The National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) 2020 Annual Impact Awards Gala
The National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) hosted its 2020 annual Impact Awards Gala, celebrating the Latinx community’s progress in media over the past year. Emcees Justina Machado and Jacob Vargas welcomed nearly 500 attendees, coming together to support NHMC’s advocacy work for a more inclusive entertainment industry toward the Latinos, at the star-studded gala at the Beverly Wilshire.
Eddie Martinez(The Sinner)
Highlights from the evening included:
- America Ferrera’s acceptance speech for Outstanding Series Producer Impact Award earned unanimous applause: “Thank you to our allies in the room – those of you who are not particularly from the Latino community – and yet, you have the capacity to see the value of our lives, of our stories; you invest your money in our storytellers and give real creative power to our voices.” She continued, “If you empower us, we will deliver beautiful content and voracious audiences – and we promise to make it a party!”
- Jay Hernandez received cheers during his remarks for Outstanding Television Performance Impact Award: “They use words like ‘criminal,’ ‘illegal,’ ‘drug runners,’ ‘animals’ – these are terms that describe us in media. But in ‘Magnum P.I.,’ a remake of an absolutely iconic American show, a guy with a ‘Z’ in his last name gets to be the hero.”
- Hiram Garcia presented the Outstanding Film Producer Impact Award to his sister, Dany Garcia, founder, chair, and CEO of The Garcia Companies and TGC Management and Co-Founder of Seven Bucks Companies. Turning to thank her husband, Dave Reinzi, the honoree explained the significance of her surname as an entrepreneur: “[He] understands that having a credit with the last name ‘Garcia,’ means so much more than just me getting credit – it means something to our community.” She added, “I was always emboldened by the fact that the steps I was laying down would make the path easier for those who would come behind me.”
- Isabella Gomez was recognized with the Impact Award for Outstanding Performance in a Series for her role as “Elena Alvarez” on “One Day At A Time.”
- Ann Sarnoff, CEO and chair of Warner Bros., accepted the Visionary Impact Award for the studio’s forthcoming film “In The Heights.”
- “Vida” showrunner Tanya Saracho presented the Outstanding Executive Producer Impact Award to Roberto-Aguirre-Sacasa, showrunner of “Riverdale,” “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” and “Katy Keene.”
- Nely Galan, the first Latina president of entertainment for a U.S. television network, “Telemundo,” presented the Trailblazer Impact Award to Ozzie Areu, the first Latino to own a major production studio.
- Executive producer Amy Lippman accepted the Outstanding Television Impact Award on behalf of “Party of Five.”
- Other attendees included: Alberto Zeni, Alejandro Anda, Annie Gonzalez, Carlos Santos, Diego Tinoco, Eddie Martinez, Elle Paris-Legaspi, Gabrielle Ruiz, Gloria Calederon Kellett, J.J. Soria, Jesse Garcia, Karrie Martin, Laura Patalano, Linda Yvette Chavez, Marvin Bryan Lemus, Nadine Velazquez, Niko Guardado, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Karey Burke, Marie Sylla-Dixon, Patricia Riggen, Peter Villegas, Raquel Justice, Tanya Saracho, Toby Emmerich, Zulay Henao, and more.
“We are elated to honor such a distinguished group of visionaries and trailblazers who advance equality and opportunities for Latinos in the media,” said Brenda Victoria Castillo, President & CEO National Hispanic Media Coalition. “NHMC has come a long way in paving a path for Latinx to work in front of and behind the camera. We can’t have a coalition without collaboration, without building bridges. Our honorees are helping to build those bridges and we applaud and acknowledge their efforts with our Impact Award.”
The Impact Awards are sponsored by Univision Communications, Inc., The Walt Disney Company, T-Mobile, WarnerMedia, Comcast NBCUniversal, The Coca-Cola Company, Southwest Airlines; silver sponsors CBS Entertainment, Marilyn and Jeffrey Katzenberg, Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka Finkelstein Lezcano Law Firm, Starz Entertainment; titanium sponsors Netflix, 101st Street Entertainment, Sony Pictures Television, A&E Networks, Berlanti Productions, Campanario Entertainment, Davila Multicultural Insights, City National Bank, SOS Global Express; bronze sponsors Lionsgate, Creative Artists Agency, Los Angeles Dodgers, Eva Longoria Foundation, AltaMed Health Services Corporation, and TNT Agency.
