottle and you need to, you know, buy it, and then they'll put a link and they'll actually there can buy it online. So they have that technology.
Speaker 2:So we're excited about that.
Speaker 4:We're excited about that because not only are you gonna be able to sell there, you're gonna be able to live sell online to other people that I have could not come to the festival which, by the way, we need to promote that for, like people in New York or in Texas, because we have had people come to the festival from Different other places and they go.
Speaker 4:Why aren't you coming to Chicago? Come to Miami, come to, so you know, that's another vision that we have, but for right now they could just tune in and we have people like about four or five vendors that are coming out from out of state. So when do they need to tune in? Yes, oh, march 25th, the day of the festival, march 24th excuse me?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I only know because it's my birthday.
Speaker 4:They'll have to tune in. They will have to tune in on March 24th, the day of Latina Fest, and there they'll be a schedule On our website so they could see when the live cells happen. But there there's gonna be. I mean, there's 15 women that are gonna be selling, so there's gonna be opportunity for you to watch All of them, or some of them to, that's Latina Fest comm.
Speaker 1:March 24th, the day of the event, 11 am, the 6 pm Pacific time. Check your local calendars. Make all the zone time zone Conversions. You need to be by your computer, your tablet, your iPhone. Whatever you need to do, memorize your credit card, paypal, apple pay be ready.
Speaker 4:That's right, thank you. That's, in a nutshell yes.
Speaker 2:We are so excited to be there. We're looking forward to be part of this. This is, you know, so special. I'm glad to be. This is my first year. I mean I'll be my last, so I'm looking forward to.
Speaker 4:Let's talk about the media panel, though, yes, and why it's important.
Speaker 1:Go ahead, yes, bell mentioned earlier that Joby and I are going to be there, we're very excited. I'll be moderating the media panel. Joby is gonna be a panelist. We also have Um Lena.
Speaker 3:Likaro, likaro and we added Well, we're still, it's not confirmed, okay.
Speaker 1:We have another tbg, but lina likaro.
Speaker 4:She was, um, like an editor over at LA weekly and now she is the senior editor at LA magazine. So, like she went and and you know it's important to make that distinction because for a long time we were not present in media, I mean the one magazine that was out there was his, uh, hispanic magazine, hispanic business, and I don't even know if you and latina and and latina, and I don't know if you, you guys, remember all those magazines, but they were around, but it was very me.
Speaker 4:Latina was for everybody, right, and and, uh, hispanic again for everybody, and it's hard and it was a monthly but it was hard to cover everybody and, of course, you know, there wasn't a focus on latinas. So it's, it's important that we have representation in media, because there's so many of us, so many stories, so many Like success stories that where, where are we reading that? You know, now you have some, you have the laws and in the LA Times, and now you have other magazines, like me too, that's doing a lot, and then call on news and then wafi, you know. So now we're telling our, we're telling our own stories and that's why it's important for us, because, like, for instance I'll give you an example they canceled this fool.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's all. My god, don't ruin one. Yeah, so there's a whole topic. On one of the shows there's a campaign to hopefully survive it, but yes, so when Ojanio D'Avesi's producer on social media said, why did they do this?
Speaker 4:It had 100% on rotten tomatoes and his summation was that not enough people critiqued it, not enough critics wrote about it, and that the streamer said, well, nobody's really watching it because we don't have any critical acclaim. Why are those people not paying attention to Latino product? Why are they not reviewing it? That's why we need our media, because we know what we like and we have to get out there and promote our projects. We have to promote our people, our politicians, whatever the focus of the media company is, because, yes, that's where we need to promote and that's why Hollywood is a very closed, insular thing and they love. If your friend is Steven Spielberg, even if he did a turkey, they'll go fantastic.
Speaker 1:He needs an Oscar.
Speaker 4:That's what they do, and we have to do that because they're not paying attention to us.
