Latin Heat Media Founder and CEO  Bel Hernandez has been selected to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Credentials Committee. The committee selects new members of the HFPA, the group that presents the prestigious Golden Globe Awards.

Considered “The Godmother of Latino Hollywood,” Hernandez is one of five prominent outside journalism professionals recruited to join a committee key to diversifying the HFPA. The other members are journalist Tre’Vell Anderson, author and former TV anchor Terry Azur, publicist Toni B. Moston and USC assistant journalism professor Allissa Richardson. 

The appointments are hailed by HFPA as “one of the most important steps of their comprehensive reform plan announced in May,” when the nonprofit organization announced proposed changes to correct its failures. Those shortcomings were the subject of a Los Angeles Times expose last February which generated widespread criticism of the 78-year-old group about its inner workings and lack of diversity. After the reporting, some actors returned their Golden Globes, NBC canceled the broadcast of the awards ceremony and some HFPA members resigned.

With the Credential Committee namings and other recent changes and new proposals, the beleaguered association hopes to turn the page on this year’s controversies.  

“We are so grateful that these five highly respected journalism professionals—each with diverse backgrounds and extensive experience in their fields—are devoting their time and energy to ensure an inclusive makeup of our Association,” said recently installed HFPA Board President Helen Hoehne. “Just in the past few months, we’ve changed our governance structure from top to bottom. Inclusion will be at the core of our new organization, and this new structure will allow us to not only grow but continue to add unique, representative voices from journalists around the world.” 

Hernandez has worked as a journalist for more than four decades, with her work earning recognitions from the Hispanic Public Relations Association, Latina Style Magazine, La Opinion newspaper, Hispanic Lifestyle, National Hispanic Health Foundation, National Hispanic Media Coalition and the City of Los Angeles. 

For her work focused on Latinos in the film industry, Moviemaker Magazine dubbed Hernandez “The Godmother of Latino Hollywood.” Hernandez is at the helm of Latin Heat Media, a multi-media company creating content by and about Latinos for universal audiences. She wears many hats under the Latin Heat brand including the publisher of the online magazine Latin Heat Entertainment (LatinHeat.com), executive producer and co-host of TheTRENDTalk Show and co-founder of LATINAFest: Mind, Body & Soul, an annual event to empower Latina women.

Latin Heat’s unprecedented coverage has supported the growing impact of Latinos in Hollywood. Considered the third entertainment trade in Hollywood by many, the outlet provides business news coverage, latest breaking industry news, talent profiles, TV & films news, spotlight on talent in front and behind the camera, and inside research not found anywhere else on Latinos in Hollywood. 

An accomplished Hollywood businesswoman, Hernandez originally pursued acting as a career. And although she may have found big success as a multimedia mogul, she more recently appeared in The Purge: Anarchy and the indie film Pretty Rosebud directed by Oscar Torre.

Hernandez’s work and leadership led her to serve as a juror on the George Foster Peabody Awards Board, where she was the first Latina/o to serve as the chair of the board.  

“I am beyond honored to be part of the HFPA Credentialing Committee which is tasked with the important work of helping diversifying the make-up of their members to be as inclusive as possible,” said Hernandez. “I know first hand about the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion”.

In late August, the HFPA selected a new 15-member board of directors, with four of them serving on the powerful body for the first time. This board selected Hoene as the new president in early September and also oversaw the selection of the five new outside members of the revamped Credentials Committee, which is expected to announce a “class of new members” in the next few days. 

In the past several weeks, the HFPA also appointed Shaka McGlotten, Santiago Pozo and Paula Williams Madison to its Advisory Board. Also, it named Jeff Harris, Joanna Dodd Massey and Sharlette Hambrick as the first independent board directors for the association.

Latin Heat’s Hernandez and the other four new appointees will help the Credentials Committee with its sole responsibility to “ensure potential members meet the proper requirements,” according to the association. The obscure membership approval process was one of the main criticism the exclusive, 80-something-member association has faced, leading to allegations of persistent cronyism and even racial discrimination.

