Jessica Alba, Tracy Brennan, And More Co-Host Culture Makers Event Celebrating Latin Creatives
Jessica Alba and Tracy Brennan launched the group Culture Makers in 2023. The goal of the collective was to address the lack of Latin representation in film and television. In the past three years they’ve collaborated with their peers in the entertainment industry to network and promote further opportunities for Latinos.
This week, Alba and Brennan were joined by co-hosts ELLE editor-in-chief Nina Garcia and actress Sofia Vergara to hold the Culture Makers’ third annual event. The event was presented by ELLE Magazine and Tequila Don Julio and included high profile guests like Becky G, Andy Garcia, Vanessa Bryant, Miguel, and many more.
Vergara told ELLE about how it was “such an honor to join Jessica, Nina, and Tracy in hosting the event this year.”
“Having an event that creates community and helps to foster ideas of collaboration, creation, and supporting each other was of course something I wanted to be a part of. It’s an opportunity to celebrate who we are and where we come from.”
Both Alba and Brennan spoke with Adrienne Gaffney of ELLE Magazine to discuss the event, Culture Makers, their growth as a collective, and their successes and goals for the future.
“Our community has just come together. When Jessica and I started this, we knew each other peripherally,” Brennan said when discussing the differences in Culture Makers from 2023 to now.
“We were running in the same circles and seeing each other at events but had never really spent time together or had a meaningful conversation. Our group is much more bonded, so much more in communication.”
“I think [we were] starving for a community like Culture Makers and our group chat and a space where we could really support one another and be a sounding board for one another. People are super active on it all the time,” Alba added.
“Every time we have one of these events, Jessica’s amazing at getting these statistics out quickly, eloquently, and articulately. Education is key because when you’re not connected to other people, you don’t realize your power. But because of the Latino purchasing power, we do have real power. Hopefully people care and are excited and want to support the Latin community, but people also care about their bottom lines,” Brennan continued.
Alba and Brennan then discussed the projects and collaborations that have been created through Culture Makers work and networking opportunities. “What comes out of that are projects and working together. [I spoke with Michael Peña] and was like, ‘Michael, what do you want to do?’ He said, ‘It would be cool to do a family movie. It’d be cool to do an action movie, a heist movie.’ And I was like, ‘Robert Rodriguez, would you want to do a fun action, family, heist movie?’ And so Robert joined us,” Alba reflected.
Brennan went on to explain also how a lot of what they do is about connecting fellow industry figures with one another to create everlasting relationships for future work.
“I think a lot of people within our community weren’t aware of the accomplishments of other Latinos. Enrique Melendez, who’s Jenna Ortega’s stylist and one of the very few Latin stylists, was at the Culture Makers event in year two. I was promoting him because I worked with Jenna and was saying to everybody, ‘You should know this guy.’ All of a sudden, he started getting calls from people,” Brennan said.
Alba then explained to ELLE the general problem that Latina women face in not only Hollywood, but every creative field, which is what truly led them to create Culture Makers.
“I think the biggest challenge is, frankly, representation. A lot of the gatekeepers just frankly don’t know people who look like you or work alongside someone who looks like you, so many times they feel like they’re really putting their neck out.”
“What’s so imperative about this group and what we’re doing every day is to continue to show up and represent who we are and show little boys and girls, no matter who you are, where you’re from, that all different kinds of people can be leaders and in positions of power,” Alba stated.
Brennan then echoed that sentiment and explained that as an agent for CAA, she’s unfortunately seen a lot of her Latino clients be called for roles that are “very stereotypical.”
“I represent Demián Bichir [the third Latino to be nominated for Best Actor, ever]. After he was nominated for an Oscar, the same year as many prominent movie stars, the only casting submissions that were coming in for him were cartel leaders and he really did not want to continue to perpetuate that stereotype.”
“It’s incumbent on us to help promote new voices, new writers, new directors, and identify them, support them. I don’t think anybody’s asking, ‘Hey, I need a straight offer,’ but everybody would like to at least have the chance to put their art forward, for other people to look at it and see a new idea and equal the playing field a little bit.”
Both Alba and Brennan think that it’s “still tough” when looking at the progress being made for Latinos in entertainment and creative industries. Looking forward, the two of them will continue to work hard to build connections, amplify new voices, and expand their presence with Culture Makers.
To read Jessica Alba and Tracy Brennan’s full illuminating interview regarding Culture Makers, read the ELLE Magazine article by Adrienne Gaffney here!
Eric Mastrota is a Contributing Editor at The National Digest based in New York. A graduate of SUNY New Paltz, he reports on world news, culture, and lifestyle. You can reach him at eric.mastrota@thenationaldigest.com.