To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, our Hispanic/Latinx affinity group, GSDyM, has put together a list of recommendations ranging from hit Netflix shows in Spanish that have become internationally successful to works of literature to authentic places to shop/eat. There is an abundance of Hispanic talent out there…. Please enjoy our recommendations to help support the Hispanic community as you become inspired by our beautiful culture.
Movies
We created a selection based on our favorite award-winning movies and some “classics.” Some of these movies are great for learning Spanish. If the Spanish is too quick for you, we recommend using subtitles to follow along, or simply watch in English and know that you are supporting Hispanic filmmakers. Grab some Takis con salsa and hit play.
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- Roma: This award-winning film was recently nominated for best picture at the Oscars. The main actress, Yalitza Aparicio is the first indigenous Mexican Best Actress Oscar nominee. It’s a masterpiece in cinema.
- Selena: A Mexican-American, English-speaking girl learns to sing Tejano music in Spanish and becomes a groundbreaking star in the Tejano music genre. This movie deals with several themes: women in music (specifically, Tejano music), the expectations/judgements of Mexican-Americans who do not speak fluent Spanish and being a “crossover” musician.
- Ya no estoy aquí (I’m No Longer Here): I recently watched the movie on Netflix and really enjoyed the art, music, cinematography and story around it. It is also very close to my heart as it is based in my hometown, Monterrey, Mexico, and it’s about a 17-year-old “Cholombiano” who escapes Mexico and tries to make a life for himself in New York City.
- Nosotros los nobles (The Noble Family): This is a classic, Mexican dark comedy about a rich family with spoiled children who go from living the dream life to not having a single cent.
- Como caído del cielo: Inspired by the life of Mexican legendary actor-singer Pedro Infante, this movie stars comedian Omar Chaparro who portrays Infante’s beloved music beautifully.
- Live Twice, Love Once: This is a sweet, light movie about a man who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease seeking out his childhood love—good for learning Spanish (subtitled).
- Orfeu Negro/Black Orpheus: A classic movie set in Brazil during Carnival intertwined with Greek myth of Orpheus; largely Afro-Brazilian cast.
- McFarland, USA: This is a great family movie based on a true story of runners from McFarland, an economically challenged town in California, and building a cross country team in a predominantly Latino high school.
- Mi Vida Loca: Two teen best friends who consider themselves cholas and are immersed in gang life in 90s Echo Park find their friendship put to the test when they both become pregnant by the same young man. I love the look of the girls in this movie. It reminds me of the way girls dressed when I was in school. It also portrays teen gang life and neighborhood violence.
- Lone Star: This murder mystery goes back and forth in time from the late 50s to the 90s and is set in a border town. Themes include Mexican American life in a border town, the theme of “borders” and what that means literally and figuratively, police corruption, and also racism in a town that includes a large Hispanic and Black population that are both still distinctly “separate.”
- La Bamba: Ritchie Valens went from doing farm work to becoming one of the first Chicano rock stars. His hit song was sung entirely in Spanish. I love how this movie portrays the work ethic of the farm workers, life for Californian Chicanos and the fact that it’s about early rock music.
- Stand and Deliver: A group of Hispanic kids from a school in the “bad part of town” who were essentially written off as “unteachable” learn advanced mathematics. It’s an honest look at the educational system in underserved communities, the Hispanic family structure and expectations within, and a bit about internalized racism.
TV Shows
Netflix and other streaming platforms are doing a great job bringing Spanish-language shows to the U.S. AND making them international hits. Here is our list of must-see TV shows:
- Club de Cuervos: A comedy centered around a brother and sister having a power struggle over their family’s treasured fútbol (soccer) club.
- La Casa de Papel (Money Heist): An action/drama show about a group of criminals trying to pull off the biggest bank robbery in Spain.
- Latin History for Morons: Inspired by the absence of Latinos in his son’s school, John Leguizamo breaks down 3,000 years of Latin American history.