The HFPA overhauled its criteria for new member applicants in August in an effort to make itself more inclusive. That includes:

• Applicants can now work for any foreign publication medium: print, radio, television, online, or be a photojournalist. The previous requirement allowed only print journalists.
• Applicants can live anywhere in the United States. This replaces the former requirement of living solely in Southern California.
• Applicants must submit eight examples of their journalistic work products from the past two years. The previous requirement was 24 examples over a three-year period. The credentials committee will set a required number of clippings in subsequent years.
• Eligibility is now expanded to journalists outside of those accredited by the Motion Picture Association, MPA.
• The sponsorship requirement is now eliminated and the role of the credentials committee will include third parties from credible journalistic and other organizations focused on diversity, equity and inclusion.
• New members will immediately be allowed to vote on the Golden Globes, vote on board members and serve on committees.
• All current members will be required to meet the standards as incoming members for re-accreditation of their membership. This process will take place annually, and members may begin submitting materials to the credentials committee.

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Taylor-Joy stands out as one of two actresses with double nominations of the prestigious Golden Globes this year.

The 24-year-old actress of Argentine descent competes in the best actress in a comedy feature category for her leading role in Emma, where she faces off against Oscar-nominated and past Golden Globe winners Michelle Pfeiffer (French Exit) and Kate Hudson (Music).

Taylor-Joy is also nominated for best actress for the limited television series The Queen’s Gambit, facing off against Cate Blanchett (Mrs. America) and Nicole Kidman (The Undoing), both multiple Oscar- and Golden Globe-winning stars.

Taylor-Joy is a first-time nominee for a Golden Globe.

However, the drama about an orphaned, chess prodigy is not the only Latino-led episodic competing this year for the coveted award from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. 

Disney’s The Mandalorian, starring Chilean-born actor Pedro Pascal, is also nominated for best television drama series. The sci-fi western episodic from the Star Wars universe competes against The Crown, Lovecraft Country, Ozark, and Ratched.

Hamilton, the film that captured the live performance of the acclaimed Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda featuring the original cast, also received two nominations, for best musical or comedy motion picture. The feature about America’s Founding Father Alexander Hamilton competes against Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Music, Palm Springs, and The Prom. Miranda, who stars in the film, is also a contender for best actor, along with Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm), James Corden (The Prom), Dev Patel (The Personal History of David Copperfield), and Andy Samberg (Palm Springs).

This will be Miranda’s third Golden Globes nomination. His first two nominations were for best original song for the animated series Moana and later for his acting in Mary Poppins Returns.

In the foreign language film category, the Spanish-language horror flick La Llorona from Guatemala competes against Denmark’s Another Round, Italy’s The Life Ahead, France’s Two of Us, and U.S.A.’s Korean-language dramedy Minari.

La Llorona is a supernatural drama about an aging war criminal facing death and ghosts of his past. Directed by Jayro Bustamante (Temblores), the film is also Guatemala’s official entry for the Oscars this year.

The 78th edition of the Golden Globes will take place on Feb. 28 and air on NBC. Hosting the awards will be comedic actresses Tina Fey (30 Rock) and Amy Poehler (Inside Out) repeating that feat for the fourth time. Fey will be live from New York, and Poehler will be live from Beverly Hills. Nominees will join in live from various locations around the world.

Check out the complete list of Golden Globe nominees:

Best Motion Picture – Drama
The Father (Trademark Films; Sony Pictures Classics)
Mank (Netflix; Netflix)
Nomadland  (Highwayman / Hear/Say / Cor Cordium; Searchlight Pictures)
Promising Young Woman (Luckychap Entertainment / Filmnation Entertainment; Focus Features)
The Trial Of The Chicago 7 (Marc Platt Productions / Dreamworks Pictures; Netflix)