Speaker 1:Exactly, I've been having this conversation. I'm the co-chair of the Latina alum conference for my undergrad and we're like, okay, does the college pay attention to us? Like how do we get the funding? How do we do this? And it's like no, like we need to uplift, we need to showcase the talent that has come from our graduates, because we're there. We have the plastic surgeons, we have the authors, we have the lawyers, we have the teachers, we have the homesteaders, we have it all like business women, and we don't know ourselves. And a lot of times too, I think we've gone as Latinas through this process of who identifies, who doesn't. If they didn't when they were younger, but they do now, and now their children are getting into their identity. There's a lot of going back. You know ancestry and oh, I am, and.
Speaker 1:I didn't know and it's really, really important that we let people know, because I've come across comments. Well, why do we need the list of like 100 celebrities you didn't know were Latino, or you didn't know were Afro-Latino, or because, if I know that people are in these places? I mean, I watched General Hospital for eons- and you didn't know that one of my favorite characters was from Whittier.
Speaker 2:Oh no, maurice.
Speaker 1:Oh, I knew, Maurice.
Speaker 2:I know, Maurice no.
Speaker 1:I want to say it was Kimberly McCullough. She was, oh yeah, my mommy. I was in Whittier and we used to come down and I remember watching State of Mind and thinking what I was watching, the Latina. My entire childhood and I didn't know, but it's because.
Speaker 3:What about Wonder Woman?
Speaker 1:She was Latina. I know about her. What about Will? I Am.
Speaker 4:He went to Roosevelt, my high school. He went to my high school and he was on the radio with a big boy and he was talking about how he was going to do the halftime for Roosevelt, because there's a classic Roosevelt High School and Garfield High School.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, oh yeah.
Speaker 4:And so he went to Roosevelt and he said I did the Super Bowl, I was there and I performed because. But when it came to performing at the classic and he got emotional, he got emotionally, said that those are my people. I was so happy to be there and I'm like I never knew.
Speaker 2:he went to Roosevelt you know, because I went to Roosevelt.
Speaker 4:So you know, you need to know. Things Like, for instance I understand, especially in, you know, back in the day, where people didn't want to say they were Latino, because what did you see on?
Speaker 2:TV, marilyn Monroe was not allowed to say that she was Latina. Who?
Speaker 4:Marilyn Monroe yeah, and and. But when you see nothing but negative things about Latinos, you kind of don't want to say I am associated with them, even though you are, and your parents would tell you don't speak Spanish. You're changed your name, Right. But now that that things are looking more positive about us, they're coming out of the woodwork. You know like, for instance, what's her name? We invited Jessica Elba.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah.
Speaker 4:There was times where she said I'm not a Latina.
Speaker 1:And now you hear she's a Latina.
Speaker 4:And that's great. But I understand where some of them were coming from. You know they thought that if you said something especially actresses that you were going to be black belt. That's why Latina is acting up the group that was started during the strike for SAG, for the actors is so important, because Latinas are speaking out, actresses are speaking out. Before you didn't say anything because you didn't want to get black belt, and even to the point of like Melissa Barrera, you remember.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 4:Because she said and like she goes, I don't care. You know now we're balling women across.
Speaker 1:You know the board, but Latina's in particular, I'm so proud, like Gina Torres, lisa Vidal and Diana.
Speaker 2:I mean, I'm so many. I'm even Ilya Calderon, one of the anchors. She came out with a book not too long ago, but about three years ago, you know, and the title of the book is is my turn, you know, it's my turn to speak. We have had this space now to speak up and it's not not, it's like we're not. You just wanna say what we went through as an experience. It's not attacking anyone, it's just saying this is what happened to us because we were unseen. Basically just what it was.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and also, I've worked in media all my life pretty much, and it's so important for us to be in these newsrooms because a lot of times the bosses are not Latino, they're white, right. So when they, when they send you as a reporter to cover a story, as a Latina, you could have that add, that niche and that sensitivity of like you know, whatever, whatever the story may be, the perspective, the Latino perspective, or maybe even shine a light on, hey, are we paying attention to this, right, something that's not stereotypical, something that's you know, why are we not? For example, the fact that Latinas are creating businesses faster than any other group? Who's gonna do a story on that, like, a Latina, will be the advocate for those types of stories, right.