- Celia: This show focuses on the life of artist Celia Cruz and how she went from being a shy, skinny girl from Cuba to the Queen of Salsa. The music will make you want to dance!
- Jane the Virgin: American romantic comedy and telenovela full of Spanglish, food and dancing
- El tiempo entre costuras (The Time in Between): This Spanish drama series is based on the novel by Maria Dueñas (book also recommended). It is about a Madrileña seamstress turned spy who finds herself stuck in Morocco around the time of the Spanish Civil War. It is a beautiful story, and the costumes are amazing.
- Velvet: a Spanish drama show set in the 80s about a love story between a seamstress and a young man destined to inherit the majestic fashion empire ruled by his father.
- Immigration Nation: Documentary on Netflix based on how ICE has changed since the last presidency
- Orange is the New Black: They have dynamic characters with cultural depth–celebrated for having a diverse cast.
Literature
Book-lovers, check out these must-read titles in English or Spanish!
- The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo: Brazilian novelist, Paulo Coehlo, is one of my favorite authors. You’ve probably heard of his best-selling book called The Alchemist, which at one point was the most translated book in history (other than the Bible, I think). My other favorite books from him include: Brida, Veronika Decides to Die and The Devil and Miss Prym.
- Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal: Martinez-Neal is a Peruvian American children’s book author and illustrator.
- The Diary of Frida Kahlo: An Intimate Self‑Portrait: Frida’s amazing illustrated journal reflects her art, writings and love for Diego.
- Other book recommendations:
- Tear This Heart Out by Ángeles Mastretta, Cien Años de Soledad by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, The Chicana Feminist by Martha P. Cotera, The House of Spirit by Isabel Allende, Hopscotch by Julio Cortázar, Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
Music
Whether you enjoy music for dancing, relaxing, inspiration or nostalgia, these bands and albums have you covered!
- Canciones de Mi Padre, Linda Ronstadt: If you love listening to mariachis, or mariachi music makes you tear up (like it does me), check out Linda’s album of traditional mariachi music.
- De Mexico, Reik: album has acoustic covers of classic songs
- Los Lobos Del Este De Los Angeles: Los Lobos performs traditional party songs in Spanish.
- Bidi Bidi Banda: It’s an Austin-based Selena cover band!
- Mi Tierra and 90 Millas: Two of Gloria Estefan’s Spanish-language albums
- Little Joe y La Familia: Tex-Mex Funk
- Flaco Jiménez NPR Session
- Concha Buika: Spanish Gitana music
- Also check out music by: Los Ángeles Azules, Cuco, Máximo Grado, Los Nuevos Rebeldes, Banda Renovación, Marca Registrada, Larry Hernández, El Potro De Sinaloa, Grupo Delta, Gerardo Ortiz, Lenin Ramírez, Javier Torres
Website/Blog/Media outlets
Rejoice, social media hounds and webbies, we’ve got your online entertainment right here.
- Remezcla is a content website that keeps you up to date with anything cool in the Latinx community. Right now, they are also putting on live music events that are so fun!
- Pero Like, Buzzfeed’s hispanic community, has a ton of fun content on Hispanic culture in both English and Spanish. Great way to learn about different cultures while having fun!
- Se regalan dudas – Spanish-language podcast. The focus of the podcast is to speak about taboo themes without prejudice, like mental health, abortion, rape and sexuality.
- We are mitú is a channel with a Latino point of view. They have very cool and informative content about music, food, sex, politics and all things that matter on both their website and Instagram page.
- Latinx Parenting – Parenting resources rooted in social justice and children’s rights
ATX Restaurants
Hungry? Restaurants are slowly starting to open back up, but there’s always “para llevar.”
- Cuantos Tacos: Food truck with the best tacos in Austin
- Suerte: Suadero tacos have been featured in many magazines and documentaries.
