LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Latino Data Collaborative Think Tank (LDCTT), the research branch of the Latino Donor Collaborative (LDC), has released the 2022 Full-Year LDC U.S. Latinos in Media Report©, a five-year benchmark that measures U.S. Latino representation in shows and films.
The report’s findings are shocking: they reveal that U.S. Latino representation data for the last quarter of 2022 went down to 2019 levels. Only 2.6% of lead actors in shows, 1.4% of showrunners, and 1.5% of directors were Latino in 2022, despite Latinos representing 19% of the U.S. population and more than 25% of all American youth. The bottom line is that U.S. Latinos continue to be invisible in shows and films.
“No other American industry would allow this to happen,” said Ana Valdez, CEO of the LDC. “This data issues an urgent challenge for the entertainment industry to act. The standard corporate response of ‘We haven’t done very well with Latinos but hope to do better’ will no longer work.”
The report’s data highlights the stark contrast between the growing economic output of Latinos in the U.S. and their continued invisibility in shows and films. In 2020, the GDP of U.S. Latinos was $2.8 trillion, up from $1.7 trillion in 2010, an increase of 65% in ten years. This economic power makes Latinos an indispensable part of the U.S. economy and the entertainment industry.
Sol Trujillo, global telecom leader and Chairman of the Latino Donor Collaborative, commented, “Even though Hollywood has created space for more diversity in the last years, this new representation has not included Latinos. Latinos are not only a vital part of the audience but an indispensable part of the talent, which crosses over and attracts all cohorts.”
“We need a better pipeline for Latinos in movies, TV shows, and plays. We need a system for our stories and our projects. We need executives to provide the green light,” said actor John Leguizamo. “There’s a fix for this: cast more Latinos! We are nearly 20% of the population, so for every ten characters, two should be Latino. For every ten executives, two should be Latino. For every ten crew members, two should be Latino. For every ten films, two should be about Latinos.”
The report will be released on May 3rd in New York City during the 21st Latino Donor Collaborative Convening, a dialogue with top industry, media, and advertising leaders. In the coming weeks, the report will be presented to other CEOs in the industry.
To download the full report, visit LatinoDonorCollaborative.org.
About The Latino Donor Collaborative
The Latino Donor Collaborative is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. It is a self-funded, non-partisan effort created by an accomplished group of generous Latino national business leaders and philanthropists. It promotes friendly high-level dialogue with the goal of finding best ways to grow revenue and market share, by engaging, targeting, and serving the Latino audiences.
