SAG-AFTRA Foundation: The Business—Latino Agents

The SAG-AFTRA Foundation conducted interviews with Latino talent agents featuring Irene Cabrera (Paradigm), Ivana Martinez (Verve), Pedro Tapia (CESD), Natalie Moran (CAA), and Nigel Meiojas (UTA). The interview was moderated by SAG-AFTRA’s Casting Director, Lindsey Weissmueller. The SAG-AFTRA’s Business panels provide multiple viewpoints from directors, producers, writers, agents, managers, casting directors, and industry experts on a wide range of topics. Through this program, actors receive first-hand tips and strategies from established creators, emerging voices, and industry professionals who know how to navigate the often-complex waters of the entertainment world.

When it comes to my culture, I am just reinforced that I’m working really hard. And we are all working hard to show the young people around the world that we deserve to be on screen. I think it was something a lot of us probably didn’t have growing up, so I think that’s at the core of why I do what I do.

Lindsey begins the interview by asking the guests about their ethnic-cultural backgrounds and how they affect their jobs. Irene is Boricua and was raised in Puerto Rico until she and her family moved to New York City as a teenager. She believes her background does affect her day-to-day life because it dictates what she does, how she does it, and who she does things with. Ivana is of Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage. She sees her cultural heritage as a testament to the hard work of those that came before her. As such, Ivana feels the need to be an example for the next generation of Latinos aspiring to work in the entertainment industry. Nigel has an Argentinian father and was born in Los Angeles. He considers Los Angeles one of the biggest melting pots of Latinos in the U.S. Nigel has always been passionate about Latino culture and art. Over the past few years, he feels he has gravitated towards representing Latinos and is pleased to see improvements and better representation of Latinos on and off screen.

Pedro’s parents are from Mexico who migrated to the U.S. before he was born in Los Angeles. He feels that his cultural background influenced a sense of appreciation for the hardships and doubts people like his parents overcame to come to the U.S. for work and provide more opportunities to the next generation. This appreciation reflects his work ethic: do the work and let the results speak for themselves. Natalie’s parents are from Mexico, with her mother hailing from the Colina region and her father from Guadalajara. As a child, she was raised in Los Angeles with the occasional back and forth to Mexico for schooling. For Natalie, her ethnic-cultural background has shaped her life and work. Her heritage affects how she moves though the world, and it’s the lens she sees through. Natalie is very proud of her heritage and believes the culture shocks she experienced moving between the U.S. and Mexico helped shape who she is now.

When it comes to representation, we really want to work with people who are special. If they happen to have that commonality with me in terms of culture and understanding one another beyond respect, then that’s an added bonus.

Lindsey directs a question to Ivana, asking if she makes a specific effort to sign Latino clients, and if so, requests to know about the effectiveness of recruitment efforts in finding and bringing in Latino talent. Ivana claims to keep her finger on the pulse of all productions coming from Mexico, South America, and Central America. As part of her process, she tries to determine which actors from said productions would be the best to cross over into the U.S. market. Pedro chimes in that getting to know the actor, Latino or not, is extremely important when considering signing them into his agency. In his opinion, agreeing to work with emerging talent is a gut feeling one gets after meeting and spending time with the client. Having an honest conversation with actors allows talent agents to determine if they have what it takes. Pedro wishes to know what they did to train, how they are training, and how they approach acting.

I think that there is a lot of conversation, which is great…but it takes a lot of work. While you can have a majority of people wanting that, we lack the people within these structures to actively commit to make inclusion and representation happen.

Noting an apparent push in Hollywood attempting to become more diverse, Lindsey asks the guests if they feel the move has influenced U.S. society more broadly. Irene interprets the question as whether the shift was coming or being informed by society while occurring in Hollywood. To this, Irene feels that there’s effort, but there is still a lack of representation in high positions within the structure of the entertainment industry. She sees her work as a talent agent representing Latinos and people of color as a constant battle that needs to result in conversation and problem-solving. Irene admits to witnessing a rise in people of color in various productions, but notes when looking at the last three Emmy seasons, proper representation isn’t quite there yet.

Nigel believes there are a couple of ways to approach the topic of proper representation in Hollywood. The one he favors is seeing the scene as a glass-half-full situation. There is an initiative to tell stories correctly from a Latino perspective by casting people of Latino descent into leading parts. The effort is there, but like Irene, Nigel doesn’t feel that Hollywood is at the level of equal representation. Efforts through stories told from a Latino perspective can be funneled in the right direction. Commercially speaking, studios are seeing the success present among Latino stories and storytellers and are deciding to take more active approaches. Nigel believes diversity is picking up, but an effort toward that momentum needs to continue.

If you think about five to ten years ago, no one was really going to a male agent and asking ‘why do you only represent men?’ That’s what they felt comfortable doing. To me, I love working with women, I love working with Latino talent. It’s not out of any sense of duty. It’s more of the fact that that’s the people I respond to. It’s a choice.

