S1: It's time for KPBS Midday Edition on today's show. Comic-Con is finally in town , so today we talk to local creatives to show just how deeply rooted the con is in San Diego. I'm Jade Hindman with conversations that keep you informed , inspired , and make you think. You'll hear from artists and authors who create and illustrate the superheroes they wanted to see as children. Then a new film about a beloved actress on Sesame Street that's live. Ahead on Midday edition. Welcome to Comic-Con. Whether you're a long time attendee , a newbie , or just a spectator , you've probably had an encounter with the con one way or another. Each year , celebrities , creators , and fans from all across the world come to America's finest city. This year , we want to talk about connectedness and how Comic-Con is connected to San Diego. And also , we want to hear from some some of the creatives who are making space for representation inside the con and beyond. But first , here to talk about some of the festivities is our very own Beth Accomando. Beth , so great to be with you here again this year.
S2: Yes , thank you for letting me talk to you from my happy place.
S1:
S2: I think I started coming right after Star Wars. Like 77 , 78.
S1: You've been coming for more than half a century.
S2: Oh , yeah. I'm old. Listen , you.
S1: Know you're an expert. That's what this is. Well , we're here live in the convention center itself , right outside exhibit hall. Uh , gee , it looks like. And it's really buzzing. This is the first official day of the convention.
S2: And you do have to take into account that you can't get anywhere fast. So , you know , you got to clock in an extra ten , 20 minutes to get from point A to point B.
S1: That is very true. Um , and also wear your sneakers because , you know , we've got we've got broken escalators , we've got crowds being redirected , but still a fun time. Uh , we're also outside of Artist Alley. And for those who might not know what that is , what is Artist Alley and is it a place you frequent a lot ? Yes.
S2: I love going to Artist Alley. It's very congested and the artists tend to have small tables , but this is a diverse array of artists working in a diverse array of styles. Some work on comic books. Some are just artists who create art in other ways. But people will come because they're fans. But I also suggest just walk up and down the aisles. This is what I love to do and you'll discover things , and it's a great place to go and support the artist. Buy something , a sticker , a poster , whatever. But that's part of what you're there for.
S1: Yeah , I took a stroll through there a little earlier and saw some really cool sketch art. Yeah , that they had. Well , is there anything , um , like you're particularly excited for this year ? I hear George Lucas will be in town. I mean , yes , pretty big.
S2: So , you know , I don't think I've slept on concrete for at least a couple of decades , but I need to refresher course on wrist banding and things to do for Hall H. This is the first time he is actually coming , but Star Wars has a deep history here. At Comic-Con in 1976 , before anybody knew anything about the movie , they had a small table promoting the movie. They gave out some posters that now sell for like $30,000 , I think. And ever since then , there has been a close tie between Lucasfilm's and Comic-Con with panels and a presence here on the exhibit floor and in Hall H. For decades.
S1: That is so cool. So one thing I've noticed , the Hollywood presence has been a bit more downsized these past few years. Although , you know , some big properties like anime have come up in a big way this year.
S2: Artist alley really rocks. I think more people discover the floor. They're actually spending money on the floor , buying more things and discovering stuff that they didn't really have time for because they were waiting in line. And now I think they actually return , even if there is a lot at Hall H. So I think , you know , that's one of the things Comic-Con is whatever you want to make it. And I always suggest get out of your comfort zone , try something you haven't tried. There is so much out here. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. And , you know , I know that you have been working on stories and preparation for this. You've got one airing on Evening Edition tonight. Tell me about it.
S2: So I am working on a lot of stories , but one that's really exciting , I think is Little Fish comic Studio is doing something they call Comic Con Artist intensive. And so a group of students will get a project to make a four page comic book in three days and bring it to Comic Con for professional review. And this is something Comic Con does. There are portfolio reviews all the time. This is a place where business also happens. Even if you're like 13 years old or even a college student. So I think that is a great opportunity for kids , and it's a great opportunity for anyone who wants to get their work looked at by professionals.
S1: And I know that every year we always come by your boost fest. Tell me about that. Yeah.