Best Performance By An Actress In A Motion Picture – Drama
Viola Davis    Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Andra Day    The United States Vs. Billie Holiday
Vanessa Kirby    Pieces Of A Woman
Frances Mcdormand    Nomadland
Carey Mulligan    Promising Young Woman

Best Performance By An Actor In A Motion Picture – Drama
Riz Ahmed    Sound Of Metal
Chadwick Boseman    Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Anthony Hopkins    The Father
Gary Oldman    Mank
Tahar Rahim    The Mauritanian

Best Motion Picture – Musical Or Comedy
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (Four By Two Films; Amazon Studios)
Hamilton (Walt Disney Pictures / Radicalmedia / 5000 Broadway Productions / Nevis Productions / Old 320 Sycamore Pictures; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Music (Pineapple Lasagne Productions / Landay Entertainment; Vertical Entertainment / Imax)
Palm Springs (Party Over Here / Limelight Productions; Neon / Hulu)
The Prom (Netflix / Dramatic Forces / Storykey Entertainment; Netflix)

Best Performance By An Actress In A Motion Picture – Musical Or Comedy
Maria Bakalova    Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Kate Hudson    Music
Michelle Pfeiffer    French Exit
Rosamund Pike    I Care A Lot
Anya Taylor-joy    Emma.

Best Performance By An Actor In A Motion Picture – Musical Or Comedy
Sacha Baron Cohen    Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
James Corden    The Prom
Lin-manuel Miranda    Hamilton
Dev Patel    The Personal History Of David Copperfield
Andy Samberg    Palm Springs

Best Motion Picture – Animated
The Croods: A New Age (Dreamworks Animation; Universal Pictures)
Onward (Walt Disney Pictures / Pixar Animation Studios; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Over The Moon (Netflix / Pearl Studio / Glen Keane Productions; Netflix)
Soul (Walt Disney Pictures / Pixar Animation Studios; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Wolfwalkers (Cartoon Saloon / Melusine; Apple / Gkids)

Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language
Another Round (Denmark) (Zentropa Entertainments; Samuel Goldwyn Films)
La Llorona (Guatemala / France) (La Casa De Producción / Les Films Du Volcan; Shudder)
The Life Ahead (Italy) (Palomar; Netflix)
Minari (Usa) (Plan B; A24)
Two Of Us (France / Usa) (Paprika Films; Magnolia Pictures)

Best Performance By An Actress In A Supporting Role In Any Motion Picture
Glenn Close    Hillbilly Elegy
Olivia Colman    The Father
Jodie Foster    The Mauritanian
Amanda Seyfried    Mank
Helena Zengel    News Of The World

Best Performance By An Actor In A Supporting Role In Any Motion Picture
Sacha Baron Cohen    The Trial Of The Chicago 7
Daniel Kaluuya    Judas And The Black Messiah
Jared Leto    The Little Things
Bill Murray    On The Rocks
Leslie Odom Jr.    One Night In Miami…

Best Director – Motion Picture
Emerald Fennell    Promising Young Woman
David Fincher    Mank
Regina King    One Night In Miami…
Aaron Sorkin    The Trial Of The Chicago 7
Chloé Zhao    Nomadland

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
Emerald Fennell    Promising Young Woman
Jack Fincher    Mank
Aaron Sorkin    The Trial Of The Chicago 7
Florian Zeller, Christopher Hampton    The Father
Chloé Zhao    Nomadland

Best Original Score – Motion Picture
Alexandre Desplat    The Midnight Sky
Ludwig Göransson    Tenet
James Newton Howard    News Of The World
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross    Mank
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste    Soul

Best Original Song – Motion Picture
“Fight For You” — Judas And The Black Messiah
Music By:    H.E.R., Dernst Emile Ii
Lyrics By:    H.E.R., Tiara Thomas
“Hear My Voice” — The Trial Of The Chicago 7
Music By:    Daniel Pemberton
Lyrics By:    Daniel Pemberton, Celeste Waite
“Io Sì (Seen)” — The Life Ahead
Music By:    Diane Warren
Lyrics By:    Diane Warren, Laura Pausini, Niccolò Agliardi
“Speak Now” — One Night In Miami…
Music By:    Leslie Odom Jr, Sam Ashworth
Lyrics By:    Leslie Odom Jr, Sam Ashworth
“Tigress & Tweed” — The United States Vs. Billie Holiday
Music By:    Andra Day, Raphael Saadiq
Lyrics By:    Andra Day, Raphael Saadiq

