Archive for May 2022

Latin TV writer, Emilia Serrano is no stranger to uncomfortable scenarios. She knows what it’s like to feel like a fish out of water and to struggle with internal identity crises as a first-generation daughter of immigrant parents.

As a teenager, Emilia and her family moved from Union City, California to Troy, Missouri. The small, mid-western town was as unfamiliar to her as she was to it. She had only known the predominantly Spanish-speaking community of her youth. In California, she wasn’t diverse either. She grew up constantly surrounded only by Latinos and her family. It was a culture shock for her.

Those experiences shaped her so profoundly that they became inspirational gold for America’s BIG Screen. Along the way, she would use those experiences as story points for humor or something that someone else could relate to and she’s taken her stories all the way to Hollywood!

“Sometimes all the crappy things and all your trauma can actually make you money down on paper”, she quips. “It was oftentimes such a struggle and culturally challenging, but then that’s exactly what helps me write stories now.”

Her time in America’s Heartland and the nurturing influence of her community and family honed her skill as a “Son”-solid storyteller in her own right. Her dad (a mechanic) and her mom (a mariachi-singer) guided her to fight through tough battles and to find her voice. She is proud of her Mexican American culture and her authentic stories reflect her passion to see more inclusive onscreen characters who reflect the real people in her life and culture.

And she’s winning!

Emilia Serrano is co-executive producer of major network television shows like, Promised Land, Mixed*Ish and High School Musical – The Series. Emilia’s creativity and skills have attracted the attention of major production houses. She recently sold exclusive content to Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions and for actress, producer and director, America Ferrera.

In this episode:

• What is code switching?
• What inspires Emilia’s writing for the Silver Screen
• Where she gets her captivating storytelling ability and learned how use her voice to command attention
• The routine she employs when writing a feature
• How our stories and experiences, as well as our traumas and challenges, shape who we are and the ways we navigate life
• Ways Ranchera Music is much like Mariachi Music
• Her mantra, “Stick to Your Truth”, and ways it gives her power
• Challenges of leading positive change and shaping Latinx identity in the entertainment industry
• How the wide popularity and consumption of Latino media translates to actual Latino representation (or not)
• How representation in media contributes to visibility, identity, belief
• Mistakes that Hollywood continues to make
• Why she only works on Brown and Black shows
• How to minimize stereotypes, advance dialog and develop a layered story
• What makes a good story?
• What’s next for Emilia’s big hits

Learn more:IG: @mexemilia

Emiliaserrano.com

Latin TV writer, Emilia Serrano is no stranger to uncomfortable scenarios. She knows what it’s like to feel like a fish out of water and to struggle with internal identity crises as a first-generation daughter of immigrant parents.

As a teenager, Emilia and her family moved from Union City, California to Troy, Missouri. The small, mid-western town was as unfamiliar to her as she was to it. She had only known the predominantly Spanish-speaking community of her youth. In California, she wasn’t diverse either. She grew up constantly surrounded only by Latinos and her family. It was a culture shock for her.

Those experiences shaped her so profoundly that they became inspirational gold for America’s BIG Screen. Along the way, she would use those experiences as story points for humor or something that someone else could relate to and she’s taken her stories all the way to Hollywood!

“Sometimes all the crappy things and all your trauma can actually make you money down on paper”, she quips. “It was oftentimes such a struggle and culturally challenging, but then that’s exactly what helps me write stories now.”

Her time in America’s Heartland and the nurturing influence of her community and family honed her skill as a “Son”-solid storyteller in her own right. Her dad (a mechanic) and her mom (a mariachi-singer) guided her to fight through tough battles and to find her voice. She is proud of her Mexican American culture and her authentic stories reflect her passion to see more inclusive onscreen characters who reflect the real people in her life and culture.

And she’s winning!

Emilia Serrano is co-executive producer of major network television shows like, Promised Land, Mixed*Ish and High School Musical – The Series. Emilia’s creativity and skills have attracted the attention of major production houses. She recently sold exclusive content to Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions and for actress, producer and director, America Ferrera.