- El Alma: higher-end Mexican food restaurant with craft cocktails
- Joe’s Bakery & Coffee Shop: Mexican breakfast and lunch, pan dulce
- Mr. Natural: Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free Mexican food and bakery
- Hecho En Mexico: They are family owned and their mole is sooo good. I recommend the sampler mole plate!
- Granny’s Tacos: They have the best fat breakfast tacos from a trailer, and that’s a hill I’ll die on.
- The Vegan Nom: Food truck with vegan tacos and queso
- Licha’s Cantina: The food of Mexico City in a space with East Austin vibes
Local Culture
- Esquina Tango (dance studio): Salsa, Bachata, Samba, Tango, Salsa Aerobics, Afro-Latin dance, Conversational Portuguese classes (Right now, they are offering online classes by donation and outdoor classes by reservation.)
- Austin Samba: Learn to play drums or dance samba with others in the Austin community. Perform at local parades, events and Carnaval Brasileiro. There is a small donation for new members during open season (begins in May). Do not need to have played an instrument or danced samba to participate.
- Roy Lozano’s Ballet Folklorico: Classes in ballet folklorico for children and adults of all levels
- Mexic-Arte Museum: They also hold the annual Viva la Vida Parade celebrating the Day of the Dead.
- Puerto Rican Cultural Center: They offer classes in dance, theater, music and also hold workshops and events.
Creators (artists, local craft makers, etc.)
Gift-giving season is right around the corner!
- @FridaFridayATX: This is Austin’s first-and-only monthly WOC-centered mercado y más supporting and amplifying WOC in Tejaslandia! It’s more than a market, it’s a movement.
- @VeryThat: A San Antonio native who creates products that resonate with the Hispanic community, such as mugs, stickers and calendars with popular Hispanic figures and phrases like, “Chingona como mi Madre,” “Échale Ganas,” “Tacos Before Vatos” and more. Check her out!
- Carlos Bazán Ramos is a Mixtec (Oaxaca) painter and muralist. He is known to be one of the promising young artists of plastic Oaxacan arts and was recently selected to collaborate with Disney.
- Dr. Lakra: A Mexican artist and tattooist based in Oaxaca, Dr. Lakra works on vintage printed materials and found objects instead of skin, incorporating images of pinups, old-time Mexican businessmen and professional wrestlers.
- @PriscilaGarciaJacquier: Colombian journalist dedicated to deconstructing Latinidad
- @thenycyogini: Patricia Pinto is a Venezulan yogi whose work is inspiring and effective.
- @perreopandemico: Christine Amy used to be a creative at GSD&M. She’s created an Instagram account where she rewrites lyrics of famous reggaeton songs to make light of the pandemic and 2020 in general (mostly in Spanish, Puerto Rican).
By Jefferson Burruss, Executive Producer
Mr. Leonard Nimoy passed away today.
Ad Age has published a memorial of a kind already. Mr. Nimoy was no stranger to advertising, of course. His real influence, though, was never the equity he brought to marketing. Rather, his unique interpretation of the half-Vulcan, half-human Mr. Spock, and the Star Trek science fiction narrative served as a vision and inspiration for all that was possible in the world for generations of us worldwide. Perhaps no other series of stories has brought to life a future of technology in which doctors have life-saving apparatuses an arm’s reach away; where space travel is everyday; computers have at their disposal the full knowledge of the entire human experience; machines learn and process massive data in an instant, provide reason and advice; and vessels of our own (and alien) design travel at the speed of light. And most of the technology featured is intended for the good of man, for the purposes of peace and to satisfy the insatiable thirst of human exploration and curiosity. And where weapons seemed to have a default state of stun, and not kill. A universe where anything seemed possible and it all seemed so real.
Reflecting on this brings me back to a whole course of events leading up to this day. Bear with me; this nostalgia comes from a place of honest grief. This is a eulogy of a kind.
Follow all of our updates for SXSW and beyond at our new site: http://www.gsdmpresents.com.
