Producer and CEO of 3Pas Studios, Ben Odell, is our guest this week. He shares the fascinating story behind his critically acclaimed new film 'Radical,' starring Eugenio Derbez. The film centers on a gifted but disadvantaged group of students in Mexico whose lives are transformed by an unconventional new teacher.  Hear how the film was received differently by Mexican versus American audiences, Eugenio’s decade-long journey to becoming a dramatic actor, the challenges Latinos face in gaining Oscar recognition, and the surprising story of how the film's rights were nearly lost. Highly Relev ..read more

Producer and CEO of 3Pas Studios, Ben O'Dell, is our guest this week. He shares the fascinating story behind his critically acclaimed new film 'Radical,' starring Eugenio Derbez. The film centers on a gifted but disadvantaged group of students in Mexico whose lives are transformed by an unconventional new teacher.  Hear how the film was received differently by Mexican versus American audiences, Eugenio’s decade-long journey to becoming a dramatic actor, the challenges Latinos face in gaining Oscar recognition, and the surprising story of how the film's rights were nearly lost. Highly Rele ..read more

'How the Gringo Stole Christmas' is one of only a handful of Latino-centered holiday films ever made. This week, its director, Venezuelan-American Angel Gracia, joins the show to discuss this pressing question: Why are Latino holiday movies so rare? Plus, we discuss his rich three-decade journey in filmmaking, the challenges of authentically casting Latino roles, and the hard business truths of making art in Hollywood. Episode Summary: Angel's diverse upbringing and experiences living as a foreigner in different countries, inform his storytelling Casting George Lopez and connecting with his r ..read more

In this week's episode, we welcome singer Julio Iglesias Jr. who celebrated his 50th birthday with a new big band album titled "Under The Covers" out now, his first musical project in 15 years. He also opens up about his father Julio Sr. and superstar brother Enrique and how he defines himself in terms of race, culture, and identity. Interview with Julio Iglesias Jr.: Segment 1: Julio's Musical Journey Julio discussed his love for his last album, Tercera Dimensión, a Spanish rock record in 2003, which is still one of his favorite records. After that, he did a cover record in Spain, but it was ..read more

Our first guest of 2023 is Xochitl Gonzalez, the multi-talented Puerto Rican-Mexican American writer of the New York Times best-seller "Olga Dies Dreaming" and staff writer for The Atlantic Magazine. She's here to discuss with me her latest thought-provoking article, "The New Case for Social Climbing," and its impact on people of color, particularly Latinos. In our interview, we explore the advantages and disadvantages of seeking higher social status, the right and wrong ways to do it, and why Latinos are more likely to succeed at it. We also get an update on her Hulu TV adaptation of "Olga Di ..read more

In this interview with Marta Tellado, the CEO of Consumer Reports, we discuss how she became one of the few Latina CEOs in the country, how her Cuban heritage shaped her democratic ideals, and how her new book, ‘Buyer Aware: Harnessing Our Consumer Power for a Safe, Fair, and Transparent Marketplace,’ acts as a guide for consumers to reclaim their power against shady business practices.  Marta's Favorite Things:  Casa de Papel, Sound of Music, Esperanza Spaulding Highly Relevant Music Playlist:  Flores - Nino Freestyle, Dalex Tomemos un Trago - Kat & Alex I Know You Know - E ..read more

Ximena and I discuss her most recent album Amor Adolecente and how her hit ballad 'Una Vez Más' came to be. We also discuss the significance her sophomore English-language album had on her artistic growth, the pressures for Latin artists to succumb to the Reggaeton momentum, why it’s hard for Latina artists to find global acceptance, and we discuss her dreams of one day composing on the New York Broadway stage ..read more

In this week’s episode, I talk to Simón Mejía, the founder and band leader of the Grammy-winning Colombian group ‘Bomba Estéreo’. We discuss his latest solo film and music project EL DUENDE, inspired by the Afro-indigenous music of Colombia’s jungles, as well as, what he thinks of Colombia’s newly elected president Gustavo Petro, and how the Bad Bunny collaboration of ‘Ojitos Lindos’ came to be without them ever meeting. The Highly Relevant Playlist La isla de Lesbos - Javiera Mena El Lobby - Micro TDH, Pablo Alborán Mala Vibra - Gativideo Like to give us your feedback? Email us at highlyrelev ..read more

In this week’s episode, we welcome Manuel Abud, the CEO of the Latin Recording Academy for a chat about this year’s Latin Grammys. We discuss an array of topics including thoughts of taking the Latin Grammys back to CBS and mainstream validation, his vision of taking the show internationally to different countries, competition from other Spanish-language award shows, which award is more important to a Latin artist… the Grammy or the Latin Grammy? and he addresses some of the controversies surrounding the urban/reggaeton backlash of the last several years ..read more

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 ..read more