LA LISTA: A Latinx Writers Podcast

A GRATEFUL, CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC, IN-HIS-HEAD, OCD LATINX WRITER Eugene Garcia-Cross shares growing up half Puerto Rican in Erie, Pennsylvania, feeling like the Latino kid in his hometown and the gringo cousin in Puerto Rico, trading a decade in academia for a last-chance leap into TV writing, breaking in through the NBC Writers Program and writer's PA jobs, and finding his old-school sitcom dream on NBC's Happy's Place. Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks

This week: Corporate Pride is dead (but the Chase Sapphire rainbow logo lives in our hearts), Thulio dodges the WeHo Pride tax, Rubén hits Club Cobra and begs DJs to let a song breathe, the LA mayoral race takes a post-Spencer Pratt breath, and Unc cinema faces the rise of Gen Z excellence. Plus a Punch-Up on Y2K parties with no whimsy... and nosy gays turning open vs. monogamous relationship discourse into a courtroom drama. La Lista Podcast host Rubén Mendive and writer Thulio DaSilva ditch the formal interviews and hop on the mic for quick, unfiltered conversations about their chaotic creative lives — covering new writing projects, hot takes on industry trends, dating disasters, and whatever discourse the algorithm served them that morning.  Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Sunny Side - Airstream

A CUBADORIAN WRITER-ACTION DIRECTOR Michelle Salcedo shares growing up Cuban and Ecuadorian in Miami, turning her parents' immigrant love story into creative fuel, finding her voice through years of writing features at the library, making her Sundance-supported short 'Cinnamon Skin,' breaking into action with her feature 'Switch and Bait,' and exploring why her work keeps returning to underestimated heroes, complicated morality, and the cost of freedom. Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks

This week: Thulio gets spit-roasted by ailments, Brown & Out 8 has its final-final encore at the WeHo Pride Arts Festival, Akbar delivers DFMO antics, Gen Z boos AI and war criminals at commencement, and Gen Z filmmakers take over the box office with Obsession and Backrooms. Plus a Punch-Up on NPCs asking too damn much... and Spectrum, AT&T, and every other company failing to provide the service we're literally paying for. La Lista Podcast host Rubén Mendive and writer Thulio DaSilva ditch the formal interviews and hop on the mic for quick, unfiltered conversations about their chaotic creative lives — covering new writing projects, hot takes on industry trends, dating disasters, and whatever discourse the algorithm served them that morning.  Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Sunny Side - Airstream

A LATINO WRITER WHO WOULD LIKE EVERYTHING TO BE 10% WEIRDER, THANK YOU Alberto Roldán shares growing up Puerto Rican in rural central Pennsylvania, having his artistic world cracked open by Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia, detouring through Northwestern, NPR, and political work, navigating the long road to his first staff job, learning when to let the clown play before the professor takes over, and bringing his love of weird, thoughtful entertainment to Apple TV's Widow's Bay. Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks

This week: Thulio gets fed and read at Courier Cumbia, Rubén goes full wilderness girlie at Point Mugu, Brown & Out 8 gets a free encore at the WeHo Pride Arts Festival, Instagram launches "Instants" for some reason, and AI discourse hits Hacks, The Comeback, and our last nerve. Plus a Punch-Up on the DACA renewal backlog... and a punch-around on bad beard lines, AI Met Gala delusion, and people checking their Apple Watches mid-conversation. La Lista Podcast host Rubén Mendive and writer Thulio DaSilva ditch the formal interviews and hop on the mic for quick, unfiltered conversations about their chaotic creative lives — covering new writing projects, hot takes on industry trends, dating disasters, and whatever discourse the algorithm served them that morning.  Free Tix for Brown & Out 8 on May 24th! Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Sunny Side - Airstream

A DRIVEN LATINA WRITER Christina Piña shares growing up in a loud Cuban-American Miami household, secretly applying to USC against her dad's wishes, cutting her teeth through years of assistant jobs before breaking in through the Paramount Writers Mentoring Program, rising from staff writer to supervising producer, breaking down strategies for how Latino writers can survive in a shifting industry, and writing on the new Miami-set NBC/Peacock series M.I.A.! Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks

This week: Thulio survives a UTI (Rat Beach will pay for its crimes), summer is coming (Lorde hive rise), The Devil Wears Prada 2 review, Beyoncé Act III conspiracy theories, and TV fellowship season is among us... let's get in formation. Plus a Punch-Up on looksmaxxers... and immigrant stories that still treat us like set dressing. La Lista Podcast host Rubén Mendive and writer Thulio DaSilva ditch the formal interviews and hop on the mic for quick, unfiltered conversations about their chaotic creative lives — covering new writing projects, hot takes on industry trends, dating disasters, and whatever discourse the algorithm served them that morning.  Tower 28 SOS Daily Rescue Facial Spray Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Sunny Side - Airstream