Speaker 4:And even if somebody does that story, the perspective of someone doing that story that doesn't know anything about the community and doesn't understand why things happen, as opposed to someone who understands the community, that's a different article right there Because they may do like something like very like critical of it, or surface, very surface, or light or even sometimes downright racist.
Speaker 2:Well, a lot of times. Let's call it. Let's call it A lot of times, A lot of times.
Speaker 1:the stories are also relegated to, like the Latino section or the Latino segment, and which is why I think it's fantastic that Latina Fest is happening in March, because I feel like September 15th to October 15th, all of a sudden, it's like Latino Heritage Month.
Speaker 2:That's why, everyone's doing something. Yeah, everything is up to this Right, and it's like you know we're Latinos 365.
Speaker 1:It's the same argument for Black History Month right, yes. Black 365, right and so to be able to do Latina Fest in a different month, although it is International Women's History Month, so that's a great month to have it too.
Speaker 4:But that's one of the reasons why we switched it too, because to me, a month is like they try to jam everything.
Speaker 2:And I call it October was overloaded.
Speaker 4:And yeah, from September 17th to October 17th, that's Hispanic Heritage Month. I call it Hispanic Hysterical Month Because you go crazy trying to like do everything. Oh, I gotta go to this, I gotta go to that. So we decided you know we're about women so we decided to move it to March. But I don't know, it's kind of cold.
Speaker 3:We're thinking of maybe moving it to May, because it's rains in March.
Speaker 2:You're not wearing a white instead of having an outdoor no in May, in May, yeah, like no doing it outdoors.
Speaker 3:Maybe the weather will be better in May, may, okay, but this is a climate change thing because we did not have to have a plan B.
Speaker 1:Thank you, Growing up here we never had a plan B. This like oh, it might rain in March or when that? No, that climate change is real.
Speaker 4:People knew that California was always sunny and that's the way I remember it. But we have to like switch our minds because now it's climate change.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 4:But so we're thinking and maybe you can chime in we're thinking of moving it to May, because May the chance of it raining is not that much, as opposed to March. And then also and then you have Mother's Day and you have Cinco de Mayo, and maybe we could switch that Cinco de Mayo is not Drinco de Mayo.
Speaker 2:Maybe we could switch people's mind that it's about celebrating Latinas.
Speaker 4:Yes, anyway, we're just thinking about that.
Speaker 1:We're thinking, yeah, because there's, but also Latin American Mother's Day is a different day as well, so it makes sense In May right. Most countries celebrate it in May.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 1:But March, like May 10th, is like in Latin America no yeah. And then the.
Speaker 2:US celebrates it like a third With the exception of Panama.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I think the art is important. Panama, what is Panama?
Speaker 2:Panama celebrates Mother's Day, actually December 8th.
Speaker 4:Oh, wow.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it goes more. We are also very similar. We were part of Gran Colombia and they have La Ceremonia de las Velitas yes, around that time, yes, and La Virgen de María. So that's kind of how that goes, that's so cool, but we're just kicking that around.
Speaker 1:We don't know if we're gonna do that, but I am gonna pitch though the question, I think as a request only, because I've been following her like crazy and I don't even eat her food because I don't do gluten or sugar, but it's just so beautiful and I think it's such a work of art. Is Alexandra Lourdes out of Vegas, st Oneré? Well, she also has Café Lola and she has all sorts of other things which she's not sponsoring. This I'm just a fanatic as of late, but she does these beautiful donuts and does pizza.
Speaker 2:If you don't follow her.
Speaker 1:I mean, if she were at Latina Fest 2025, I mean.
Speaker 4:Have you heard of Jenny Martinez, the Happy Bellies? On IG and on TikTok she has like three million followers and then on IG she has like 790. But I tell this story because we've invited her to be there and so far she says she's gonna be there and hopefully it's 90% confirmed and hopefully she does. But we met her at the screening of Flaming Hot.
