Producer and CEO of 3Pas Studios, Ben Odell, is our guest this week. He shares the fascinating story behind his critically acclaimed new film 'Radical,' starring Eugenio Derbez. The film centers on a gifted but disadvantaged group of students in Mexico whose lives are transformed by an unconventional new teacher.

Hear how the film was received differently by Mexican versus American audiences, Eugenio’s decade-long journey to becoming a dramatic actor, the challenges Latinos face in gaining Oscar recognition, and the surprising story of how the film's rights were nearly lost.

Highly Relevant Playlist
Alch Si - (Carin León feat. Grupo Frontera)

Nostalgia - (FlowGPT feat. AI Bad Bunny)

Vueltas - (Noah Pino Palo)

'How the Gringo Stole Christmas' is one of only a handful of Latino-centered holiday films ever made. This week, its director, Venezuelan-American Angel Gracia, joins the show to discuss this pressing question: Why are Latino holiday movies so rare? Plus, we discuss his rich three-decade journey in filmmaking, the challenges of authentically casting Latino roles, and the hard business truths of making art in Hollywood.

Episode Summary:

• Angel's diverse upbringing and experiences living as a foreigner in different countries, inform his storytelling
• Casting George Lopez and connecting with his real-life experience as a Latino dad to a daughter dating someone outside their culture
• Casting considerations and controversies around Latinx actors playing roles outside their specific heritage
• The business side of Hollywood casting and how it impacts creative decisions
• The importance of authenticity in storytelling while also serving the main genre/purpose of the story
• Angel's plans to build Super Studios, a new production studio and school in Texas, as a more affordable alternative to Hollywood

Highly Relevant Playlist
Monaco - Lagos feat. Danny Ocean
Cinturita - Reggie El Autentico
Yasser Tejeda - Pa’ Sembrar

Subscribe to Highly Relevant with Jack Rico where we explore how Latino pop culture is reshaping mainstream entertainment.

Legendary music producer Gustavo Santaolalla has crafted the soundtrack to Rock En Español, producing career-defining albums for Café Tacvba, Molotov, Juanes, and many more. He is one of only three composers to win consecutive Academy Awards for Best Original Score for Brokeback Mountain and Babel. In our wide-ranging conversation, Gustavo shares his philosophical views on art, humanity, the spiritual connection he finds in music, and the state of the creative industry today. We begin with how Gustavo’s hard-knock life in 1960s Argentina led to an explosion of boundary-pushing creativity still felt in music today.

Episode Key Quotes:

"The album 'Arcoiris' is a blueprint of my career. In that album, you're going to find the music for the movies, the songs, the production tricks."

"It's creativity, art, and music that moves you in any art. It's what keeps us sane."

"In the next 20 years, we're going to have to make big decisions and big changes or this can go away, really."

Highly Relevant Playlist
The Last Of Us - Gustavo Santaolalla
Eres - Cafe Tacvuba
Frijolero - Molotov