Amazon Studios Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month With Event

CULVER CITY, CA — Amazon Studios Wednesday announced its Amazon Studios VOICES/VOCES: An Entertainment Celebration for Hispanic Heritage Month, a one-day virtual event celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month and highlighting the many contributions to entertainment from the Latiné community.

The virtual event features special guests John Leguizamo, Gloria Calderón-Kellett, Laz Alonso, Congressman Joaquin Castro and Gina Brillon.

It happens Sept. 30 and includes multiple group panels and a set from Puerto Rican comedian Gina Brillion celebrating the richness, diversity and beauty of Latiné communities. Participants can expect conversations that dive deep into Latiné representation in film and media over time, as well as celebrate the changing narratives and what is to come.

The event will be available to stream on Amazon Live and Amazon Studios DEI Twitch.

Participants include:

• John Leguizamo, Actor, Writer
• Producer Gloria Calderón-Kellett (Showrunner, Executive Producer & Writer, With Love)
• Yolanda Guillen (Sr. Executive of Casting, Amazon Studios)
• Laz Alonso (Actor, The Boys)
• Clayton Davis (Film Awards Editor, Variety)
• Congressman Joaquin Castro, Congressional Hispanic Caucus
• Gina Brillon, Comedian (The Floor is Lava and finalist on America’s Got Talent)
• Malu Miranda, Producer & Head of Originals Brazil, at Amazon Studios
• Javiera Balmaceda, Head of Local Originals, Spanish Speaking Latin America at Amazon Studios
• Lorenza Muñoz, Sr. Global Awards Executive at Amazon Studios

The event celebrates and honors the diversity of 60 million people living in the U.S., representing more than 22 countries — labeled "Hispanic" by the U.S. Census.

But it's complicated. People might refer to themselves as Latino, others might be comfortable referring to as Latinx or Latiné. Many people might identify by their country of origin, such as "Mexicana" or “Puertorriqueño,” Colombiano” or through their indigenous communities including, Bene Xhon’s, Yucatan Mayans, etc.

"The Latiné community is comprised of many rich and dynamic cultures with multilayered stories to tell," said Latasha Gillespie, Global Head of DEI for Amazon Studios and IMDb.

Amazon Studios’ Voices is about diving deep into entertainment industry data, having honest conversations, and aligning on actions to amplify and cultivate stories from historically excluded story-tellers and creators of races, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, ages, and religious backgrounds, organizers said.

"To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, we’re thrilled to present a Voices/Voces event with an esteemed group of creators, performers and community members from the pan-Latin diaspora," Gillespie said. "Our Voices/Voces event aims to entertain, initiate honest dialog, and drive industry change. We think everyone who tunes in will have a great time and be part of some very important and enlightening conversations.”

Here's the event lineup:

9:00-9:07 AM PT | Welcome, Kickoff & Indigenous Land Acknowledgement

• Latasha Gillespie, Global Head of DEI, Amazon Studios and IMDb

9:07-9:17 AM PT | Lightning talk: Who We Are… Hispanic, Latino, Latiné, Latinx, Afro-Latino, Indigenous, Understanding the breadth and depth of the community

• Speaker: John Leguizamo, Actor, Writer, Producer, Activist

9:20-9:45 AM PT | Industry Conversation: Content Across Borders

Conversation with Amazon’s head of Spanish-Speaking Latin American Content, and head of Brazilian Content. Discussing how the originals are resonating in the US and across borders.

• Malu Miranda, Producer & Head of Originals Brazil, at Amazon Studios
• Javiera Balmaceda, Head of Local Originals, Spanish Speaking Latin America at Amazon Studios
• Lorenza Munoz, Sr. Global Awards Executive at Amazon Studios, Moderator

9:48-9:51 AM PT | Congressional Hispanic Caucus Remarks

• Rep. Joaquin Castro, CHC

9:51-10:41 AM PT | Panel Discussion: Conversation: The Evolution of Latiné Representation on Screen

A candid conversation discussing how Latiné representation has changed over time on screen, in writers rooms, and among creative teams. While some communities have seen increased representation, this panel will dive deep into where the narrative still needs to be improved – particularly around colorism and the inclusion of the afro Latinidad – and how everyone in the industry can work to make change.

• Gloria Calderón-Kellett (Producer & Writer, With Love, One Day At A Time)
• Yolanda Guillen (Sr. Executive of Casting, Amazon Studios)
• Laz Alonso (Actor, The Boys)
• Clayton Davis (Film Awards Editor, Variety), Moderator

10:43-11:00 AM PT | Comedy Set from Gina Brillon

Puerto Rican comedian Gina Brillion brings her hilarious New York-bred stand up style to Voices in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.

• Gina Brillon, Comedian

Past Amazon Voices events are available on the website.

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