Interview with the creators and cast of “Wassup en LA?,” a Cuban American family sitcom
Just a little while ago, I joined three of the people behind "Wassup en LA?" for a Google+ Hangout. "Wassup en LA?" is a sitcom about a Cuban American family that moves from Miami to Los Angeles when one of the kids decides to chase his acting dreams.
We talked about being Cuban, portraying a Cuban family for mainstream TV audiences and the experiences, art, politics and history that inform their approach to making the show.
The creators are currently raising money on Kickstarter to get the project moving. Get more details and, if you're so inclined, contribute to the Kickstarter fund here.
Here's the interview. There's a good chance we'll chat with "Wassup en LA?" again, so let us know in the comments if you still have questions for next time.
Corre la bola | 
This is such a wonderful project! These guys are the real deal. I am so excited to help make this happen.
Thanks for sharing!
xoxo,
Marta
I have been watching the website and FB of Wassup LA for many, many months and at the first opportunity pledged my support on the Kickstarter and I urge everyone to supporting to the best of your pocketbooks!
Please get this show on a channel we have that's not an Extra pay! Thanks, Zelde
Sorry I couldn't respond on time, but I expect you did catch my drift, Nicolas. I also expect my concerns or objections are a moot point. Given the nature of the entertainment industry, and given how Cubans are perceived by same, I can't see anything comparable to QPUSA that would fly on network or cable TV. If a Cuban-themed show did manage to get on the air, which is already a big stretch (as the “Latino” demographic is not especially Cuban-friendly, and it’s much bigger than the Cuban demographic), it's virtually certain it'd be so full of distortions and/or offensive stereotypes that it wouldn’t be worth watching anyway (by Cubans, obviously). I neither trust nor respect the media-entertainment complex in general, especially when it comes to anything Cuba-related. In other words, I’m not holding my breath on this thing.
I agree 100% with Asombra. "Que Pasa, USA" this is not. Sorry, I'm getting bad vibes. These young men could be wonderful [and forgive me if I am wrong], but I fill uncomfortable.
Anyway, as Asombra points out, given the nature of the entertainment industry and US demographics where Cubans are a mere 3 or 4% of the entire Hispanic community, it seems unlikely that a genuinely Cuban sitcom would be given a green light. They would probably be forced to compromise a hell of a lot and I'm sick and tired of Lateeno stereotypes being imposed on so-called Cuban characters.
The last and only time that anyone got a Cuban character correct was the excellent film, "Good-bye Hemingway." Interestingly enough, the movie was made by an Indian [Hindu] director. But she got the Cuban mannerisms and everything down to the dot. Unfortunately, the movie though very good was not a box office success.
The few Cubans who have made Cuban programs [i.e. "CANE"] have sold-their-ass-to-the-ruling-class and have made the typical stereotypical garbage.
[...] Update on “Wassup en LA?” Kickstarter campaign By Nicolas Jimenez, on September 5, 2012, at 11:26 pm A while back, I shared an interview with some of the people behind a sitcom called "Wassup en LA?" [...]