S2: Yeah. So we run a booth called Film Geek San Diego 4019 , and we raise money for student scholarship that is run by Media Arts Center San Diego. So we have a lot of fun stuff , including this Superman cape that I am wearing right now.
S1: Lovely , lovely. And you know you've got it. Why ? Because you're a Comic-Con legend. So , I mean , walk us through memory lane. Talk about some of your favorite memories here.
S2: Well , since Guillermo del Toro is going to be on the panel with Lucas , I do want to remind people that he was here ages ago. And back in , I think it was 2004. I was interviewing him in the lobby because back then people just walked off their panel into the lobby. Filmmakers were handing him DVDs of their movies , and he turned to me , or he turned to his assistant and he said , like , where are my treasures ? And I looked at him , and what he was talking about was all the DVDs that these young filmmakers have given him , and he swore that he would watch them all , even if it took years. And to me , that's what Comic-Con is about. It's about creators who are also geeky fans themselves and who have a lot of compassion , Empathy and support for these young artists coming up , because you never know where the next talented person is going to come from.
S1: I mean , it is always , always a treat to talk to you and to get your perspective on the con. You've been doing this a while. All right. I've been speaking with KPBS arts reporter Beth Accomando. Beth. Thank you. Oh.
S2: Oh. Thank you.
S1: Still to come here from two local creators who are making space for cultural representation at Comic-Con when KPBS Midday Edition returns. All right. Welcome back. You're listening to KPBS Midday Edition. I'm Jade Hindman , coming to you live from Comic-Con. There's a lot to see out here. We've got all sorts of people dressed in their costumes. Marvel is really out here representing DC comics. They're out here as well. Uh , just a reminder that the con is really bursting with creativity , and there really isn't a better place to see that in action than where we are right now , which is near Artist Alley. So , as the name suggests , it is part of the exhibit floor where artists showcase and sell their work. San Diego local Patrick Ballesteros is a veteran of Artist Alley. He's an illustrator and educator with a focus on all things pop culture , and I recently sat down with him in our studio to talk about his Comic-Con experience and really how he highlights San Diego and his work. Take a listen.
S3: Hmm.
S1: Hmm. Okay. Well , let's let's talk about a piece of yours that kind of shows all of that. I'm going to do my best to describe it for our listeners. And if you want to see it and you're listening , you can find it on KPBS. Org but I'm looking at an illustration of the exhibit floor with characters across pop culture here. What message did you want to convey through this piece ? It's it almost looks chaotic , but but it's organized chaos , I suppose.
S3: I think with any Comic-Con , especially San Diego , that's the best way to describe it. Organized chaos. You know what to expect. But when you're there , it's like you're in it. This is wow , okay , I forgot about this , but now I'm getting back into it. So I always describe these big show pieces as this is my love letter to the con , and my mentality is , God forbid , but if this is the last con I would ever do in San Diego , I always want to like , show something big. And that's why this one is called The Big Show. It incorporates all the aspects of where I am , like an artist alley to where a lot of my other artist friends are located , small press , other exhibitor tables , and then the audience and crowd that you see there. There are a lot of pop cultural characters , um , and there are a lot of characters that are dear to me that I either grew up watching when I was a kid or that I watch now , and I'm trying to sprinkle them in there as if I were in that crowd. Where would I go ? What would I do ? What am I looking at ? So I wanted when people when people see this , I wanted them to go like , oh yeah , that's what I would do. Or yeah , I'd be there to so that it endears them to the show floor by kind of resonating with them and capturing something within them that makes them go , oh man , I totally can see myself doing that.
S1: And this is you drew this through like it's an aerial perspective.
S3: Yeah , it's kind of like a slight , slight three quarter looking down , which I probably shouldn't have done because it took me forever to figure out that perspective. But that's what I do. I always go , like , what ? Can I make my life harder ? Okay , let's try this.
S1: Let's do it. That's a good thing. Don't lose that quality. Thank you. Well , take us through your Comic-Con journey you've been attending through various stages of your life. Tell me about that.
