Johnny Sibilly Signs with Creative Artists Agency (CAA)

Johnny Sibilly has new representation…

The 35-year-old Cuban & Dominican American actor has signed with Creative Artists Agency (CAA).

Johnny SibillyBest known for his role as Wilson on the first two seasons of HBO Max’s Emmy-winning comedy series HacksSibilly will return for Season 3 this year.

Sibilly previously starred as Noah Hernandez in the Peacock Original series, Queer As Folk.

He has also appeared opposite CAA client Billy Porter in the FX series Pose, and alongside CAA client Liza Koshy in YouTube’s Liza On Demand.

As a content creator, Sibilly is a fervent advocate for LGBTQ+ and Latino rights, growing a considerable social following as a result of his progressive and comedic voice that includes his popular online character, “Julissa.”

He has also partnered with brands including Viktor&Rolf, AT&T, 21 Seeds, Smirnoff, Abercrombie & Fitch, Nissan, Oculus and Bonobos.

John Leguizamo to Receive Impact Award at This Year’s Miami Film Festival

John Leguizamo is being honored for his impact

The 62-year-old Colombian actor, comedian and film producer will receive the Miami Film Festival‘s Impact Award on March 11.

John LeguizamoLeguizamo’s new MSNBC series Leguizamo Does America will screen ahead of the award presentation. The festival’s upcoming 40th edition runs from March 3-12.

Leguizamo has more than 75 film, theater and television credits, including Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge!, Summer of Sam and as the voice of Bruno on Encanto. Most recently, he co-starred in Mark Mylod’s film The Menu.

The Emmy winner is next set to star alongside Toni Collette in Prime Video’s The Power.

Following his MFF Impact award, Leguizamo will premiere his directorial debut, Critical Thinking, at the 2023 SXSW Film Festival. In addition to his Emmy award, Leguizamo has received a Drama Desk award and a special Tony award for his one-man show, Latin History for Morons.

Leguizamo Does America follows the actor as he travels from San Juan, Puerto Rico to East Los Angeles while making a few surprising stops along the way. In addition to celebrating and honoring Latino history, culture and food, Leguizamo will speak with Latino actors, the Latino immigrants who transformed the city of Chicago, as well as the indigenous people of Puerto Rico. Leguizamo Does America will premiere on MSNBC on April 16 at 10 p.m.

In addition to Leguizamo, the Miami Film Festival will honor Nicolas Cage with the Variety Legend & Groundbreaker Award, Diego Luna with the Variety Virtuoso Award and Nicholas Britell with Art of Light Composer Award, presented by Alacran Group.

The complete Miami Film Festival program is available at miamifilmfestival.com.

Carlos V. Gutierrez’s “Barton Creek” Biopic One Step Closer to Production

Carlos V. Gutierrez is one set closer to beginning work on his next project…

Producer John Martinez O’Felan has secured financing and set his next project, Barton Creek, a Latino-led and LatinX inclusive feature biopic written and directed by the award-winning Cuban-American director.

Carlos V. Gutierrez,,The feature follows the triumphant life story of Cuban political exile and innocence project participant Carlos Lavernia, who was wrongfully convicted to life in prison and spent 15 years behind bars before being proven innocent.

Lavernia is a Havana-born immigrant and former Cuban soldier imprisoned in Fidel Castro’s Cuba before being sent on the Mariel Boatlift of 1980 to live in the U.S in exile. While in his early 30’s, he settled in Austin, Texas, where he began his new life. After hanging out at a local landmark known as the Barton Springs Pool area, an area hot-spot known for day drinking at the time, Lavernia finds himself questioned by authorities for predatory crimes based on his racial identity. Having issues with PTSD from his past life, Lavernia has a manic episode during questioning, leading to greater suspicion. With a police sketch as the only key evidence, Lavernia is arrested and detained. After inadequate representation by a court-appointed attorney, he was convicted to life in prison based on the color of his skin and his lack of proper English.

Throughout his 15-year conviction, Lavernia maintained his innocence and methodically taught himself English and gained knowledge of the legal system in the prison’s law library, self-representing yearly appeals to only meet rejection until 1999, when he eventually wrote Johnny Cochran, which led to an introduction to Barry Scheck, Lavernia’s case was finally reopened for DNA evidence review, new technology at the time, and overseen by Barry Scheck and the Innocence Project.

During the review process, his legal team discovered that the evidence used in Lavernia’s case, which was supposed to be destroyed, was somehow lodged in a file cabinet and preserved — a miracle that led to Lavernia’s exoneration, making national and international headlines, only for Lavernia to later wait in holding for five more years while the U.S Immigration office cleared his green card status, to avoid being sent back to Cuba.

O’Felan, under his Mankind Entertainment banner, and Gutierrez will produce through Rite of Passage Pictures LLC, a new Austin, Texas-based shingle set up with local entrepreneur Jay Lamy, to develop stories based on human struggles that are inspiring, enlightening, or encouraging through their central characters.

O’Felan says, “Beyond the wrongful conviction based on racial profiling, Mr. Lavernia’s life journey represents a greater humility and perseverance which leads to good overpowering evil. Coming from a Latin American country, His story offers a crucial representation of the struggles of Latino history in 1980s America, and stories like these are inspiring and essential and need to be heard.”

Casting on Barton Creek is now underway with an eye toward fast-tracking production in Austin and Colombia in early 2023.

