Diversity Digest: WBD Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month

Welcome to another edition of the WBD Diversity Digest. In this edition, we highlight key Hispanic Heritage Month efforts across WBD and recognize the remarkable achievements, traditions, and diversity of the Latino community.

You are Latina Enough

September was marked by the return of Beetlejuice with WB Pictures’ “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” featuring rising star Jenna Ortega in a lead role as Astrid Deetz. The film garnered an impressive $111 million domestically in its opening weekend, overperforming with Latino moviegoers who accounted for 31% of opening weekend sales when the audience normally averages 24% of box office ticket sales. As part of the film’s press tour, Ortega sat down with Buzzfeed Pero Like’s Carolina Reynoso during which Reynoso and Ortega had a viral exchange where Reynoso told Ortega “You are Latina Enough” and commended her for helping open doors for other Latinas in the industry. The power of not only representation but authentic representation is palpable around this film, and we continue to celebrate its and Ortega’s success as audiences continue to flock to the theaters to experience it.

Highlighting Latino Talent on WBD’s US Nets

WBD’s US Networks showcased content featuring Latino talent throughout Hispanic Heritage Month, through featured programming stacks and other new and returning series, including:

TBS hosted a Hispanic Heritage Month marathon with back-to-back movies including “Overboard” and “In the Heights” as well as a “Modern Family” Best of Gloria marathon. TBS’ “Dinner and a Movie” also featured an episode with Chef Claudette Zepeda whose cuisine is an homage to her Mexican roots.

TCM aired a Hispanic Heritage Month movie marathon featuring Chicano Cinema. It featured films including “The Milagro Beanfield War” (1988), “Zoot Suit” (1981), “Salt of the Earth” (1954), “Boulevard Nights” (1979), and “The Cisco Kid” (1994).

Discovery aired episodes of “Gold Rush: Mine Rescue with Freddy and Juan,” featuring gold miner Juan Ibarra who helps struggling mine owners.

HGTV premiered a new series in August, “Divided By Design,” featuring married couple and dueling designers Ray and Eilyn Jimenez, with episodes continuing through September.

Hispano Soy

WBD US Hispanic (USH) announced in September Hispano Soy, a groundbreaking television event celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with original productions and commemorative promotional spots. Hispano Soy was featured across WBD’s USH Networks including Discovery en Español, Discovery Familia, and Hogar de HGTV and included engaging and culturally rich programming stacks on five consecutive Sundays starting September 15. To accompany the on-air campaign, USH celebrated the campaign with its employees in the Miami office by inviting Ray and Eilyn Jimenez of HGTV’s “Divided by Design” to speak to employees; holding a commemorative lunch in the office with food trucks offering Cuban food and Latin music; featuring salsa dancing in the office; showcasing décor throughout the office with the campaign artwork; and more.

Celebrando Juntos

WBD served as the Presenting Sponsor for the 2024 New York Latino Film Festival (NYLFF) in September. The festival’s core mission is to cultivate audiences for Latino films, strengthen the film community, and foster collaborations within the entertainment industry. WBD hosted various activations at the festival, including:

The WBD Creatives Mixer + Sneak Preview of Adult Swim’s “Women Wearing Shoulder Pads”: During the festival, WBD curated an event for filmmakers, writers, and other creatives attending to connect, collaborate, and network with industry professionals from WBD. Attendees were also treated to a special advance screening of “Women Wearing Shoulder Pads,” Adult Swim’s forthcoming stop-motion comedy series, which is their first-ever series produced entirely in Spanish.

"The Penguin" Gotham Takeover at NYLFF’s Block Party, presented by Max and Pa’lante: Max and Max Pa’lante partnered with NYLFF to take over their festival finale Block Party with a “The Penguin”-themed celebration. The event featured exclusive Penguin-themed cocktails, specialty menu items inspired by Gotham, limited-edition merchandise, and other experiences. The party continued with live music performances and a special screening of the first episode of “The Penguin,” hosted by Afro-Latino actor Rhenzy Feliz, who co-stars in the HBO Original limited series from DC Studios.

Futuro Conference, presented by Max: Max was the Presenting Sponsor of NYLFF’s Digital Conference, FUTURO, which serves as a platform to connect aspiring and emerging Latino creators with industry leaders. Held during NYLFF, the conference featured panel conversations on topics ranging from “Breaking the Mold: Creatives Reshaping the Narrative Around Latinidad” to “Comida y Cultura: Chefs Keeping Cultura Alive.” It ended with a mixer, hosted by Max, for upcoming creatives to connect and get new headshots taken by a top Latino photographer.

WBD also participated in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) Leadership Conference and 47th Annual Awards Gala in Washington, DC in mid-September. And CNN en Español partnered with the CUNY Graduate Center of Latin American and Latino Studies to host and livestream its annual “Voto Latino” event on October 9 in New York City entitled “How Will Latino Voting Trends Impact the Election” featuring CNN/CNN en Español anchors and strategists.

Celebrando Nuestras Voces

During Hispanic Heritage Month, WBD’s DEI team, in partnership with WBD’s Vibras Business Resource Group (BRG), hosted myriad in-person and virtual events and opportunities for employees to learn more about and celebrate the vibrant Latino culture at WBD. Under the banner “Celebrando Nuestras Voces (Celebrating Our Voices)” and featuring the above artwork by Nicaraguan-born artist Melvin Toledo, events included a screening and panel of the film “A Little Family Drama” on the Burbank Lot, salsa lessons at our Atlanta and New York offices, and food festivals at our Burbank, LA, and Atlanta offices. DEI team member and Vibras National Communications Advisor Sara Maldonado was also featured in a video about the meaning and purpose behind WBD’s Vibras BRG and how it is instrumental in influencing culture and strategy at the company.

Hispanic Heritage Month Spotlights

Supplier Spotlight
Cultural heritage months provide a great opportunity to shine a light on some of the diverse unsung heroes fueling our company. Co-founded and led by a Latino, Unfold Int’l, Inc. is a best-in-class digital creative agency for top brands and entertainment companies. Since its founding in 2012, the agency has grown to over 150 people with full-service capabilities in media, digital advertising, social media, website development, and production services. Unfold Int’l has worked with WBD for 20+ years as the social agency for DC brand and franchise social accounts, including Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. They have also partnered with WB Pictures on campaigns for films including “The Watchers,” “Furiosa,” “Dune Part II,” and “Barbie.”

Employee Spotlights
WBD’s Diversity Outreach and Employer Branding teams continued their partnership to elevate and highlight employees at WBD. During Hispanic Heritage Month, they highlighted Latino employees who are actively making a difference and shaping the future of our industry. Under the theme Pioneers of Change: Shaping the Future Together, employees across tech, news, corporate social responsibility and creative development were featured. See some of the spotlights here and here. We also congratulate Rini Ortega, WBD’s Senior Specialist for Corporate Social Responsibility, on being named to Hispanic Executive’s “30 Under 30” List.

Future Content Spotlight
During Hispanic Heritage Month, HBO and Max announced the forthcoming HBO Original Series “Like Water for Chocolate,” a new adaptation of Laura Esquivel’s beloved and iconic novel. “Like Water for Chocolate” is executive produced by Salma Hayek Pinault and debuts November 3 on HBO Latino in the U.S. and will be available to stream globally on Max where the platform is available.