S3: I started as first just hearing about it. I think probably in high school , I just. Oh what's that ? Okay , cool. And then after high school is honestly , when I started going to it after high school , after college , I started as just an attendee checking it out. Um , and then a few years went into , like , looking for actual work. I went in going , okay , and now let me go for portfolio review. So that was probably mid 2000 that I would go every year to get a portfolio review or to try to get a portfolio review , because everyone is trying to get an opportunity. Long lines , long queues. So my whole day was spent just sitting there waiting to be called for an interview. And there's like probably five different companies at a time and you're just there all day just waiting to get called. Um , so I did that for quite a few years until 20 , I believe 12 is when I got my first opportunity to be , uh , an artist and artist alley and to , to date it , I sent my application via fax. So that's how tech was like , oh , I just fax it in and you didn't know it ? I don't know if they got it.
S1:
S3: Oh my gosh. Uh , but I always thank my artist and my not my artist , my friend and artist , John-Boy meyers. I would just talk to him and he'd be like , hey , let me get you an application. I'm like , nah , I don't think I'm ready. And he just gave it to me and he said , no , just sign up. And I was like , okay , fax it. And that year I got in and he's he's like my lucky charm. I was like , thank you so much. You're awesome. And he said , no , no , no , you did it. I'm like , no , you gave me the application. And so since 2012 on I have been there luckily in Artist Alley doing my thing. Meeting people , meeting artists , art directors , customers , fans. Everything. Wow.
S1: Wow. That's excellent. I mean , Comic-Con is such a it's a massive convention that it it can be really easy to get lost in the noise there.
S3: Uh , and I I'll break it down to stages. I think when I first got in there til probably maybe 2 or 3 years ago , it is in a sense , how do you stand out ? Right. There's a lot of pop culture. There's a lot of awesome artists. And what I found is as an artist , if you're able to find how , how do you tell a story the best ? What what do you do ? Like all the characters are the same in regards to who are the popular ones or the ones that you grew up with ? So the thing that I always tell people , if this is something that you're going to do , you have to be a fan of whatever it is you're putting out there. If you're doing it just because , like , oh yeah , that's cool , I'm going to do that , then I think you're going to miss the mark a little bit or it's not going to hit us hard. Like for this year , I did a mashup between La Booboo and Boba Fett. Star Wars I'm a big fan of La La Boo Boo. Not so much. However , the artist that's made them. I've collected some of his work before , so I'm familiar with this work. Not not the the woo woo side , but the characterization stylization. So that's the angle I was trying to get my appreciation for that artist , what he's done , what what he continues to do and combining those things. And if you can do something like that with whatever it is you're doing. Find your unique angle , find your , you know , putting a little piece of yourself , your culture , whatever. I think that's when you start to , like , hit a stride and people connect with it stronger.
S1: Well , you know , you're Filipino and the culture is really woven into your work.
S3: That's the biggest thing , of course. My people , they find me and I appreciate it. And I go , oh , are you Filipino ? Like , yes , I am. And like , yeah , we connected. Cool. See you at the family party. Uh , but I find it so cool when people that don't know anything about my art. For instance , there is a cultural icon , the jeepney. It's the public mode of transportation in the Philippines. You know , if you're Filipino or not Filipino , most people know it , but there are a lot of people that don't. So I have a whole series of jeepneys based around pop culture. And so when people come by , they go , oh , that's cool. I like these characters and like how you drew the bus. And I don't correct them. I just go , oh , you know , that is a mode of transportation in the Philippines. It's called the jeepney. And they'll go , oh , I didn't know that. And I tell them a little bit about that , not to get all , you know , preachy or anything , but just like , oh yeah , you know , when I go to the Philippines , that's what we see all the time. And I remember taking it when I was a kid and stuff like that , and they're like , oh , okay , that's cool. So it allows me to give them a little piece of that cultural heritage , that cultural information , without feeling like , I'm just dropping this all on you right now. And I think it's cool because it is that conversation starter. But then they start to see that more in regards to like more things that are Filipino and they'll recognize it. They'll come back to me or support other Filipino artists. And it's just that chain reaction that I think is awesome.
