For Hispanic American Heritage Month, LATV is celebrating LatinX content 'of the now'
From HBO’s dark comedy “Los Espookys” to the the Netflix (NFLX) comedy drama “On My Block,” major programmers are distributing more content with LatinX casts and characters. California-based LATV network has been creating, producing, and distributing LatinX-centric programming since 2007. So how does it feel to have some big-time competition? Yahoo Finance’s Melody Hahm caught up with LATV co-director Bruno Seros-Ulloa to find out. Turns out it’s a good thing.
“So in terms of the people coming out with Netflix specials and HBO shows and everything like that, that's a net win for us because, number one, it's exposure. Number two, the content is getting out there. We're getting the market share. We're building our cultural economy,” he said.
The increase in LatinX content, he said, is resonating with viewers. “We as an audience, we don't want to be pandered to, and I think that happens a lot where there is this kind of pandering culture,” said Seros-Ulloa. “I think those days are over. So in terms of the people coming out with Netflix specials and HBO shows and everything like that, that's a net win for us.”
“There will still be some of the pandering, and we kind of have to approach that and fight that head on as we go,” he said. “Even if we get something unsavory or, you know, not exactly kind of what we picture as celebrating the Latin culture, it is a win because we get to fight back and show them, ‘Hey, you know, we're here to stay.’ ”
Hispanic American Heritage Month
In celebration of Hispanic American Heritage month, the LatinX-owned network launched its “History By Us” campaign. “The trajectory has been to celebrate our accomplishments in the past,” said Seros-Ulloa. “However, now we're looking toward the future, and what we're accomplishing right now in this day and age is unparalleled, and there's so many Hispanics who are under the radar who don't get the kind of credit and visibility that they deserve. So our campaign is called ‘History by Us,’ which is actually celebrating kind of the Latino content of the now.” LATV also launched new programming to highlight LatinX in the L.G.B.T.Q.+ community.
Ultimately, however, Seros-Ulloa says the network is for everyone. “We don't want content made for Latinos, and LATV is kind of at the forefront of that. We're inclusive. We're not trying to exclude people with our Latinness, you know? We're creating a Latin environment, but then we're saying, ‘Hey, join the conversation.’ We're not, you know, producing telenovelas and stuff that maybe people wouldn't understand. We're 80% English language as a network, and we're saying, hey, join the conversation. We want you to learn more about us, and we want you to feel comfortable doing so.”
LATV is available multiple cities across 20 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico and can be consumed online in the digital market.
Marabia Smith is a producer for Yahoo Finance The Final Round.
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