Highly Relevant Podcast

This week I interview my good friend Benjamin Odell, who is the CEO of 3Pas Studios, the production company he and his friend Eugenio Derbez formed together. Their latest project is the remake of the French film 'The Valet' which premieres on HULU May 20th. In this conversation, Ben and I talk about his unique life and cultural upbringing, as well as the work 3Pas Studios has accomplished in a short time. We discuss in detail the unique ways he and Eugenio have used Latino storytelling to successfully reach general audiences, and why 'The Valet' could very well be a culmination of that work.

Dominican actor Manny Perez, perhaps best known for his films 'Washington Heights,' 'El Cantante,' 'Bella' and the hit action film 'La Soga,' is now doing his directorial debut with the sequel - 'La Soga Salvation'. We discuss what it takes to write, direct and produce his own movie, what the future of Dominican cinema looks like, and his opinion on the film 'In The Heights'.

In our first episode, we welcome actress Justina Machado. You know her from the Emmy Award-winning comedy reboot of "One Day at a Time" from legendary producer Norman Lear and several other tv shows and films. Our conversation covered several interesting subjects such as Latino representation in the animation industry, why Hispanic animated films succeed and real-life Latino content doesn't, and why she stopped using the term Hispanic to describe herself.

Highly Relevant Playlist

Santo - Christina Aguilera y Ozuna

Melancolia - Sinego y Ácido Pantera

Eucalipto - Mario Puglia

Gloria Calderon Kellett's 'With Love' is the best Latinx television I have seen. It combines all the American TV characteristics we grew up with, but with a US Latino family at the center. Think of 'When Harry Met Sally,' 'Love Actually,' 'The Holiday,' but with Latinos. It's all the shows that make us cozy up to a warm fire, a snug blanket, and hot chocolate. Gloria shares the details of how she got into the business, and how legendary producer Norman Lear believed in her.

Highly Relevant Playlist

Eso Es Un Vibe - Omar Courtz

Poema - Las Villas

Pa Poderte Ver - Mareh, Ana Mancebo, Sobrino, julio cesar

This week I welcome Colombian photographer Josefina Santos who as of late has been photographing some of the biggest names in music, tv, and film, such as Olivia Rodrigo, MJ Rodriguez from 'Pose' and indie director Jim Jarmusch to name a few, plus has photographed covers for The New Yorker, The New York Times, Teen Vogue and more. Josefina and I discuss what she did to make media mainstream's elite notice her, how Instagram is a blessing and a curse and we tackle the creative's debate - should a creative work free for career-changing opportunities OR take the opportunity for no pay.

Highly Relevant Playlist

La Fama - Rosalia (feat. The Weeknd)

Supersad - Georgel, Maco Mares, Diamante Electrico

Yate - C. Tangana

On a new episode of Highly Relevant, I talk to director/producer Lissette Feliciano about her new indie film 'Women Is Losers'. The film which premiered at 2021's SXSW Festival, has gotten good reviews for it's female empowerment story and her use of multicultural characters. She tells me how lies about Latinos in the media has become the driving force behind the mantra of her production company, Look at the Moon Pictures. She also lets me in on how she raised funds for her own film, and how young producers can do the same for themselves.

Highly Relevant Playlist

Mi Fiesta - Bandalos Chinos

Sammy Arriaga - Obvio

Cuestión de Suerte - Natalia Lacunza

In this rebroadcast of our interview with director Robert Rodriguez from February 27, 2019, we discuss his new film at that time 'Alita: Battle Angel,' how one of the main goals of his TV network 'El Rey' was to find and hire more Latino filmmakers, and if it is the responsibility of a Latino directors to create Latino stars.

Highly Relevant Playlist

Pa Mis Muchchas - Christina Aguilera (feat. Nathy Peluso, Becky G y Nicki Nicole

Sexy Girl - Ozuna, Megan Stallion y DJ Snake

Amor Como Puñal - Loyal Lobos

Adriana Barraza is one of five Latinas to have ever been nominated for an Academy Award in acting. She is now starring in the new Blumhouse horror film 'Bingo Hell' on Amazon Prime Video, perfectly timed for Halloween. In this new interview, Adriana and I discuss being the first Latina actress in her 60s to lead a film. It was also directed and co-written by a Latina filmmaker Gigi Saul Guerrero. We discuss her 50 year acting career, ageism in Hollywood, how someone once told her to never speak Spanish, and why she doesn't mind the label of Latinx.

Highly Relevant Playlist

Bachatica - Leslie Grace

fue mejor - Kali Uchis (feat. SZA)

Debilidad (A Colors Show) - Javiera Mena

Actress/producer Aubrey Plaza has become a cult indie film queen since her big break as April Ludgate on NBC's "Parks And Recreation". Since then she's done popular films such as Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, and the Child's Play reboot. She's now coming off of a dramedy with Michael Caine called Best Sellers, is currently working with Jason Statham on the action thriller "Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre", and is gearing up for HULU's comedy Olga Dies Dreaming. In this interview from November 26, 2020, Aubrey and I discussed her recent comedic psychological thriller Black Bear, her interest in producing Latinx content, and why breaking Latina stereotypes is a priority for her.

Highly Relevant Playlist

Rómpelo - Cimafunk feat. LupeFiasco

En La Ciudad de la Furia - Aterciopelados

Lento - Bomba Estéreo

Known for being one of the biggest comedians in Mexico, Eugenio Derbez made a splash in the indie film scene with his bilingual movie 'Instructions Not Included,' which became the highest-grossing Spanish-language film and the fourth highest-grossing foreign film of all time in the United States. He followed that up with 'How to Be a Latin Lover,' 'Overboard,' 'Dora and the Lost City of Gold,' 'Coda,' and now Acapulco, his latest TV series with Apple TV+ October 8th. In this interview from April 27, 2018, Eugenio and I discussed his new movie at the time - "Overboard" - but what we really talked about was some of the struggles he was having "fitting in" to Hollywood's exclusive club. We talked about accents, transitioning to starring in English-language movies, how he overcame the sellout stigma from Mexican peers, and why he believes Hollywood is afraid of creating Latino movie stars.

Highly Relevant Playlist

Contracorriente - Camilo Séptimo y Ximena Sariñana

Que Maldición - Banda MS feat. Snoop Dogg and Becky G.

Until The Day - Alexcis and T-Pain