Lindsey turns to Natalie for her next question. She asks if Natalie feels a sense of responsibility as an agent with Latino heritage to push for diversity whenever possible. Natalie agrees with the sentiment but states that it’s more like her wanting to represent Latinos, women, and people of color. This inclination naturally gravitates her towards pursuing diversity rather than feeling a need to push it forward.

Nigel argues that the correlation between Latino content and commercial success is worth attention. Referencing the success of the Father of the Bride film remake, he points out how the plot successfully displayed the differences among Latinos in a relatable situation. In Nigel’s opinion, the more commercial success, the more opportunities arise. More opportunities mean increased chances for Latino actors and filmmakers to be discovered and become successful. There is plenty of talent in the Latino community; it’s just a matter of getting them on screen.

I appreciate trying to find authenticity. Do I always have that? No, but I appreciate the effort. It makes me want to find it and makes others want to find it…I think it’s [authenticity] going to introduce us to the next crop of talent.

Regarding authenticity and casting, Lindsey wants to know the guests’ thoughts on Hollywood becoming more authentic in assigning roles like an actor of Cuban descent playing a Cuban role or a paralyzed character played by an actor bound in a wheelchair. She wonders if this trend of authentic casting helps or hurts Latino actors. Irene comments that if it ultimately leads to creating an open path for people to be seen and allowed to tell their stories, she is all for supporting the growing trend of authentic casting. Pedro feels that the desire for authentic casting might close the door for some working actors who aren’t original to their roles but agrees the push for authenticity will open the door for unknown talent to have better chances at coming to the forefront.

Ivana believes the push for authenticity is still in the educational process. When she thinks of people having value, she worries they will move away from specificity and uniqueness. For example, Ivana reasons that one day, a casting manager may ask for an Afro-Latino Dominican actor to play a role, only for the decision-making process to later devolve into accepting any Latino actor. She also worries dialects and cultural backgrounds getting blended into people’s minds, possibly leading to neglect in spotting differences. Conceding that Hollywood and people aren’t monoliths, Ivana still feels there are many things under the surface of ethnic-cultural backgrounds in actors not fully understood.

It’s very reassuring to me that I have this sort of class, that I’ve grown up with, of Latino executives throughout the industry who have become our cheerleaders, supporters, and mentors. We put people up for jobs…and it’s been really great to see people grow and move up in the ranks and build this network.

Lindsey asks the guests how they would recommend an actor to advocate for themselves in a situation where they are being asked by casting to do something along the lines of translating sides of scripts. Typically, casting should not ask actors to fulfill that duty since it adds to their already extensive workload. Irene states that talent agents are around for such situations, and every guest agrees with her, claiming to assist their clients whenever similar scenarios occur. Pedro emphasizes the importance of open communication with talent agents and their clients. Whatever the case, agents may not know about a talent’s needs unless they speak up. Pedro firmly believes that if someone needs something, don’t hesitate to ask for it. While the answer may be yes or no, he wishes for talent to at least let agents ask for them.

Back to Natalie, Lindsey asked if she knew about any Latino industry professionals who were influential in pushing authentic Latino stories in front of audiences in recent years. Linsey was also curious if Natalie had a mentor that influenced her to put authenticity part of her thought process. Natalie thinks change comes about by creating a healthy ecosystem where everyone must contribute. A collective of people at all levels is needed to push for diversity in entertainment. While she doesn’t name anyone specifically, Natalie feels fortunate to have worked with people who have allowed her to try her hand at a variety of opportunities. These same individuals always had her back in case something went wrong. Natalie believes there are a lot of young, hungry executives eager to assist their Latino community in Hollywood.

I think the television space is taking a lot of risk with awesome young, diverse voices and some of these people are becoming staples of the industry. I think of Marvin Bryan Lenus, I think of Tanya Saracho…all those people are paving the way for us.

Continuing with the discussion of authentic Latino stories, Lindsey asks the guests if there are any specific networks, streamers, or production companies they have noticed becoming open to putting forth those storylines. Irene feels inspired by agitators—people who ask why and change things. These individuals give her hope and inspiration. Ivana has observed Latinos coming out and breaking through the noise in Hollywood by doing numerous stories celebrating different cultures.

Ivana also brings up dialect in the discussion of authentic storytelling. There is flexibility when considering what dialect to use, and she wants actors to feel like they are releasing their best work. Being rushed can lead to a disconnection from an actor’s character. Ivana believes the pandemic taught people that whatever they feel is internal will always come to the surface whether they like it or not. The onus is on talent agents to have a direct conversation with casting, executives, producers, etc., and try to understand what clients want to work towards the best result. Ultimately, Ivana reasons that dialect and dialogue in a script can be worked around by either bringing to light a different type of vision of a character or doing something that makes casting see the different approach of the actor as a more fitting direction to take the character.

