By: Joseph R. Castel
Filmmaker and entrepreneur Ben Lopez considers himself a Creative Whisperer, a Diamond Hunter, and a real power broker. During his nearly 20-year partnership with the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP), and five of those years as Executive Director, Lopez has provided thousands of Latinx filmmakers, writers, actors, and producers with nexus to the film industry. “I knew there were gaps in the entertainment ecosystem where Latinos were not present and we needed to fill those gaps in the pipeline,” the entrepreneur explained.
Historically, the reason Latinx characters (actors) and stories have been so underrepresented in the first 100 years of Hollywood cinema is because there were too few professional Latinx writers, directors, and producers to create the entertainment content that could be enjoyed by Latino viewers as well as mainstream audiences. The windows of opportunity for Latinx talent behind or in front of the camera was just not there.
Founded in Los Angeles, in 1999, NALIP, is comprised of Latino professionals that work to help bring Latino stories to the silver, TV, and streaming screens. The organization assists Latinos looking for work in the entertainment industry by providing invaluable access to resources and networking events. Back in June, NALIP held it’s 25th Annual Summit in Hollywood, presenting workshops and panels on a variety of subjects, from how to get representation to marketing Latino stories.
Many networking conferences dangle hope in front of their attendees, but not many of them actually help participants make that leap into the job market. “We needed to make sure that people have meaningful jobs and meaningful opportunities,” added Lopez. “I got tired of hearing about the brain drain, people dropping out of the industry, moving away from LA. I got to see with my own eyes, our people, La Raza, fighting over the crumbs. So, I wanted to change that with the help of other leaders, the board of directors, working closely with our community.”
“NALIP’s not just an advocacy group. We gave more than just recommendations. We actively developed the people that were actually getting hired.” Lopez and NALIP figured out that one of the most effective ways of getting people absorbed into the industry is creating what is known as “incubators.” Prior to and during Lopez’ tenure, NALIP made inroads with Hollywood studio executives to create more development programs specifically for Latinos. Surprisingly enough, the studios listened.
“We borrowed the term ‘incubation’ from the venture capital and tech industry. What you usually have on an incubator is an opportunity, in these cases, for a writer, producer, or director to get selected for a specific program. They get mentored by peers and industry folks that could potentially hire them. Mentorship is great, but there was one key component missing from those programs.”
“We’re like, let’s create different incubators across this industry where we’re able to get access to the studios, access to mentors, but also capital for them to create something special, something unique,” said Lopez.
NALIP has a very successful Women of Color Film incubator program that was financed by Netflix. The women were awarded 25 to 35K to make a short film. “We were able to get a green light, and I’m happy to say that it’s still in existence today and it’s one of the key landmark programs for NALIP.”
Other successful incubators supported by NALIP include:
• The Latino Media Accelerator project has ten teams of directors and producers taking part in a month-long mentoring process with professionals established in the industry.
• The partnership with STARZ and New Filmmakers LA provides a unique platform for writers to cultivate their skills and fine tune their spec scripts with the mentorship of executives and established writers.
• The Film Independent Imaginar TV Incubator program sponsors six Latinx applicants participating in a series of workshops and individual meetings designed to provide them with valuable support and insight on how the FX Network’s drama programming brand works.
So, who has Lopez and NALIP exactly help get connected? Here are just a few names you’ve probably never heard of, but perhaps have seen their shows: Moises Zamora, executive producer for Netflix’s Selena: the series; Steve Canals, writer/producer/director for the amazing Pose series on FX; Debby Wolfe, showrunner for Lopez vs Lopez on NBC; Nancy Mejia, writer for The L Word, Davy Perez, writer for Star Trek, and the list goes on and on.
“For producer, Moises Zamora, we provided a speaking platform for him via our programming, such as panels, and opportunities to meet fellow creatives and executives which helped to advance his career,” said Lopez. “He has given me and my former NALIP team credit for helping him.”
The landscape for Latinx actors is also beginning to change rapidly, mainly because stories about Latinx experiences, by Latinos, for Latinos are finally being manifested into streaming series, sitcoms, feature animation, documentaries, and of course, feature films. Another reason for the shift in the showbiz paradigm is the greater need for substantial amounts of entertainment programming on a multitude of streaming platforms.
If in the recent past, the titans of the entertainment industry were unable to create Latinx stories for the media on an equitable level to our buying and box office power, then queer Latinx stories weren’t even on their freaking gaydar. Lopez, however, wanted to also bridge that gap. During his time at NALIP, Lopez focused on hiring people that also reflected various groups within the Latino community. “I prioritized hiring, gay, lesbian and trans. I wanted to make sure we reflected all of our community,” stressed Lopez.
“Moi Santos, who’s now at Sundance, was part of our crew. She helped run the NALIP Summit and she’s now one of the key persons creating programs for trans folk at Sundance. Very proud that we discovered her.” Lopez also discovered Francisco Cabrera’s writing on Twitter and personally invited the Floridian to attend a NALIP Summit. Cabrera describes himself on his IMBD page as a Gen-Z, bilingual bisexual from Venezuela. Not long after attending NALIP via a scholarship, Cabrera’s writing career took off. Cabrera recently finished writing on Season 3 of Acapulco (AppleTV+). His other credits include, Gentefied (Netflix, Peabody-Nominated), Gordita Chronicles (HBOmax, LA Times’ Top TV Show of 2022), and is now developing projects for Sony Pictures TV and ABC Signature.
After leaving the helm of NALIP, Lopez launched his own company, L21 Consulting, that provides expertise and data driven solutions to help empower Latin and BIPOC communities in the entertainment and media landscape. His team serves as advisors to studios, networks, streamers, and production companies to continue that bridge between Latinx talent, story content and audiences. In 2021, Lopez provided cultural consultation to Walt Disney Animation Studios for the Oscar-winning film, Encanto.
“L21 Consulting became an aspect where I’m able to discuss cultural authenticity in order to allow intellectual property to resonate more with the people that will eventually watch it.” In addition to working with Disney, Lopez’ agency consulted on the remake of West Side Story. He was invited on set and even met with director Steven Spielberg.
Most recently, L21 partnered with McDonald’s for the Spotlight Dorado, a new multi-year platform to support Latino filmmakers by giving them access to mentorship and resources. Lopez’s company advises and provides feedback on the best way to create the Spotlight Dorado lab, specifically advocating that the lab provide the filmmakers with capital. The finalists were awarded $75,000 each to produce a 10-minute short film. The program’s website sums it up best:
Even though Latinos represent nearly 20% of the U.S. population, their stories make up less than 1% of those told by Hollywood. Without mentorship, connections, and financial support, many Latino filmmakers struggle to produce films.
In conclusion, Lopez has sage advice for those who want to work behind the camera in Hollywood. “I think the word is partnership. Find your partner,” Lopez advises. “You can’t accomplish it by yourself. He encourages directors, writers and producers start their own companies to churn out more than one story because many projects don’t pan out. The issue with creatives that I’ve encountered, is that they’re thinking usually one project at a time, but you have to think of your five-year, ten-year plan.”
“It’s going to take some time to vet the best people that could be potential partners in your endeavors. So, what does that mean? That means that if you’re a writer, a director, or producer, you want to set up that amazing company that can put out really good intellectual properties. It’s difficult to break into the industry by yourself. And lastly, Lopez recommends, “Please take the time to figure out who you are, which is challenging.”
For more information on NALIP, visit: https://www.nalip.org
For L21 Consulting, visit: https://www.l21.consulting