Full disclosure: Alex Roka and Joel Parr, interviewed in this post, are both fulltime employees of the agency and resident BAMFs. I interviewed them because I think their side venture is pretty awesome. I did not accept any bribes of briefcases full of cash, bottles of nice wine or unconditional love. Now you know.
Living in Austin gets exhausting. Every weekend there’s a new festival, art opening and underground concert you should be at. And with the added social media FOMO epidemic, things are only getting more hectic. Am I properly taking advantage of all my city has to offer?
Enter Wanderless – a new age, all-inclusive event calendar for the avid Austin socialite created by Anthony DeGennaro and Alex Roka.
Roka is a designer at GSD&M and came up with the idea with his roommate DeGennaro while struggling to find an event during last year’s Wurstfest. DeGennaro, who works for Emo’s , felt like there were lots of events that were going unnoticed throughout the city. They saw a need for an events site that was filtered well and presented in a pristine way.
A few months later, they had a business plan, a name and Roka got to work on the design. The logo alludes to the Austin tattoo culture with everything handrawn. As “eventcasters for the future”, he was inspired by the mystical nature of tarot cards and magic. Before the site even launched, his logo was picked up by Designspiriation.
For the site design, they wanted to keep it clean, intuitive, and easy to navigate, “Apple functionality meets Pitchfork aesthetic.” With help from GSD&Mer Joel Parr, the Beta site was developed and ready for launch last week.
The team of three wanted the site to be used across different devices. “You don’t always have your computer in front of you when you’re looking for something to do, so we created a site that could be easily viewed on a mobile device too,” Parr explains regarding the responsive design he developed.
It was important to them that the site remained simple without letting it become too cumbersome by trying to do too much.
And that’s exactly what it does. With three categories (music, film and arts & culture), you can sift through the best events Austin has to offer. Their Eventcast gives you their top choices for the day across all categories for week ahead.
DeGennaro says, “We want to have a constant pulse on Austin.” Whether you’re into Formula One Racing or the East Austin Studio Tour, their events cater to all types. It’s important to them that they give exposure to events that normally wouldn’t be on your radar.
So what are the best events in town according to the Wanderless team? Roka loves the Cinema East screenings. Parr enjoys all of the events around the East Austin Studio Tour and anything presented by Learning Secrets. DeGennaro thinks the UT Visual Arts Center is oftenoverlooked and often has many great , free exhibits.
Whether you are trying to prepare for the festivities of this upcoming weekend or just looking for a Wednesday night activity, Roka and DeGennaro want to help. Keep an eye on the site as these guys are hoping to continue eventcasting to bring a refined social calendar to the fine folks of Austin.
Pictured above: Joel Parr/Developer/GSD&M developer, Alex Roka/Founder/GSD&M designer, Anthony DeGennaro/Founder
In 2012, Pantene Beautiful Lengths will donate a record 12,000 real hair wigs to women fighting cancer nationwide and as part of Pantene’s marketing program, they created a branded documentary to capture a compelling story and drive interest in the Beautiful Lengths program. Not only did this SXSW panel include a marketing rep from Pantene (P&G), but also the director of the documentary and a representative from P&G’s PR firm. It was so inspiring to hear their account of how the project came to be, and how personal it is to each of them now it’s over. LET’S GET MORE OF OUR CLIENT PARTNERS ON BOARD WITH CREATING BRANDED DOCUMENTARY – if done well and right, it’s a surefire way to increase engagement and drive interest in the brand. The mental model consumers use to make purchase decisions is changing; they want to feel good about the brands they choose, and that they’re taking part in making the world a better place. Here are a few tips from the panel, after having gone through the process themselves. For anyone considering branded documentary as part of their marketing program, listen up:
1) Use real stories and real people – they are your best asset
2) The documentary should be cinematic, and should NOT feel like a marketing video
3) Engage viewers emotionally, whether it’s drawing a tear or getting a chuckle
4) Consider your brand’s positioning before committing to a theme / topic
5) Root your message in powerful insight (e.g. losing your hair is very scary for most cancer survivors)
6) Before you begin, implement a content strategy for roll-out across an integrated campaign
7) Maintain the integrity of the genre – high-quality film is almost always better than reality-TV style with a handheld camera
8) PICK YOUR BATTLES – branded documentary is a BIG leap of faith for most brands and clients
9) Ask the question – who is being impacted most? Focus on them in your story, not the brand
10) Set success metrics in advance – here are some examples:
- Did people cry when they saw it?