A CHAOTIC AND RELENTLESS FIRST-GEN LATINO WRITER Philippe Bowgen shares growing up between Peruvian and British cultures in wealthy, white Connecticut, hiding his sexuality at an all-boys prep school while striving to excel at everything, abandoning a path to diplomacy for acting and writing, and how his obsession with messy families, identity, and belonging inspired The Set Up, a scripted podcast from Sonoro and iHeartRadio. Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks

This week: Closing night of Brown & Out, defining Club Tempo trade, Sizzler hot bar theology, Alex-on-Alix podcast beef, and Ruben walks back his "cinema is dead" thesis. Plus a Punch-Up on flaky gay guy group chats... and influencers getting paid to tell you how to vote. La Lista Podcast host Rubén Mendive and writer Thulio DaSilva ditch the formal interviews and hop on the mic for quick, unfiltered conversations about their chaotic creative lives — covering new writing projects, hot takes on industry trends, dating disasters, and whatever discourse the algorithm served them that morning. Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Sunny Side - Airstream

A VOCAL MULTIETHNIC MULTI-HYPHENATE WRITER Glenís Hunter shares growing up between the Bronx and the Dominican Republic, leaving behind a path in psychology to pursue acting and storytelling, exploring themes of identity and grief in her short films, and breaking through with the Netflix-sponsored LALIFF Inclusion Fellowship and the Mitú x Walmart Filmmaker Mentorship Program. Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks

This week: Opening night of Brown & Out (Thulio's playwright era unlocked), theater audiences treating it like a group chat, bimbofication scandals, Sisters in Christ burritos, and the WGA staff strike exposing how unaffordable LA really is. Plus a Punch-Up on indie artists who won't drop their music… and moderates who keep flopping. La Lista Podcast host Rubén Mendive and writer Thulio DaSilva ditch the formal interviews and hop on the mic for quick, unfiltered conversations about their chaotic creative lives — covering new writing projects, hot takes on industry trends, dating disasters, and whatever discourse the algorithm served them that morning. Come See Brown & Out at the LA LGBT Center April 10th! Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Sunny Side - Airstream

A "VIVA INDIE" LATINO WRITER & FILMMAKER Alejandro Montoya Marín shares growing up between Laredo and Merida, opening a video store in Monterrey before taking the leap to film school in Vancouver, grinding for years in New Mexico before landing on Robert Rodriguez's Rebel Without a Crew: The Series, and how betting on himself led to his latest action comedy The Unexpecteds on Tubi, backed by indie film champion Kevin Smith. Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks

This week: Fellowship rejection season is upon us (and the girls are coping), Thulio goes full Heated Rivalry at an LA Kings game, the male loneliness epidemic (but make it queer), Mormon MomTok chaos, and Ruben's take on why AI in Hollywood is a very expensive nothing burger. Plus a Punch-Up on Hollywood's lack of emotionally resonant TV... and the gays being way too horny in IG Reels comments. La Lista Podcast host Rubén Mendive and writer Thulio DaSilva ditch the formal interviews and hop on the mic for quick, unfiltered conversations about their chaotic creative lives — covering new writing projects, hot takes on industry trends, dating disasters, and whatever discourse the algorithm served them that morning. Come See Brown & Out at the LA LGBT Center April 3rd & 10th! Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Sunny Side - Airstream

A QUIRKY LATINA WRITER Maor shares her upbringing in Miami between Honduran and Moroccan Jewish cultures, discovering improv and comedy as a way to channel her outsider perspective, moving to Los Angeles after studying screenwriting at UCLA, surviving the pandemic and strikes while building a creative life in Hollywood, and how years of writing, collaboration, and persistence led to her first TV writing credit on Peacock's emerging creator series The Kouncil, Telemundo's first English-language series. Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks

This week: Thulio's Sniffies hookup story (including a brutal gym neg), writing plays at the LA LGBT Center, Selena Gomez foot-kissing discourse, a long-awaited job update (!!), and Rubén's unhinged thesis that vertical micro-dramas are the next streaming revolution. La Lista Podcast host Rubén Mendive and writer Thulio DaSilva ditch the formal interviews and hop on the mic for quick, unfiltered conversations about their chaotic creative lives — covering new writing projects, hot takes on industry trends, dating disasters, and whatever discourse the algorithm served them that morning. Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Sunny Side - Airstream

