array(6) { [0]=> array(6) { ["title"]=> string(84) "Benjamin Odell, CEO 3Pas Studios, On Why 'The Valet' Is A Love Letter To Immigrants" ["datetime"]=> string(12) "May 16, 2022" ["description"]=> string(617) "

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.

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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’.

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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

" ["episode_id"]=> string(135) "default?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=017b1f29-f526-4ea7-9c12-fcbfd2874ef9&awEpisodeId=781a0d29-e6cf-484c-ba99-e3f543b078c4&feed=wm2GqLEC" ["show_id"]=> NULL ["episode_audio"]=> string(269) "https://stitcher.simplecastaudio.com/017b1f29-f526-4ea7-9c12-fcbfd2874ef9/episodes/781a0d29-e6cf-484c-ba99-e3f543b078c4/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=017b1f29-f526-4ea7-9c12-fcbfd2874ef9&awEpisodeId=781a0d29-e6cf-484c-ba99-e3f543b078c4&feed=wm2GqLEC" } [3]=> array(6) { ["title"]=> string(69) "Gloria Calderon Kellett's 'With Love' Is The Future of Latinx Content" ["datetime"]=> string(17) "December 17, 2021" ["description"]=> string(684) "

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

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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

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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

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Highly Relevant with Jack Rico

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About the Show

Category: Society & Culture, Television & Film

Join Jack Rico, ShowBizCafe’s founder and editor-in-chief, as well as entertainment analyst for TODAY, Telemundo, NY1 and NBCNews.com, for a weekly Hispanic-American podcast breaking down the week’s most highly relevant stories in the mainstream and Latino entertainment scene. From movies, music, television, books, politics and media, ‘Highly Relevant with Jack Rico’ offers engaging in-depth interviews, reviews and personal recommendations on everything currently shaping our tastes and opinions of today’s America. This is a podcast for people who live a bicultural and bilingual lifestyle and who love to have their finger on the pulse of American and Latino pop culture.

Jack Rico

Jack Rico is a bilingual entertainment journalist, with a focus on ﬁlm and bicultural pop culture. He is one of the rare personalities who can seamlessly traverse ﬂuidly between the Spanish and English language mainstream market. Jack is also the founder and editor in chief of ShowBizCafe.com, a pop culture website that is a fusion between the American and Latino pop culture experience, the ﬁrst of its kind. Born and raised in Queens, New York, Jack contributes his pop culture knowledge on major outlets such as NBC’s TODAY Show, VH1’s Big Morning Buzz Live with Nick Lachey and Telemundo NY. His written work and interviews can be seen on NBCNews.com. He also is the host of The Highly Relevant Podcast, a weekly Hispanic-American pop culture show. Rico is credited with creating the ﬁrst Spanish language syndicated movie review radio segment on Univision Radio, plus he was the ﬁlm critic for People En Español magazine, the largest Spanish language magazine in the United States, for almost a decade. Jack Rico made journalism history when he became part of the founding on-air anchors that launched Univision’s Al Despertar in 1999, the ﬁrst Spanish language morning newscast in New York City. Rico holds a degree in journalism from Miami Dade and has held various television awards, including the Associated Press, El Diario ‘EL‘ Award and The Ace Award. He is currently a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association, one of the most prestigious and largest ﬁlm critic organizations in the United States, as well as the New York Film Critics Online. In 2011 Jack was named Chair of the ¡Viva Broadway! Advisory Board, the ﬁrst Hispanic initiative ofThe Broadway League.