Category Archives: new york

East WillyB Webseries Needs Your Help

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Hola everyone. Last year I posted a blog entry about East WillyB, a Latino webseries about a group of longtime residents in Bushwick, Brooklyn going through the ups and downs of the gentrification of their neighborhood.  The amazing talent behind this original effort now needs your help to film a few more episodes in hopes of it being picked up by a major network. The episodes are a few minutes long but with additional filming East WillyB will have 90 minutes worth of material to shop around.

This is where you can help. The producers of East WillyB have started a fundraising campaign to raise $50,000 in 50 days. In 15 days they have already raised over $10,000. With your donation of $1, $5, $10 or more dollars you can soon be seeing more Latinos on television and have the wonderful feeling of knowing that you helped make it happen. So let’s make it happen. Donate now!

I thought the series was extremely funny, the acting stellar, the writing incredible, and the production awesome for an independent project. I can see EastWillyB as an HBO series, on any of the major television networks, or on a future Latino-themed cable channel.

So take a moment to help support independent producers and Latino-themed programming by making a pledge now!

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How Saying Yes to a Frozen Margarita Led to a $100,000

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Recently I interviewed Farid Ali Lancheros, the co-owner of Bogota Latin Bistro in Brooklyn, (a thriving Colombian Pan-Latino restaurant in Park Slope) about his challenge early on to secure a small business loan. The inspirational article was published yesterday via the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Applying for money to start a small business is not always so black and white.  Farid takes us through how meeting a bank officer who loved frozen margaritas led the successful entrepreneur to obtaining a $100,000 loan he needed to start his business.

To read the entire story click here.

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East WillyB: A Latino Web Series

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A talented and innovative group of Latinos and like-minded artists have joined forces to produce a web series showcasing the issue of the gentrification of Bushwick, Brooklyn. The series, East WillyB, presently airs two short segments online. The segments are less then three minutes long and future segments will be aired.

Creators Julia Ahamuda Grob and Yamin Segal aim to reach the “new generation of Latinos” who are wired and plugged in, educated, and tired of one-dimensional stereotypes in the media. With limited English language Latino programming on television and the challenges of getting such shows on the air, the pair decided to launch their series online.

The webisode earns its name from “East Williamsburg,” a name conceived by real estate agencies to reference Brooklyn’s popular Williamsburg area and entice renters to neighboring Bushwick. The name also refers to the main character, a second-generation Puerto Rican named Willie Reyes Jr. who is the owner of a neighborhood sports bar. With hipsters moving into el barrio and rents going up, Willy Jr. is faced with the possibility of going out of business.

The web series features April Hernandez (Dexter, Freedom Writers), Flaco Navaja (Fighting, Falling Awake), Raul Castillo (Nurse Jackie, IFC’s Cold Weather), Caridad “La Bruja” De La Luz (Bamboozled, Down to the Bone), Danny Hoch (Black Hawk Down, American Splendor), and many of NYC’s top Latino actors.

If the series is successful more segments will be aired, so visit the East WillyB site, signup for segment notifications, join its Facebook and Twitter pages, and pass along this information to anyone you think would enjoy this incredible online effort.

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Restaurant Week in Brooklyn

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You still have a few days to take advantage of Restaurant Week in Brooklyn. I was able to participate last Friday when I visited my favorite Latin restaurant in New York City: Bogota Latin Bistro in Park Slope. This place continues to amaze me. It opened more than five years ago and it’s still going strong. The atmosphere is cozy, the music adds to the excellent decor, and the customer service is one of the best in the restaurant business. Bogota Latin Bistro that Friday night had crowds waiting to be seated and some without reservations had to find another place to eat. But there’s no place like Bogota Bistro. You have until Thursday night to enjoy the restaurant week specials, however Bogota Bistro is sure to be around for many more years to come. If you have not visited this Latin gem in Park Slope you’re really missing out in some fine food and a great dining experience.

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Boricua Art at Boricua College

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Boricua art is coming to Boricua College in New York City with an exhibition curated by Joseph A. Burgos Jr. The art show, beginning on March 25th and running through April 15th, will include work from Mr. Burgos and Phyllis Sanfiorenzo. The venue for this Puerto Rican exhibit is the Washington Heights campus of an institution of higher learning founded to serve the educational needs of Puerto Ricans and other Latinos. Admission for the three week Puerto Rican art show is free.

Support the Latino arts by attending this exhibition or/and forwarding along this information.

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