Gutierrez is a Miami-born Cuban-American filmmaker who attended film school at Tufts University, where he was awarded a Graduate Fellowship to New York University’s Master Film Program. While at NYU, he won the DGA Student Film Awards for Best Latino Filmmaker and the Grand Prize in the HBO Latino Film Festival Short Film Contest. He was honored by the AMPTP with a Student Academy Award nomination for his short film Wet Foot, Dry Foot, leading his work to become selected and win the Showtime Network’s Latino Filmmaker’s showcase. Gutierrez’s feature indie film debut Locked In starred Mena Suvari and was released by Saban Films / Paramount, and recently wrapped his second feature Stay Safe, which is currently in post-production.

Wilmer Valderrama Partners with John Pollak to Launch Latino Talent Agency ‘Allied Management Group’

Wilmer Valderrama is hoping to expand Latino voices in Hollywood.

The 42-year-old Venezuelan and Colombian American actor, producer and activist has joined forces with former NBCUniversal executive John Pollak to launch Allied Management Group.

Wilmer Valderrama The company is focused on partnering with, collaborating, and representing new and existing Latino voices across traditional and digital media.

Pollak and Valderrama are co-founders and co-owners of L.A.-based AMG.

After two decades in the entertainment business as both a global distribution head and producer, Pollak will oversee day-to-day operations.

Clients include Dhana Media, the company led by producers Mari Urdaneta and Liliana Moyano who are behind Amazon’s scripted series Maradona: Blessed Dream and Univision’s The Jenni Rivera Story, Tuti Loor, showrunner of CNN’s Searching for Mexico with Eva Longoriaand L Word writer Maria Renee Prudencio.

Valderrama is the latest actor to make the move into management; last year, Kenan Thompson launched Artists for Artists and formed a joint venture with McKeon/Myones Entertainment.

“Latino talent has traditionally been relegated to the Latin American arm of major Hollywood companies but thanks to an exciting industry shift bolstered by the rise of global streaming platforms, they are now a major part of the general US market. Our mission will be to champion current talent and discover new voices who can help create content that is relatable to all audiences including the 200% demographic – consumers who see themselves as both 100% American and 100% Latino,” Pollak told Deadline.

Added Valderrama, “As a community, it is vital that we see ourselves on screen – it shapes both how we see ourselves and how others see us. However, the reality is that there’s an undeniable void of authentic stories being told by Latino voices and through the perspective of our creators. I am so excited to partner with John and the rest of the AMG team. Together we will discover and cultivate new voices, and help our talent deliver fresh, authentic Latino storytelling to audiences in the US and around the globe.

AMG’s roster of clients includes the following Latino creators:

Dhana Media (Maradona: Blessed Dream/Amazon; The Jenni Rivera Story/Univision), led by producers Mari Urdaneta and Liliana Moyano;
Crea84U (Borrego/Paramount), led by producers Monica Gil-Rodriguez and Julie and Phantoms’ Jaime Aymerich;
TDO (Rebelde/Netflix; Corazón Contento/Amazon) led by producer Paulette Bensussen;
Writer Maria Renee Prudencio (L Word/Showtime);
Writer Ricardo Avilez Mozota (Las Vocales/Vix; Fake/Netflix; El Galan/Disney);
Writer/Director Marcelo Tobar (Ana/Pantaya; Amarres/HBO Max; and
upcoming No Culpes al Karma/Netflix);
Director Alejandro Hartmann (Carmel: Who Killed Maria Marta?/Netflix);
Showrunner Tuti Loor (Searching for Mexico with Eva Longoria/CNN; Now and
Then/Apple TV);
Showrunner Moira Noriega (Ultimate BeastMaster/Netflix; Essential Heroes: A Momento
Latino Event/CBS Special; Treasure Truck/Nickelodeon);
Author Andrew Paxman (Jenkins of MexicoEl Tigre: Emilio Azcárraga y su imperio
Televisa with co-author Claudia Fernández)

New projects and clients will be announced in the coming weeks.

Edward James Olmos to Take Part in Biden Inaugural Committee’s “Latino Inaugural 2021: Inheritance, Resilience, and Promise” Event

Edward James Olmos is preparing to celebrate the resilience and promise of the Latino community in the United States…

President-elect Joe Biden’s inaugural committee has announced a Tuesday night event, featuring the 73-year-old Mexican American actor, director, producer, and activist, that shines a spotlight on the Latino community.

Edward James Olmos

Entitled Latino Inaugural 2021: Inheritance, Resilience, and Promise, the event will be hosted by Eva Longoria.

It will feature appearances by Olmos, Lin-Manuel Miranda, John Leguizamo, Rita Moreno, Ivy Queen and Becky G.

There also will be performances from Gilberto Santa Rosa and Gaby Moreno, featuring David Garza, Emilio Estefan and All-Star Tejanos UnitedStefani Montiel, Jose Posada, Shelly Lares, DJ Kane and Mariachi Nuevo Santander from Roma High School.

Emilio Estefan produced a performance of One World, One Prayer by the Wailers, featuring Skip Marley, Farruko, Shaggy and Cedella Marley.

The event will take palace on Tuesday, January 19 at 9:30 pm ET

 

It’s part of a series of events that will highlight the nation’s diversity, including the AAPI Inaugural Ball: Breaking Barriers, celebrating the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities; and We Are One, celebrating Black Americans.