- How easy will it be to align with and secure sponsors and partners?
- Was there an increase in social media response / traffic/page views?
- Did the number of volunteers and participants in the program increase?
- Did the documentary pique the interest of influencers in the space?
Take a look at the short-form Beautiful Lengths documentary on link below – I DARE YOU NOT TO CRY!
By Simon Walker
Last Thursday, following the SXSW premiere of the documentary Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me, GSD&M sponsored Big Star’s Third – a celebration of one of the most under-celebrated bands in history. I was asked to create the concert poster for what was sure to be a special night.
Being a bit of a closet astronomy nerd, the first thing that came to mind when I started work on the Big Star poster was a literal big star, sectioned up in the style of a diagram showing all the layers beneath the surface. I’d originally wanted it to feel pretty technical, like a page from a text-book or an infographic from a 60’s classroom wall, but the first iterations were a bit too clinical and dry, so it became more focused and stylized as the process went on. My hope is that the final product straddles the line between a science-book illustration and an epic, pseudo-psychedelic band poster.
Details coming soon on where you can buy a print of the poster and support the New Orleans Musicians’ Clinic.
Say what you will about Kevin Smith, but he’s the mastermind behind cult movie classics like Chasing Amy, Mallrats, Dogma and Clerks. But he’s a changed man; not totally changed, mind you, because he still dropped tons of f-bombs in his SXSWi session, The Business of Kevin Smith, but hey – it wouldn’t be a talk with Kevin Smith without ludeness. Kevin meant to start out with a short intro to tee up his moderator for a talk about how he does business these days since he’s no longer making movies (by the way, he nobly states that “he has nothing good left to give as a director” so he quit while he’s ahead – WHAT A NOVEL IDEA!). But his intro turned into a 40 minute story about how his dad’s death changed his life. He went on to explain that his dad had a great life, didn’t want for anything and yet, he died screaming in his sleep (literally screaming). Now if that wouldn’t change your perspective, I don’t know what would. And it did for Kevin Smith. He vowed that day to do everything he could to avoid ‘dying screaming’ – to be at peace with himself and what he was doing with his life, above all else. I took that to heart in a major way. I saw a softer side of Kevin Smith at SXSW – and I liked it. The guy’s respectably smart, well-spoken and genuine. And he made Clerks with $27,000 – incredible!
I admit it – while I was poking fun at all the film nerds in the room as they waited anxiously for Smith to come out, I realized I was one….and proud of it! For all you fans out there, a walk down memory lane:
Clerks Trailer (BACK IN THE DAY!)
The 30-minute documentary, Kony 2012, hit 100MM views in 6 days, making it the most successful viral video in history. This post isn’t about the content or politics surrounding the video, but the format and what social media marketers can learn from it. Here are the top 5 lessons:
Break the Rules – Industry standards say that users have an attention span of about 2 minutes max when it comes to watching online video. Over 30% of people who watched the video watched the full 30 minutes, blowing the whole 2 minute rule right out of the water.
Simplify your Message – Have a clear call to action for users to take. At the end of the video, users were directed to share it with others. Looks like quite a few of them did.
Follow the Formula – I blogged earlier this week about the 6 Secrets of Viral Videos and what do you know, this video used nearly all of them. Although you can never guarantee a viral hit, there are proven tactics like music, surprise, cuteness, humor and celebrity.