Speaker 4:She was there and we got there really early. So my friends and her and another influencer with their husbands, we all went to sit at this restaurant to wait for the premiere to start and we were talking and then go, what do you do? She goes oh, I'm an influencer. She goes really. And then we go, oh, that's so cool. I said, have you thought about like cooking up with celebrities? And she goes oh yeah, mario calls me all the time and so and so and so and so. And I'm like, oh okay. And then we said something about and she says she has a cooking. That's what she does, she cooks. And I'm like, oh, that's great, maybe you have people reached out so that you can sponsor or promote their cookware. And she goes no, I want my own cookware.
Speaker 1:There you go.
Speaker 4:Anyway, long story short, she's got her own cookware. It sells at JC Penney's. It's called Mesamiah. She's always already collaborating with you know she's already collaborating with the celebrities. She's an author and she's like she's an author. She's an author. Oh wow. Simon and Schuster, oh wow.
Speaker 3:Maybe she can be on my author panel.
Speaker 1:What kind of panel?
Speaker 4:We have an author panel. Yes, yes so anyway, we can talk no, no, no, but go ahead about the author. So that's all I'm saying, because you have something coming.
Speaker 2:You're writing a book, right?
Speaker 3:I have a bilingual children's book publishing company, so I have like 11 books that I've published and we're going to have. And because I love books and I love authors and I feel like authors also need to be amplified and to have platforms, we created the authors corner where we have children's authors and adult authors and that's been really, really successful in a big draw and it just I love seeing authors like having a platform. But we are also going to have a separate authors panel where we're going to talk to Gigi I forgot her last name Gigi Gonzalez.
Speaker 2:Oh.
Speaker 3:Gigi Gonzalez. She just published a book called Cultura and Cash, and it's all about. She's been around. Yes, yeah, it's all about like Financial literacy, right Intelligence.
Speaker 3:But through the lens of Latina, being a Latina. And then Alejandra Campo Verdi, who used to work at the White House under President Barack Obama, I believe Sorry, I'm still doing my research, that's okay. So she just came up with a memoir of like her trials and tribulations as a successful Latina in media and in politics, et cetera. So, and I'm moderating that panel because I'm an author as well, so yeah, but we'll see how the timing works out.
Speaker 4:So it's just exciting that all these women are like going to be there. Hopefully Jenny will be there, but what I was trying to say with Jenny is that I think that's where we're at all of us as Latinas, it's like oh wow, oh no, no, I want my own thing.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 4:And we're not afraid to say it anymore when before it was like well, I don't know, Maybe I can do this.
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 4:I'm going to do this, yes. So that's amazing and that's a kind of inspiration that we love having at Latina Fest, because young women will be there and they'll catch onto this and they'll hook onto this and they'll say she did it, I can do it.
Speaker 1:Now we also know that our community is known for loving freebies. You know souvenirs. You go to Quinceañera todos los recuerdos desaparecen. So are there going to be any giveaways at Latina Fest?
Speaker 4:Yes, yes, well, first of all, we have a swag bag that is going to be there for our guest VIP, the speakers, because they're doing this for free. The speakers are not charging, so you guys will get one. Yes, there was a lot of beauty products and, you know, it's like we don't have the monies to pay, but so we want to do as much as we can, but there'll be freebies, there'll be raffles, oh, and the other thing that we want to talk about is the fashion show. Oh, my god, oh my god, yeah, so we do a fashion show every year and one of our vendors, one of our partners is. Her name is Diana Diaz, and she's been doing the festival for the past three years.
Speaker 4:This year there was and the fashion show, not the festival. The fashion show is geared so that our vendors can give us their items and some of them get to be in the fashion show and they get, you know, they get visibility. But this year, a woman by the name of Carolina Hernandez, she reached out to us. She's a veteran and she has a fashion design company or a fashion line called Veteran Couture, and so she's going to put the show together. Again, we're going to get items from our vendors, you know, so that their items can be used. But her clothing is going to be featured, and so now we have the element of bringing in the Latina veterans.