Following where Ivana left off, Lindsey wonders about the importance of fluency and dialect for roles. Pedro thinks such consideration is dependent on the market. For example, if an actor is on network television, it might be best to have a neutral American accent. However, he reminds everyone that much of television nowadays has become global. Globalization of television has led to a give-and-take approach to language, allowing rich content to continue providing opportunities to users of unique dialects and accents. Natalie agrees with Pedro, explaining that a character’s accent can affect the storyline. As much as people wish to be in a world where differences in accents and dialects of languages don’t matter, she firmly believes they will always carry significance. There is some authenticity the character needs to have, and people should be mindful of that.

I think as an agent, first and foremost, you’ve got to be a sponge. You’re absorbing by reading scripts, reading newspapers, reading magazines, watching new series, and watching movies. There are not enough hours in the day. You could do it endlessly, and that’s kind of the best part of the job.

Lindsey decides to move the conversation to the work of her guests as talent agents. In the face of media globalization, Nigel reckons talent agents need to understand how and where content is coming from. Another part of being a talent agent is advocating for clients by finding and creating opportunities for them. It’s incumbent upon the agents to change the idea of what the role possibly is alongside the casting and producers. Nigel believes agents can change the trajectory of opportunity. He also brings up how texting and WhatsApp messages have become popular means of communication with clients and contacts due to the pandemic.

Irene sees agents as not having a set schedule. She works every day, and her workload has increased since the pandemic. Agents are now living at work with everything about career and lifestyle mixing. Ivana, jumping off from Irene’s description of an agent’s workplace, misses working at the office. Personally, Ivana feels like she needs the stimulus that comes from being around coworkers. However, she recognizes that some avenues for creating opportunities for clients did not exist before the pandemic. Ivana cites TikTok as a prime example of a creative outlet where talent can be discovered.

With the pandemic and self-taping, I think it’s gotten harder to break people in the sense that we’re not having traditional premieres or events. They’re starting to come back, but all of those things matter. Getting face time with people or having a platform where you’re on the red carpet…Whatever it is, people who are starting out have unfortunately missed these experiences that are really important when you’re coming up in life.

Continuing with the discussion of the changes resulting from the pandemic, Lindsey asks the guests if the landscape for talent auditions and booking has become easier or worse. Ivana believes the landscape has become more difficult for actors who must submit a self-tape for their audition. This is because in-person auditions enable a portrayal of talent and a display of your personality. Both, in her opinion, are necessary to secure a role. An actor's personality is difficult to convey through recordings with the lack of personal interaction. While self-tapes allow more practice and editing, they can also psyche out an actor due to the constant retakes and sitting on the recording for a while.

Nigel agrees with Ivana. He feels that many roles would possibly go through an audition with a straight offer pre-pandemic. Nowadays, straight offers are a rarity. Human connection is critical in landing a job. Pedro has observed the landscape become both easier and more difficult for actors. He witnessed actors having panic attacks before entering audition rooms, thrived within self-tapings, and improved on the spot. The landscape is dependent on the actors and numerous other factors, so a perfect answer to the question, in Pedro’s opinion, doesn’t exist.

If you’re having that concern [about representation], I feel it’s important to think about why you feel that way. Do you feel that, maybe, you’re not getting enough opportunities, or do you feel like you’re sending tapes and they’re going into the ether—nothing’s coming back? I think that part of having an agent is building a relationship, and it goes both ways. Actors need to be able to articulate their concerns and ask for feedback.

Referencing the guests’ experiences working with other agents, inside and outside their agency, Lindsey wants to know how actors can tell if they are with their best possible agent. Is the agent willing to do more than review the breakdowns and click submit on a computer for a casting call? How do you know if an agent is working well with talent? Natalie responds by claiming, before anything, actors need to be able to address their concerns and be willing to ask for feedback. Agents will want to know if their clients feel out of the loop or unwanted. Engagement, a desire to grow, and trust are essential in building the best relationship between agents and their clients.  

Lindsey closes the interview by asking the guests for advice they are willing to share with the actors. Irene advises all her clients to stay true to themselves, continue working in their craft, study other actors, watch things they don’t like, go to the theater, and make friends in the industry. Always be specific and intentional with everything you do. Nigel suggests studying the history of the entertainment industry and putting in the work to hone your tastes, strengths, and networking. Ivana claims that building a support group and community will assist in building up one’s career and provide emotional security. Pedro wants upcoming talent to remember that working as an actor is a marathon, not a race. Avoid getting burnt out and enjoy yourself because there will always be more opportunities. Lastly, Natalie wishes for new actors to understand that their career is defined by the no’s just as much as the yes’s. You may not get the job, but exposure is a perk of trying. Think about what you can give, not what the world wants.