I’ve written previously (here and here) about Miguel Orozco’s plan to release three mini-novelas as a means of independently drumming up support for Senator Barack Obama’s candidacy. Well, today, all three videos have been posted to YouTube. San Francisco-based Vote Hope paid for the video production.
According to the group’s press release, “The Hispanic community is a key battleground in California and nationally, and Vote Hope is aiming to increase political participation among this rapidly-growing demographic group. The mini-novelas address the fact that many Latinos are not registered to voter and many who are, do not vote regularly.”
Each of the videos tackle subjects that don’t get much of a hearing, at least within the Latino community. The first episode implicitly criticizes those who are willing to march but unwilling to vote. In the second episode, the impact of deportation on friends and family is discussed. And the last topic is Black-Latino relations.
As with all but the very best of its genre, some of the dialogue in the mini-novelas can seem simplistic or stilted and some of the acting can seem forced. However, taken as a whole the videos can be oddly affecting.
This is the first blog post from Christina Hoag, La Política’s reporter in Los Angeles. We are lucky to have the longtime Miami Herald staffer as part of the team:
For the past 25 years, Luis Aira has been a Hispanic marketing stategist for corporate blue chips such as McDonald’s, Coca Cola and Honda and a political consultant for candidates such as Michael Dukakis, John Kerry, Al Gore and most recently Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
Born in Cuba and raised in Venezuela, he directed MTV’s Rock the Vote campaign and has served for many years as creative director for the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project. His production company, Ofrenda, is based in Los Angeles.
Q: So who will you be working for the upcoming presidential election?
A: (laughs) They haven’t come around yet.
Q: When you’re designing a political campaign aimed at the Latino vote, is there any specific theme that you emphasize?
A: I have a slightly different approach. I have a focus on [Latino advertising] as a cultural thing, as opposed to a language thing. There are plenty of Hispanics who don’t speak Spanish, particularly in the case of voters.
Hispanic advertising in this country has traditionally been based in Spanish. But there’s a whole new culture that has little to do with south-of-the-border. I coined the term “American alien” – somebody’s who’s American but who Americans think is an alien, and who is completely off the radar. That’s who I aim for.
Q: Can you give an example of how this translates into political ads?
A: I worked from a much more American approach than people would have gone for.
When Antonio Villaraigosa was running for mayor [of Los Angeles], the Spanish community wasn’t exactly behind him. They didn’t view him as their candidate. A coalition was behind him – the black and Jewish communities and others.
To reach the Spanish community, I didn’t talk about being Latino. I talked about being an Angeleno. I shot the whole thing in Boyle Heights [predominantly Latino area], showed the streets, using documentary-type angles. It worked.
Q: Will immigration reform be the hot-button topic for Latinos in the upcoming presidential election?
A: That is always a big issue. But for those already established in this country, the most important issues are education and health.
Villaraigosa won on education – that was his main focus. “I’m going to educate your kids.” In a subliminal way, he was also saying, your kids can be like me. They can be mayor.
Q: Much is being made of the Hispanic youth vote for this upcoming presidential election. How do you see this voter segment?
A: That is the key factor to tap in the election, but they don’t go out to vote. If you can get them out, you’ll win.
Obama