Speaker 3:You know the Latina military and they're out there doing some amazing things.
Speaker 3:And I want to point out that what she did is like exemplify something I've learned as far as doing and producing Latina Fest that if you want an opportunity, you have to be aggressive and you have to ask for it. So Carolina reached out to us. Flor Campos, who's an amazing activist, super young, and she's feeding thousands of farm workers every month as a young, and she's going to be on the disruptor panel. She reached out to us last year just talking about her mission. There's so many examples of people that Latinas that have reached out to us that are saying I want to, I'm shooting my shot, so to speak. This is what I can offer, this is what I can do, and we've given them those opportunities and it's made me grow as a woman, as an entrepreneur, saying these women have the, the ovarios to be like I want to do this, and they took the initiative and they got the opportunity. I'm going to do that, too in other aspects of my life. So I'm learning from these women just as much as they're learning from Latina Fest.
Speaker 1:What does being Latina mean to you?
Speaker 4:Being Latina means power. It means that I'm steadfast in what I want to do and means I don't quit, and I got that from my mom. My mom was such an amazing woman it's we don't quit. If we have a passion, we go for it. And no nos damos por vencidas, never. That's what being a Latina is, and being proud of who I am because I wasn't always proud of who I am, because I never saw myself on TV, but now it's like I'm like showing it all over and I think we're there. A lot of Latinas are like this is who I am and everybody wants to be Latina nowadays.
Speaker 3:So to me, being a Latina is home and also we are a mix of everything. You know, I did my DNA test and I have everything you can imagine. I even have Jewish, I have African, I have Middle Eastern, caucasian, I have even Indian believe it or not, like from India. So we have the best of all worlds in our DNA All of our ancestors that traveled all over the world and picked up all of these cool traditions and origins and and like developed as a species. It's within us and sometimes we don't tap into that. It's so deep in our DNA. So I'm proud of being part of that Rasa Cosmica.
Speaker 4:Like, like a famous Mexican philosopher said or singer, I think, I don't know, but it's a great thing yeah.
Speaker 2:Successful Latina business owner. What advice would you give aspiring Latinas entrepreneurs?
Speaker 3:The advice I would give aspiring Latina entrepreneurs is to really not give up. If you find something that you're truly passionate about, you can do it. If there's been people that have created amazing companies out of their garages, we can do that too. Just believe in yourself.
Speaker 4:Yeah, and I think also that don't be afraid to ask for help. I think that that women feel like, oh, I'm not doing good and I'm just a little small potato business. You never know who's going to lend a hand or who's going to be connecting you to someone. So go for it. You know, just ask someone. People want to help. You know, especially if they see you're doing well, they want to give you a helping hand and so don't be afraid to ask for it. I do.
Speaker 2:I think, at fault. I feel like sometimes we minimize ourselves inadvertently because somewhere along the way the tell us I'll be humble, or you know, no, pregunte mucho the a pena, and it's like no, but if you don't ask, you know.
Speaker 1:I think we're close Don't get fit, yeah and I think that we're still carrying a lot, especially like our generation is still carrying a lot of that Be grateful mentality.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, be humble Like and, for example, my family.
Speaker 1:We there was never fear of deportation, but we still live through that as in be grateful, even though my parents spoke up, advocated for me and everything. There was still a, but there's still someone in line who will take your job if you don't act right type of thing, and I feel like in entrepreneurship it's a different mindset and to be able to get into, I have to go for what I want. Pesele a can let this, and if no one in my circle believes in me, will get a new circle.
Speaker 2:But sometimes it circles your family.
Speaker 1:So how do you like Right from your family when? So I absolutely believe like why these events, why forming these connections are really important because my son, I'm not sure what's going to be. Oh, you know what, I know, I know everything else that we do for all the other things in our lives, yeah.
Speaker 4:Well, we'll hold true. And you know our families, we grew up. You know I don't brag about yourself, you know, don't be.