A MEXICAN PLAYWRIGHT RELUCTANTLY PARTICIPATING IN HOLLYWOOD In our Season 7 premiere, Bernardo Cubría shares growing up between Mexico City and Houston in a fiercely Mexican household that resisted assimilation, discovering theater after a year in human rights activism, turning to satire to break away from narco stereotypes in American storytelling, writing authentically Latino stories on Acapulco (Apple TV), and why protecting your voice matters more than chasing the next job. Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks

AN INSECURE FREAKY LATINA WRITER For our Season 6 finale, Anna Salinas shares growing up in the conservative retirement town of Sarasota, how teaching art gave her the confidence to pursue improv at UCB, building Latino community with her team Menudo and the show Feliz Hour, breaking into TV on Human Resources, Mo, and Loot, and how her webcomic Bad Comix by Anna and short films helped her break out as a filmmaker! Season 7 of the pod starts back up March 2026! Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks

A LATINO WRITER WHO WRITES ABOUT JOY & GRIEF Yosimar Reyes (Ep. 113) is back to talk about bringing his solo show Prieto to its LA premiere (Nov 20–23), navigating the loss of his grandmother with the help of therapy, reflecting on undocumented life in a shifting political landscape, and creating theater rooted in joy, grief, and humor! Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks

AN AWKWARD DOMINICAN YORK WRITER Stephanie Rodriguez shares growing up between the Bronx and Tampa, hustling her way into art school, creating her graphic novel Doodles from the Boogie Down, transitioning from comics to screenwriting, moving to LA with a New York hustle, and breaking into children's media through the Fred Rogers Productions Writers' Neighborhood program! Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks

AN ANIMATED GAY LATINX WRITER/PRODUCER James Eason-Garcia shares growing up Mexican-American in Colorado, coming out as the first openly gay student at his high school, rising from a PA for Elena of Avalor to co-executive producer for "Marvel's Iron Man and His Awesome Friends," and diving into preschool animation through visual storytelling and lessons in kindness! Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks

A BUBBLY & COLORFUL SPOOKY LATINA WRITER Montserrat Luna-Ballantyne shares growing up between Monterrey and Ventura County, leaving the Mexican Consulate to break into TV with Mayans MC, surviving Zoom rooms and the strike, and finding new creative joy through Film Independent's Project Involve with her horror/psychological thriller short In Sickness and in Health! Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks

A SMART-ASS TEJANA WRITER Marcelina Chavira shares growing up in Texas with Mexican and white roots, moving from anthropology into sketch and voiceover, writing for Amazon's Upload in the thick of our AI anxieties, bringing her Texas upbringing to the King of the Hill continuation, and shaping a voice grounded in magical realism and postcolonial identity in our current climate! Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks

A PROUDLY FORMULAIC IMMIGRANT WRITER Jorge Molina shares growing up gay in Cuernavaca, Mexico and dreaming of Hollywood from afar, skipping the traditional assistant path after USC due to visa constraints, building a career curating shorts at top queer and Latino film festivals and demystifying the submission process for filmmakers, and channeling his whodunit obsession into the Gina Torres-led audio drama A Murder in Montecito! Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks

A PROUD LATE-BLOOMER, DAUGHTER TO IMMIGRANTS, NOW TRAUMATIZED & SEARCHING FOR A HYPNOTIST Helen Fernandez shares her upbringing between Phoenix, San Antonio, and Mexico, navigating toxic assistant gigs and breaking through via the NBC TV Writers Program, how getting staffed on Happy's Place and not being asked back taught her the highs and heartbreaks of working in TV, and creating the live comedy show Single Riders Only to explore the absurdity of modern dating! Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks

A QUEER LATINO-INDIGENOUS DRAG QUEEN TURNED FILMMAKER Reuben Bernardo Qhapaq shares his journey from Ecuador to San Francisco, surviving chronic illness and a rigid adoptive home, finding community as a teenage runaway in the city's underground Latino drag scene, going from high school dropout to AFI graduate, and why his upcoming short Esta Noche honors the queer elders who helped him survive. Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks

A PROUD QUEER, AFRO-NUYORICAN WRITER, ACTOR, & PRODUCER Ronald Hinton shares growing up with his grandmother in NYC's Upper West Side, reclaiming pride in his roots through writing, launching his Queerty-nominated web series Natives to spotlight queer life in public housing, and building community through the Queer Voices: NYC Film Festival. Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks

