On Netflix’s top 10 list for weeks shows like “Selena: The Series” demonstrate the power of girls, particularly girls of color when it comes to making or breaking popular media. Yet, there are no Latina, Black, Native American and just a handful of Asian female studio heads in Hollywood. Chloe Zhao, was the first Asian woman to win an Oscar for directing in its near 100 year history. Women lead fewer major U.S. newspapers than they did 10 years ago. Same goes for TV and radio, where women make up just 28% of news directors in the top 25 U.S. markets and 26 percent of radio news directors at stations with 1M listeners or more. For women of color – the numbers shrink even more.
Creating a platform for the next generation of Black, Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) storytellers, Latinitas Startup Chica Conference teaches girls and teens how to make their own media, podcasts, films, networks and channels.
The event’s keynote will be delivered by industry leader and social entrepreneur Sara Mora. Mora is the founder of Population MIC, an initiative and project that empowers activists by providing them with media and storytelling tools to help spread their message. The outspoken activist is dedicated to amplifying and empowering the disenfranchised and has launched various national campaigns pushing for immigration reform. Mora has been acknowledged for her work as Seventeen Magazine’s “Voices of the year 2020”, MS Magazine’s “25 Under 25: Women of Color to Watch”, Hispanic Heritage Foundation’s 2020 #YoSoy Instagram Awardee and became a Board of Advisory Member for Reebok’s Human Rights Award Program.
Latinitas has been working with young girls of color to combat stereotypes in media and technology not only based on gender, but also in culture.
In its 10th iteration Startup Chica has welcomed approximately 1,000 girls nationwide and sometimes from other countries such as Costa Rica.
Attendees will be tasked to develop their own media product and business plan with the help of coaches and presentations from media founders. A virtual national event, girls will focus on the representation of BIPOC in media and will be walked through lessons in public speaking, marketing, budgeting and pitching. Event sponsors, all focused on building female leadership in their companies, include Ebay, Dell, Atlassian, and T. Kahler Coaching.
Media creators, business leaders, and female entrepreneurs will share their experiences throughout the day including Collective Blue Founder Nina Ho, Kizzy Dogan author of: Thirteen: Lessons for Every Teen Girl’s Journey to Womanhood and CEO & Founder of T&G Commercial Cleaning, award-winning social media strategist and Founder of Christina SBG Christina Jovanna Olivarez,Michele Faraco founder of Moon Child, a social movement that empowers people to feel good with themselves and show up as their most authentic selves, and Jen Zeano (Serrano), owner of Zeano Designs, a South Texas based lifestyle brand.
Latinitas Program Coordinator Beatriz Castillo explains “Start up Chica is not only a one-day conference, it’s a community where girls from all over the country come together and support each other. It’s the start of a great network of hardworking women and girls who have one goal in mind: to dream big and not let any adversity get in the way of reaching their goals!”
At the end of the conference, girls will present their business solutions to a panel of judges, including, Senior VP of Global Revenue at Dell Bruny Rios, Executive Director of Diversity & Inclusion and Asset Wealth Management Technology at JPMorgan Chase Erika Roman, and Consulting Practice Manager at Oracle Mariah Fambro.
REGISTER TO ATTEND OR VOLUNTEER: www.startupchica.com