Set Expectations – By minute 2, the video explains how long the video is, what you’re going to learn and, most importantly, what action they want you to take at the end.
Be Prepared – The traffic from the video crashed the Kony2012 site almost immediately, diminishing the amount of action users could take when they were most inspired. Although it’s hard to prepare for 100MM views in 6 days, it’s always good to talk through the “what ifs.”
What do you think about Kony 2012? Do you think anything else contributed to the video’s success that should be added to this list?
Photo Courtesy of therichest.org
I know I’m only on Day 4, but this will probably have been the highlight of my SXSW experience. Not just because I love the character Peter Griffin, but because Seth is the guy who’s done everything he’s done with integrity and a willingness to stay flexible. A bit of history – Family Guy – went about 3 seasons before Fox pulled it off the air. They did what big TV networks do with new shows and moved it around the different days of the week until it failed. It wasn’t until several years later that DVD sales inspired Fox to bring the show back. Now, we are in the 10th season, thank you God. Why does it resonate? The humor of course, but he also maintains his own degree of quality control. He uses a live orchestra to record the score for every episode to keep it feeling warm (one of the few shows to do that). They still do all the animation hand-drawn. Though this process has become more fluid, all the original scenes in every episode start out this way. As the animation has evolved, so has the edginess. If you have watched ANY episode, you know what I’m talking about. If you are offended, change the channel.
Photo Courtesy of Fox
The reason I don’t have any pictures or video from this convo was because we weren’t allowed. When the moderator told the audience not to film the clips we were seeing, Seth chimed in with “Yeah, it’s not like all this stuff is on the Internet anyway.” Though Seth is probably the main person who doesn’t want to see his creations pirated, he’s practical in his thinking, and that speaks to his continued success as an artist. Another company who’s practical? Lucas Arts. They allowed Seth to do entire episodes as a parody of Star Wars. Of course, what this says is that its not just Family Guy who is keeping it interesting, its the flexibility of Lucas Arts to stay relevant. They embraced the parody of this show and so many others. They are evolving with the new media, and that’s nearly non-existent in this new age.
Photo Courtesy of bemyteddybear.com
Ok, so what’s next for Seth? Well, we were lucky to be the first people to see the trailer for his live-action directorial debut. A film titled, Ted, starring Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis slated to come out this summer. He also gave us an exclusive look into the first 8 minutes of the movie. I think I speak for the entire audience when I say, WE CAN’T WAIT TO SEE MORE!! I think this movie is going to be a major hit with audiences, and not just the loyal following from his shows. Though the trailer for this film is not yet available, stay tuned to the websites for updates on the upcoming film (when available in the near future). www.tedisreal.com or tedthemovie.com.
Another great day at SXSW, I can’t believe it’s almost over already. The highlight of my day today was “A Conversation With Seth MacFarlane.” The discussion touched on MacFarlane’s TV career, his recently released debut album as well as upcoming projects.
The audience was also privy to the first-ever sneak peak of MacFarlane’s upcoming movie Ted, starring Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis. Ted is the story of a teddy bear who comes to life as the result of a childhood wish. Many years later, it is revealed that Teddy, voiced by MacFarlane himself, has never left his best friend’s side and John (Wahlberg) is forced to deal with the torment his now pot smoking, fowl-mouthed bear inflicts upon him. While we only caught the first eight minutes, this film looks hysterical. True to MacFarlane’s style.
I’ll leave you with a couple of other fun facts from the panel as well as video of my Q&A with MacFarlane & Wahlberg (sorry, video no longer available):
– MacFarlane graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with a degree in animation and design. At RISD, MacFarlane created his first character from Family Guy, Peter Griffin. Griffin was based on a campus security guard.
– At 24, MacFarlane was the youngest executive producer in television.
– MacFarlane’s debut album, “Music Is Better Than Words” received two Grammy nominations.
– MacFarlane is currently working on a reboot of The Flintstones.
– Family Guy uses a live orchestra for each episode.