A TEXAN PERUVIAN LATINA WRITER OBSESSED WITH FANTASTICALLY FLAWED WOMEN Alessandra Jara Del Castillo shares growing up between Peru and Texas, discovering screenwriting at UT Austin after starting in journalism, breaking into writers' rooms through Twitter and mentorship, channeling her love of messy family dynamics into her scripts, and gaining rare production access as an assistant thanks to generous showrunners. Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks

A MIXED-RACE WANNABE RAPPER DIY LATINO FILMMAKER Kahlil Maskati shares growing up half Puerto Rican and half Indian in New Jersey, finding his creative voice through rapping and filmmaking, getting staffed on So Help Me Todd after the Paramount Writers Mentoring Program, and how making his indie feature Do I Shock You Like Lightning? led him to direct a new Chicano detective short set in Bakersfield. Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks

A BOUNDLESS & LIMITLESS LATINX WRITER Yohanna Baez shares growing up Dominican in L.A., how a short doc on climate justice in her native DR sparked her storytelling path, her move to NYC to pursue the indie route, and turning All Night Deli—a genre-blending audio series about bodegas, designer drugs, and interdimensional portals—into a podcast, video game, and manga. Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks

A QUEER ECUADORIAN WRITER FROM QUEENS Sebastián Rea shares his journey from Ecuador to Queens, his hustle as a teen party promoter, working with Tribeca and Jennifer Lopez's Nuyorican Productions, and how the NBC TV Writers Program led him to his first staff job on Peacock's upcoming limited series Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy. Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks

A BOSS BABE LATINX WRITER WHO BUILT HER OWN LADDER & HELPS OTHERS CLIMB UP IT Tawnya Benavides Bhattacharya shares what it was like growing up in a tiny farming town in Eastern Washington, how uncovering family secrets led her to embrace her Mexican roots later in life, why she founded the screenwriting school Script Anatomy, and how a relentless work ethic helped her staff on shows like Bel-Air, A Million Little Things, Ginny & Georgia, and My Life with the Walter Boys! Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks

A QUIETLY CHAOTIC GENRE-BENDING INDIGENOUS/CHICANO WRITER Elijah Sariñana shares his upbringing in California's Central Valley, his journey from progressive rocker to writing horror and sci-fi rooted in Mexican mythology, his reconnection with his Nahua heritage, and how a La Lista mixer landed him a gig on Nocturno: Tales From the Shadows, Sonoro's Danny Trejo–narrated horror podcast! Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks

A BIRACIAL BISEXUAL BIPOLAR LATINA WRITER Chynna Ladage shares her upbringing in Burbank with her Mexican and Indonesian family, her experience traveling the country while working on Catfish: The TV Show (MTV), her journey overcoming imposter syndrome to finally call herself a writer, and how she worked her way up from office PA to story editor on All American (CW)! Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks

A PROUD CHUNTI WRITER STRIVING FOR MEXCELLENCE In our Season 6 premiere, Omar Ponce shares his upbringing in L.A. and Hermosillo, Mexico, his journey from advertising to TV writing, the art of talking sh*t about loved ones at the ofrenda, and the significance of bringing "Mexcellence" into the mainstream on Lopez vs. Lopez! Instagram - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks

A DECOLONIALISH LATINX WRITER For our Season 5 finale, Kevin Madrigal Galindo shares his journey from his childhood in South San Francisco to Stanford University bioengineering student, food justice advocate, and chef, detailing how transformative experiences in nonprofit work inspired him to write poetry and publish his first chapbook, Hell/a Mexican! Season 6 of the pod starts back up March 2025! Instagram & Twitter/X - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks

A PROUD TEJANA HORROR-OBSESSED LATINA WRITER & DIRECTOR Marcella Ochoa shares her childhood in San Antonio, starting her career on the PR side of the industry, drawing writing inspiration from real life horror stories, and co-writing the social justice horror film, Madres, as part of Amazon's 'Welcome to the Blumhouse' series! Instagram & Twitter/X - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks

A SPIRITUAL CHICANO HORROR SURREALIST LATINO WRITER Jose Vicente Chavez shares his super Catholic upbringing in Santa Fe, building a community of horror writers with The Latinxorcists, diving into the fears of TV/film creatives on his podcast 'Shared Nightmares' and we preview our upcoming spooky writers mixer in DTLA! Instagram & Twitter/X - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks

