Hillman Grad Productions was founded in 2018 by Emmy Award-winning writer, producer, and actor Lena Waithe and led by CEO Rishi Rajani. Since then, the full-service media and production company has expanded to include six divisions across TV/film, music, books, podcasts, branded content, and mentorship. They are also into the fashion space with Hillman Grad collegiate apparel.
From our favorites The Chi, Boomerang, and Twenties to the critically-acclaimed Queen and Slim to the striking Netflix movie Beauty to new projects on Disney and HBO, Waithe and her team are leading the way with telling stories through a lens we haven’t seen before.
Each year, National Hispanic Heritage Month is observed from September 15 to October 15 by celebrating the histories, cultures, and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.
In the spirit of Hispanic Heritage Month, BGN had the pleasure of speaking via phone with two leaders of Hillman Grad Productions: Rocio Melara, Vice President of Film and Television, and Sylvia Carrasco, Creative Executive. In their roles, they collaborate on a wide range of projects with writers and are an integral part of day-to-day meetings. This translates to gathering and overseeing material all the way to post-production and marketing. The ultimate goal is to cultivate good relationships with writers and figure out the stories they want to tell.
Sylvia Carrasco, Creative Executive
Both women joined Hillman Grad to expand the mission of empowering underrepresented artists and bringing more diverse voices to the forefront of entertainment. Born and raised in Los Angeles, neither thought a job in entertainment was achievable for someone that looked like them. We discussed how they came to love storytelling and the importance of women of color making an impact behind the scenes in film and television.
Carrasco admits that she’s always been someone who has watched too much television (most of us can relate!). People swore she was a walking TV Guide. It wasn’t until she was getting her master’s degree in telecommunications and film that she felt there could be an opportunity for her to study media. The women in her program cohort were interning and put her on to how she could get into entertainment, particularly producing. That was the first time she realized she could do it.
As a “weird, only Brown wild-child” growing up, Melara says that when her friends couldn’t play, she inhaled books and watched her favorite TV shows. Because she spent so much time alone, she would make up stories that would get her in trouble at school. She always had a knack for storytelling and a big imagination to match. It felt like she always wanted to do something in the entertainment space but didn’t know how to get in. It wasn’t until she was at UCLA (University of California–Los Angeles) that she realized she wanted to be a producer. Growing up, she never got to see people like her in the teen romances or adventure stories that she loved so much. This has been Melara’s “north star” of how young Brown girls can see themselves in fun spaces and being loved.
Media, in all of its forms, has immeasurable power to shape ideas. Television, film, and digital media can influence how we see others and how we see ourselves. Accurate, authentic representation can break down barriers, open us to new ideas, create powerful role models, and even be a source of inspiration. Representation can serve as opportunities for Black and Brown communities to find support and validation and reduce negative stereotypes about other groups.
Carrasco and Melara recognize that representation is not the final goal; instead, it should merely be one step toward equity. Having a diverse cast on a television series or movie is meaningless if those storylines promote harmful stereotypes or fail to address real life.
Speaking with these women, I found that their passion shines through as they are adamant about wanting Hispanic/Latinx stories to feel layered, complex, and textured. In addition to monolithic narratives, Carrasco and Melara want to truly see their loves, hopes, and dreams represented on the big screen. On the other side, the challenge is trying to champion those voices in Hollywood, as these stories can be difficult to push through.
Both talk about the culture shift happening in entertainment within the last couple of years. Even before this change, diversity has been important to Hillman Grad, and they are helping to fill the void of what is not being represented on screen.
Melara mentions that the Latinx community has wanted to tell their stories for so long and that they are now making a dent in Hollywood. It’s finally at a place to where the industry wants to champion diverse voices. She says, “As far as how we continue to be a part of this shift, Hillman Grad has a wonderful mentorship arm that has a track for acting, writing, and directing. What’s so great about it is that we will continue to find those younger voices that may not know how to get in the door. We will continue to provide them with a space to create and find themselves in Hollywood.”
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