In this episode:

• What is code switching?
• What inspires Emilia’s writing for the Silver Screen
• Where she gets her captivating storytelling ability and learned how use her voice to command attention
• The routine she employs when writing a feature
• How our stories and experiences, as well as our traumas and challenges, shape who we are and the ways we navigate life
• Ways Ranchera Music is much like Mariachi Music
• Her mantra, “Stick to Your Truth”, and ways it gives her power
• Challenges of leading positive change and shaping Latinx identity in the entertainment industry
• How the wide popularity and consumption of Latino media translates to actual Latino representation (or not)
• How representation in media contributes to visibility, identity, belief
• Mistakes that Hollywood continues to make
• Why she only works on Brown and Black shows
• How to minimize stereotypes, advance dialog and develop a layered story
• What makes a good story?
• What’s next for Emilia’s big hits

Learn more:IG: @mexemilia

Emiliaserrano.com

Whether you love St. Louis or you need a reminder of its greatness, join Carlos Restrepo and explore our region through his eyes/experiences.

From Medellin Colombia to St. Louis, Missouri, Carlos knew at a young age he would be living in St. Louis someday, through the pages of a picture book, he first saw the landscapes of our region. He shares with you his reaction while living here and how he ended up in Marshall, Missouri.

Colombian-born, Carlos Glynias Restrepo, is a bilingual marketing and communications professional, with a career background specializing in international business, journalism, digital marketing, and public relations. A native from Colombia, Restrepo’s experiences as a Spanish-speaking immigrant have strengthened and widened the communication tools at his disposal, helping him understand the complex issues of navigating multiple cultures when delivering a message, whether electronically, in print, video or audio. Restrepo holds a bachelor’s degree in global journalism from Webster University, a master’s degree in international business from Saint Louis University, and is a proud graduate of the class of 2017 of the Hispanic Leadership Institute.

State Rep. Joe Adams returns to Politically Speaking to talk to St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Sarah Kellogg about the now-completed 2022 Missouri General Assembly session.

The University City Democrat represents a portion of St. Louis County in the Missouri House. After redistricting, his district will consist of University City and portions of Clayton.

Here’s what Adams talked about on the program:

• He described the 2022 legislative session as “pathetic,” primarily because lawmakers in the House focused on bills that had no chance of passing, while senators engaged in lengthy filibustering that ended up bringing legislative output to a halt.
• He condemned the decision to resurrect a photo identification requirement. The measure was enacted in 2017 after the approval of a constitutional amendment but struck down in court. 
• He expects the photo ID law to face a legal challenge, and that may put in jeopardy another provision that provides two weeks of no-excuse, in-person absentee voting.

Adams, a retired history professor, served 21 years as a University City councilman and then 14 years as mayor.

He won a 2014 bid for the 86th District state House seat, which takes in all or parts of Hanley Hills, Pagedale, University City, Vinita Park, Vinita Terrace and Wellston. That victory came after his 2010 loss for a Missouri Senate seat. In 2018, he sought that seat again and came in third.

After the 86th District became open in 2020, Adams ran unopposed to reclaim his House seat. He faces no opposition this year for his fourth and final term. He will be ineligible to run again after 2024 due to term limits.

Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum

Follow Sarah Kellogg on Twitter: @sarahkkellogg

Follow Joe Adams on Twitter: @bear_adams

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Sarah Kellogg and Jason Rosenbaum answer listener questions about the Missouri General Assembly.

The questions included:

• Whether heightened GOP infighting will become a permanent fixture of Missouri legislative life.
• How term limits affect the disarray and whether arguing about their value is a waste of time since they’re difficult to change.
• Which legislators have been able to showcase their effectiveness in the legislature.
• What’s next for a congressional redistricting map, especially in the legal arena.

Follow Sarah Kellogg on Twitter: @sarahkkellogg

Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum