Michael "Juan Bago" Diaz is a Dominican-American comedian born in New Rochelle, NY, and raised in Connecticut. Diaz started off with aspirations of becoming an actor before diving into sketch comedy. His goal of one day becoming an actor led him back to Washington Heights, NY, where his parents met and many family members still lived. In 2004, a friend connected him with the founder of the New York Latino Film Festival and he wrote and sold his first comedy feature. It sold out at the Latino Film Festival and he created a name for himself, [gained] the buzz. From there, he never looked back and has been an independent filmmaker in comedy ever since. In 2006, Diaz premiered "The Story of Juan Bago," a tale about an underachieving "loser" in his mid-20s who lives at home with his parents and "doesn't bathe very often.” 

In addition to "Bago Briefs," Diaz recently launched a podcast titled "Translators" with cohost Jaime Fernandez. Comedians Michael Diaz & Jaime Fernandez are fed up with the representation of Latinos in mainstream media and literature. “The Translators” podcast, features the abundance of creative talent the Latin community has to offer that is often overlooked and misrepresented. Join Michael & Jaime as they uncover the passion, path, and process of each guest to reveal what has made them successful in their highly competitive fields and challenge the myths that come with Latinx stereotypes. Even though we’re speaking the same language, some people still need Translators! 

In this week’s episode, Juan shares his experience writing and selling a comedy show as a Latino in the entertainment industry. As a kid, he had a hard time figuring out his identity. Growing up, he thought he was mulatto because he was black and white, and he learned he was Latino he was also shamed for his use of Spanglish. As an adult, Juan is more confident about his identity and who he is, no matter what anyone else has to say about it. He uses that certainty to create hilarious characters and uplift Latino creators in the industry. Check out this episode to hear more about the amazing work he’s doing in TV, podcasting, and beyond! 

Keep up with Juan on his website and Instagram.

For all Hella Latin@ updates, follow @hellalatinopodcast on Instagram and connect on LinkedIn. More at odalysjasmine.com.

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Podcast production for this episode was provided by CCST.