Vanessa Gonzalez Named to Variety’s 10 Comics to Watch List

Vanessa Gonzalez is a comedian to watch…

The Latina improviser/sketch comedy writer/comedian has been named to Variety’s 10 Comics to Watch list.

Vanessa GonzalezGonzalez and her fellow honorees will be feted at Just for Laughs Montreal. They’ll attend a special cocktail reception and panel discussion on July 29 before performing at a showcase on July 30.

Gonzalez participated in Chelsea Handler’s Vaccinated and Horny Tour.

It was late 2020 and Gonzalez was riding out the pandemic, wondering when — or even if — her next gig was going to materialize. Then Handler slid into her DMs. Recalls the Laredo, Texas, native: “I was like: Is this for real? And then I felt bad because I didn’t follow her. That was like, ‘Oh, this is awkward — she’s going to see me follow her right now.’”

Cut to August and Gonzalez found herself the opening act for Handler’s tour.

Originally booked for one show, Gonzalez has since appeared in “most of the tour,” including its May 5 stop at the Wiltern Theater in L.A. as part of the Netflix Is a Joke festival.

For Gonzalez, who, following graduation from Texas State University, spent six years as a preschool teacher in Austin — experience providing ample fodder for her stand-up routine, from bits about “muffins for moms day” to the “$10 an hour” paycheck — zig-zagging the country with Handler has been “really surreal.”

“Chelsea’s been so amazing and generous and she’s always encouraging me. She’ll sit and watch my set every night,” says Gonzalez. “When I get off stage she’s there high-fiving me and telling me how great I did.I’ve never felt so supported. It’s been overwhelming — her generosity, her love. She wants me to succeed. Usually with comics, there’s a weirdness. They’re threatened, there’s always a competition. And this is the first time where I actually feel lifted up by a comedian. And it’s so cool.”

With a recent guest spot on HBO Max’s freshman sitcom The Garcias to her credit, Gonzalez, based in Austin, is now setting her sights on landing an “hourlong comedy special.”

“It’s on my bucket list, it’s on my vision board,” she says. “I have the material for it. So, I’m ready, for whomever wants it.”

Nitzia Chama Joins Cast of HBO Max’s “The Garcias”

It’s an extra special family reunion for Nitzia Chama

The GarciasHBO Max’s reboot of the hit Nickelodeon series The Brothers Garcia, has set its cast for season 1, with the Latina actress joining the cast.

Nitzia Chama

The new series hails from New Cadence Productions, the banner founded by Brothers Garcia co-creator and executive producer Jeff Valdez.

In addition to Ada Maris, the other five core cast members from the original series — Carlos Lacamara (Ray Garcia), Alvin Alvarez (Larry Garcia), Jeffrey Licon (Carlos Garcia), Bobby Gonzalez (George Garcia), Vaneza Pitynski (Lorena Garcia) — are set to reprise their roles in the reboot.

New cast members joining the series are Oliver Alexander as Max Garcia; Chama as Ana Garcia; Maeve Garay as Victoria Garcia; Elsha Kim as Yunjin Huh Garcia; Ayva Severy as Andrea Huh Garcia; and Trinity Jo-Li Bliss as Alexa Huh Garcia.

The Garcias is currently in production in the Riviera Maya, Mexico, in and around the town of Puerto Aventuras. It’s a slice of life of an American family that just happens to be Latino. By shooting the show in San Antonio, Texas and Mexico, the series juxtaposes an American Latino family in Mexico.

The Brothers Garcia aired for four seasons on Nickelodeon, from 2000 to 2004.

The original series, billed as the first English-language sitcom to have an all Latino cast and creative team, revolved around the Garcia family, narrated by Larry, the adult version of one of the family’s sons. Larry recounts his life alongside George, Carlos, and Lorena (his two brothers and twin sister, respectively), and the way they deal with everyday problems such as school, work, growing up, and all living in one house in San Antonio, Texas.

The new version finds the Garcia children as adults and gathering with their parents for a summer vacation in a fancy beach house.

“We are really excited with our large cast,” said NCP Partner and show creator Jeff Valdez “They truly reflect America as it looks today. The stories and characters are not cookie cutter stereotypes. Since the show is serialized, audiences will be able to follow and embrace the fun and complex characters in our slice of life show. We posted the new cast members’ final auditions on our Instagram page @thegarciatstv and it’s really moving to see the emotional moment we captured when an actor gets the role.”

The Garcias

The Garcias

The Garcias is slated to come to HBO Max later this year.