Speaker 4:That's true for an entrepreneur. You have to sell yourself all the time. That's what grants are for. That's when you're, when you're pitching, when you go for a loan. You always have to sell yourself. So don't be shy about selling yourself. And it doesn't do our business any good for us not to speak up and brag about ourselves. If we don't brag about ourselves, who's gonna brag about us? If we don't convince the person that we are that business that deserves that loan or that grant? We're the only ones that could do that. So don't be shy. Put yourself out there.
Speaker 3:And also have the audacity to do it, because I feel like a lot of our familia is like be safe, miha, you know, do a career that's safe and you can, but at the same time, do your entrepreneurship on the side while you gain momentum. If you're scared, I'm not saying like quit your job and blah blah blah, but have the audacity to believe in yourself and in your dreams.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because you get into the projection of limited thinking or limited possibilities or because I don't see it why you should you. And it's like can I just try, you know?
Speaker 4:before as I was growing up. I'm older than all of you here not together, but all of you.
Speaker 4:But when I was coming up, it was I used to be an actress, and I would never say I did anything else but an actress, even though I had to go get a job, because the acting jobs don't come that often. So I had to go be a legal secretary, I had to go do this and that, but I couldn't. It wasn't popular to say that you did two things, and nowadays it's fine to say I'm a business woman, oh, but I also. I have Latina Fest and I also have my media company and Naive. I'm a publisher, but I also have. So now it's a good thing to do that, and you never know where life is gonna take you. Like I think about my career. I started off as a dancer, then I was an actress and then I became a journalist and then I became a producer and now we're producing events this event and when I think about my life, when I was a kid I used to produce little festivals in my backyard.
Speaker 4:So, that producing was always there, but it took me all of this to like really-. All that experience, yeah, so use your experience and it'll take you to you. Know your passion and it'll take you to your success.
Speaker 3:And I wanna really add that the power to manifest whatever we want is truly within us, and I'm gonna use J-Lo as an example, and I always use her as an example in my own head. Yeah, she's maybe not the greatest actress, maybe she's not the greatest singer, but she created her persona. She worked out to create the body she wanted. She, you know, got the fashion she wanted. She made herself up to be this beautiful icon. She made the money now she spent $20 million to do this movie, this musical movie out of her own pocket, that is. She's a self-made woman and she created that from believing in herself. And still a lot of people don't believe in her and she doesn't care, she still does it. So we have to have that type of mentality.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I think I totally agree with you. It's like she put nobody in Hollywood puts up their own money to do their projects. That's like a no-no and she wanted this so bad and that's why a lot of Latinos they don't do their projects because they go to the studios and the studios go no, I don't wanna do that. And so they go. Oh okay, but luckily she had the money and she said I'm gonna do it anyway.
Speaker 1:Because they didn't get it.
Speaker 4:Because they didn't get it. They didn't get what her vision was. And then, once she did it, it's like, oh yeah, we get it now. Because, Hollywood is like. The green lighters are like they know what they know and sometimes they miss out on things because they don't know, because we know just the gatekeepers.
Speaker 1:Bottom line. Clearly, you know where you need to be on March 24th, from 11 am to 6 pm. All the information is gonna be in our show notes. For those that are attending, Jovi and I are delighted that we'll be part of the media panel here at Latina Fest. Be there or be square. No need for FOMO, since you'll be there.
Speaker 3:And it's gonna be your birthday. So, basically, latina Fest is your birthday party. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:And I didn't pay a dime.
Speaker 3:I know what that's Latina way to do it. It's your sponsored birthday party. Oh my goodness.
Speaker 2:Also remember to go to latinafestcom.
Speaker 4:All this information will be there. We're putting up all of the schedules pretty soon, by the end of next week and we have all the information that you need there. So, latinafestcom.
Speaker 2:Well, thank you for having ladies. All right, everyone. We hope that you enjoyed this show with Naive. I'm Belle and you can watch the interview on all stream platforms. And remember to follow us at Todo Wafi and at Todo Latino Show from Pro Audio LA Studios. I am Jovi D, that's Cosmo Latina, that's Belle and that's Naive, and we are out and thanks for the redje Apaignance you got.