TV and movie creators now have a new resource to showcase Latino talent without falling into stereotypes often seen in Hollywood. The National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) in the U.S. released a guide called "Seeing Beyond The Stereotypes: Telling Authentic Latino/a/x/e Stories: A Guide for the Entertainment Industry." The document seeks to improve the representation of this demographic in series and films.
The guide analyzes the state of the Hollywood industry as it relates to the Latino community, debunks myths and stereotypes, defines popular terms, and features data on Latino culture and the power of Hispanic audiences for the entertainment industry.
"Facing a consistent lack of support for Latine projects across the country, as well as a transformational election year in November, NHMC collaborated with Latine creators, academics, and industry experts to publish this new guide, showing how portrayals of Latine communities on screen impact our lived experience and influences the exact policies that shape our lives," a statement by NHMC says.
Latinos, which are on track to represent 20% of the total U.S. population, "are the largest and second-fastest-growing minority population in the U.S and are avid media consumers, purchasing more movie tickets and subscribing to more online streaming services and video-on-demand than any other group," the organization added.
The guide has the backing of congressmen like Democrat Joaquín Castro. "It is a timely and much-needed call for the media industry to confront its role in shaping how audiences come to understand who Latinos are," he said.
"Prejudice has always existed in the United States, but the images of our community created by film and television have done little to counter bigoted views and too often has amplified them. As we push Hollywood to tell inclusive and accurate stories about our community, the release of today's guide should be an important reminder to Hollywood about the power of Latino consumers, the strength of our stories, and the brilliance of Latino creatives.''
NHMC announced that experts from the organization will conduct one-on-one sessions with studios and executives nationwide to foster collaboration, address queries, and promote the integration of the media guide principles into their content.
"The custom designed sessions with top-level executives will be facilitated by President and CEO Brenda Victoria Castillo, creating a safe place for industry-leaders to have honest and authentic discussions covering their questions about the Latine community, private and off the record," NHMC said.
"We are proud to provide our media guide as a resource and starting point for a conversation on Latine representation, not the ending point, as we have a lot of work to do ahead and we can't do it alone," said Castillo.
"While we hope this guide informs decision-makers on how to shut down harmful narratives, we also recognize our mission as an organization committed to building bridges with the industry. We want studios and executives to meet with us, work with us, and have the space to ask the tough questions to truly affect change."
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