A QUEER, MIXED, UNAPOLOGETIC, LIBRA WITH ONLY CHILD SYNDROME LATINX WRITER Kay Broch shares her rebellious childhood in West Michigan, her early start as a marketing maven, writing about the drag queens who raised her, and 'She Said… Let's!' her podcast about shining a light on the women who've empowered us! Instagram & Twitter/X - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks

A SILLY LATINX WRITER Oscar Lemus shares his upbringing in South Florida, finding his love for sketch comedy at Florida State University, working his way up from TV support staff on multiple shows to staffing on the new season of 'Phineas and Ferb', and standing with the Animation Guild during their upcoming contract negotiations! Instagram & Twitter/X - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks

AN EVER EVOLVING MIDWEST BORICUA WRITER Edith Rodriguez (ep. 38) returns to share her experience relocating from Dallas to LA with her family, taking a year off from her career to pursue screenwriting, how she staffed on the upcoming 'Dexter' series, and why it's important to question your nos! Instagram & Twitter/X - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks

A REBELLIOUS LATINX FILIPINX WRITER ON WHEELS Hernán Barangan shares his childhood in the Bay Area, dealing with cancer as a teen, how unprocessed trauma led to his feature documentary 'CANCER REBELLION' about teens diagnosed with cancer across all 50 states, and writing health narratives that ring true on Apple TV+'s LIFE BY ELLA! Instagram & Twitter/X - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks

A HELLA BLACK MEXICAN WRITER Ehcrama Marche shares her childhood in Montebello, CA, becoming a self-taught animator during the pandemic, how identity struggles inspired her hit animated web series 'Hella Black Mexican', and why vulnerability produces great art! Instagram & Twitter/X - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks

A MIXED MEDIA GENRE-BENDING LATINX WRITER Kristian Mercado Figueroa shares his childhood in Spanish Harlem and Puerto Rico, the inspiration behind his hit cyberpunk short film 'NUEVO RICO', the power imbalance between Puerto Rico and the USA, and his first feature film 'IF YOU WERE THE LAST' streaming now on Peacock! Instagram & Twitter/X - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks

A LATINA MIAMI WRITER WITH A BITE Aitch Alberto shares her childhood in Miami while living on the run with her family, releasing her film 'Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe', navigating an ever-changing TV/film industry, and how your 'ugly' is your superpower! Instagram & Twitter/X - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks

A NUANCED MULTIDIMENSIONAL HILARIOUS F****T LATINX WRITER Thulio DaSilva shares his childhood as a Brazilian immigrant in Connecticut, experiencing the impact of gun violence following the Sandy Hook Massacre, our time together in The Disruptors TV Fellowship, and writing about queer & undocumented shame. Instagram & Twitter/X - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks

A SOCIAL CLASS & SCI-FI OBSESSED LATINX WRITER Angela Treviño shares her childhood experiences as an immigrant from a Mexican border town, switching careers to become a TV writer, how she staffed on 'Kung Fu' on the CW, and divorcing your writing from the outcome! Instagram & Twitter/X - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks

A REMARKABLE BLACK BORICUA SCREENWRITER & ACTOR Abi Rich chats about her upbringing in Boston, how 'Twenties' on BET inspired her to pursue a career in TV, writing scripts about characters chasing wealth, and our adventures together during Lena Waithe's Hillman Grad Mentorship Lab! Instagram & Twitter/X - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks

THE MOST UNHINGED GAY LATINX WRITER Moises Mendez II chats about his childhood in the suburbs just north of NYC, his path to becoming a culture reporter for TIME Magazine, the current state of journalism on Twitter/X & beyond, and why it's important to hold Influencers accountable! Instagram & Twitter/X - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks How Grindr fuels crystal meth use YouTuber Alyx Weiss Went Dark for Months. Now She'd Like to Address Her Fans Why Are Social Media Companies Taking Ad Money From a Right-Wing Transphobic Doc? Men Think About the Roman Empire All the Time. Here's What Women Say They Think About Online Users Were Doxxed by Nicki Minaj Fans. Some Say They Won't Stop Speaking Out

AN IMMIGRANT LATINO WRITER WHO DOESN'T LIKE LABELS Eduardo Cisneros chats about his childhood in Monterrey, his writing career with Eugenio Derbez, the transition from working in Mexican TV to Hollywood, and embracing bilingual audiences when co-creating 'Acapulco' on AppleTV+! Instagram & Twitter/X - @lalistapodcast Music: Arriba Mami - Jingle Punks