Best Television Series – Drama
The Crown – Netflix (Left Bank Pictures / Sony Pictures Television)
Lovecraft Country – Hbo (Hbo / Afemme / Monkeypaw / Bad Robot / Warner Bros. Television)
The Mandalorian – Disney+ (Lucasfilm Ltd.)
Ozark – Netflix (Mrc Television)
Ratched – Netflix (Fox21 Television Studios)   

Best Performance By An Actress In A Television Series – Drama
Olivia Colman    The Crown
Jodie Comer    Killing Eve
Emma Corrin    The Crown
Laura Linney    Ozark
Sarah Paulson    Ratched

Best Performance By An Actor In A Television Series – Drama
Jason Bateman    Ozark
Josh O’connor    The Crown
Bob Odenkirk    Better Call Saul
Al Pacino    Hunters
Matthew Rhys    Perry Mason

Best Television Series – Musical Or Comedy
Emily In Paris – Netflix (Darren Star Productions / Jax Media / Mtv Studios)
The Flight Attendant – Hbo Max (Hbo Max / Berlanti Productions / Yes, Norman Productions / Warner Bros. Television)
The Great – Hulu (Hulu / Civic Center Media / Mrc)
Schitt’s Creek – Pop Tv (Not A Real Company Productions / Canadian Broadcast Company / Pop Tv)
Ted Lasso – Apple Tv+ (Apple / Doozer Productions / Warner Bros. Television / Universal Television)

Best Performance By An Actress In A Television Series – Musical Or Comedy
Lily Collins    Emily In Paris
Kaley Cuoco    The Flight Attendant
Elle Fanning    The Great
Jane Levy    Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist
Catherine O’hara    Schitt’s Creek

Best Performance By An Actor In A Television Series – Musical Or Comedy
Don Cheadle    Black Monday
Nicholas Hoult    The Great
Eugene Levy    Schitt’s Creek
Jason Sudeikis    Ted Lasso
Ramy Youssef    Ramy

Best Television Limited Series, Anthology Series Or Motion Picture Made For Television
Normal People – Hulu (Hulu / Bbc / Element Pictures)
The Queen’s Gambit – Netflix (Netflix)
Small Axe – Amazon Studios (Bbc Studios Americas, Inc / Amazon Studios)
The Undoing – Hbo (Hbo / Made Up Stories / Blossom Films/David E. Kelley Productions)
Unorthodox – Netflix (Studio Airlift / Realfilm)

Best Performance By An Actress In A Limited Series, Anthology Series Or A Motion Picture Made For Television
Cate Blanchett    Mrs. America
Daisy Edgar-jones    Normal People
Shira Haas    Unorthodox
Nicole Kidman    The Undoing
Anya Taylor-joy    The Queen’s Gambit

Best Performance By An Actor In A Limited Series, Anthology Series Or A Motion Picture Made For Television
Bryan Cranston    Your Honor
Jeff Daniels    The Comey Rule
Hugh Grant    The Undoing
Ethan Hawke    The Good Lord Bird
Mark Ruffalo    I Know This Much Is True

Best Performance By An Actress In A Television Supporting Role
Gillian Anderson    The Crown
Helena Bonham Carter    The Crown
Julia Garner    Ozark
Annie Murphy    Schitt’s Creek
Cynthia Nixon    Ratched

Best Performance By An Actor In A Television Supporting Role
John Boyega    Small Axe
Brendan Gleeson    The Comey Rule
Daniel Levy    Schitt’s Creek
Jim Parsons    Hollywood
Donald Sutherland    The Undoing

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