by Elia Esparza
First-look streaming of the Dolores Huerta episode of The David Damian Show Premieres on latinheatcinema.com
TV Producer David Damian Figueroa and Latin Heat Media (LHM) announced an exclusive multi-year content creation partnership that includes the production of his talk show, The David Damian Show (TDDS) and the first-look streaming of one the episodes on latinheatcinema.com, Latin Heat Media’s OTT platform.
Executive produced, and hosted by Figueroa, The David Damian Show (TDDS) presents unique profiles of thought and creative leaders; entertainment professionals, sports figures and trendsetters in technology, social media, arts, culture and social movements. The Dolores Huerta episode, an in-depth interview of civil rights activist Dolores Huerta, will premiere on LatinHeatCinema.com in time to coincide with the celebration of her upcoming 89th birthday on April 10th.
Six other episodes of The David Damian Show have been shot and ready for distribution, they feature veteran actor Pepe Serna (Man From Reno, Scarface), actors Nicholas Gonzalez (ABC’s The Good Doctor) and Jordi Vilasuso (Young and the Restless), artist Yolanda Gonzalez, photographic documentarian George Rodriguez, and Paul Schrade, activist who was also shot the day Robert Kennedy was assassinated during his presidential campaign.
Both Figueroa and Bel Hernandez, President/CEO of Latin Heat Media, LLC understand that digitization has permanently reshaped the global TV and film distribution platforms. Latinheatcinema.com was created to meet the demands of the revenue stream revolution with relatable content which targets U.S. Latinos.
“It is exciting and rewarding to partner with David Damian. We are both like-minded individuals that believe that to see shows that highlight our community, we need to create them,” said Hernandez. “We have the ability to cultivate our audience base — U.S. Latinos — who are a $1.5 trillion dollar consumer market, with relatable content on our LatinHeatCinema streaming platform.”
According to a study by The Latino Donor Collaborative, the U.S. Latino gross domestic product (GDP) represents $2.13 trillion — larger than the GDPs of Italy, Brazil, India and Canada. If U.S. Latinos were a country, they’d be the seventh largest economy in the world. With this in mind, Latin Heat Media is looking to target the most contextually-relevant brands for its OTT content, which is a perfect fit for brands in auto, banking, beverage, retail, confectionary, electronics, telecom, airline, fashion, sports, game developer, and the telecommunication industries.
“The TV and film landscape is changing in a Latino way. It makes sense to partner with Latin Heat,” said Figueroa . “I truly believe that it’s just a matter of time before a TV, film or streaming studio discovers that Latin Heat has not only the credibility, but the ability to create content, stream it, and recruit talent.”
Figueroa is readily recognized as influential in shaping Latina and Latino popular arts through his work in film, television, music production, and publicity. “I have made meaningful relationships throughout my decades-long career and I’d like to give my audience the same opportunity to learn and be inspired from these amazing folks I have met along the way,” Figueroa stated.
As one of the producers for the documentaries The Harvest/La Cosecha, and executive producer of Food Chains, Figueroa helped raise money and also headed the marketing campaign of both films. His ability to bring like-minded celebrities to causes, as exemplified when Eva Longoria came on board as one of the executive producer on Food Chains, has been effective in championing the mission of all included.
The genesis for The David Damian Show originated from Figueroa’s Facebook Live which launched in 2016. He produced 39 live episodes, one of them with Longoria and many of high profile friends, which have garnered over 200 thousand views.
In addition to The David Damian Show, Figueroa is developing two more shows with Latin Heat Media. ThriftStore Score, a show about the treasure troves to found at the local thrift store; and I Was there, an interview show which documents historic movements in our country’s history by the person who mobilized hundreds, if not thousands of people to create social change.
Figueroa’s work in the entertainment industry has spanned from that of child farmworker in Arizona to a respected national leader. For over a decade he worked in the entertainment industry and was successful in bridging meaningful relationships between celebrities, non-profit organizations, and social movements. He was the associate producer of the documentary film, The Harvest/La Cosecha and executive producer of the critically acclaimed documentary, Food Changes, which premiered at The Berlin Film Festival in 2014. Both films were in collaboration with Eva Longoria and Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation).
Hernandez is a co-founder of Latin Heat, first printed entertainment trade focused on Latinos (www.LatinHeat.com). She produced her first talk show, Let’s Talk in 2009, then went on to create and executive produce KCBS/KCAL9’s HOLA LA! She currently produces