S1: Yeah , this this exchange that happens. Yeah. That's great. Well , in our show , we've been talking about how Comic-Con is really rooted in San Diego and its its creative community.
S3: And what I mean by that is because LA is only two hours away and I have a lot of friends in LA. I was always treated as , oh , you're that little brother. And that's how I feel that a lot of people see San Diego's. Oh , it's that , you know , that little kid right there , even though , you know , we're a big city , and even though San Diego , it's the biggest con in the world , I think , because how San Diego has grown exponentially. Um , the artists start to be seen a little bit more like , oh , you got into San Diego. Oh , and you're local. Oh. That's cool. And so people are becoming more and more aware of that. And there are a lot of wonderful artists , not just in regards to pop culture , but fine artists , things like that. There's a big community here. I think it's just they're spread out a lot more and they're all in their little niches here and there. Because if you go to LA , you know , there's always a gallery scene , there's always something big and it's like just this big show. But down here you have all that. It's just maybe not as , um , advertised , I would say , or just like as big and pronounced. But man , there's so many talented artists here. Like when I , when I do Comic-Con , I think a lot of people think I'm from LA. I'm like , no , no , no , I'm I'm a local kid. I'm San Diego. I'm like , oh , okay. I didn't know that. It's like , yeah. And I like saying that because then I go , oh yeah , there's another San Diego artist there and another one there and another one there. And then it makes people go , oh , wow , there's a lot of good artists. Like , yeah , there are , there are a lot of us here. Yeah.
S1: Yeah.
S3: I've been releasing a lot of peaks on my Instagram. The one thing that I'm really excited about is I made a mockup VHS sleeve throwback to my childhood. So it's it's called Con Hard because because I was watching Die Hard while I was making it. So I was like , oh yeah , I'm gonna make this. So I made a VHS sleeve. It's an actual one that feels the same size and everything , but on the inside it's actually a canvas print. And the canvas print again , there's two different designs. One is describe it. Pop culture , tiny characters around a TV VHS from the 80s and the tapes all spilling out. So that's the one thing I grew up with , is just having to deal with this stupid tape coming out of the VCR. And the other one , again , is just like a bunch of VHS tapes and kids playing around at characters and all that stuff. Um , I'm excited because it's something very new. And I had this idea a year ago after right after Comic-Con ended , I said , I want to do this. And so that's the one thing I love about being an artist , a creative. You have an idea , You can make it come to life. It's just , you know , finding the resources , finding the places , but seeing it in my hand and , you know , troubleshooting it with my printer , talking about how we're going to make this the size and the frame because it's not been done before. It's pretty cool when you're like , oh , it hasn't.
S4: Been done before , but we did it so cool.
S1: That's awesome. I've been speaking with illustrator and educator Patrick Ballesteros. You can find him at Artist Alley in Booth zero eight. Patrick , thank you so much.
S3: Thank you. That was. Fun.
S4: Fun.
S1: Creatives are continuing to carve out spaces for cultural representation at Comic-Con , and that includes local author John Wells , the third he's best known for the young adult fantasy series The Caleb Andrews Chronicles. And each year he organizes a panel at Comic-Con called Diversity and Fantasy. It puts a spotlight on writers who are crafting inclusive and culturally resonant stories in a genre that has long excluded their voices. John joins me now to talk about that panel and his own writing journey. John , welcome to Midday Edition.
S5: Thank you so much for having me.
S1: Glad to have you here. So you've put on this panel for the past three years.
S5: It really came from my own personal experience. To be completely honest , when I was reading books and growing up , I loved fantasy , adored it. But all of the fantasy books that I was into in the mainstream fantasy didn't have main characters that looked like me. Uh , so I wanted to first start by writing books that had characters that looked like me , and I thought maybe other people had this experience too. So I put together a panel called Diversity and Fantasy , where I invited other authors of diverse backgrounds and to talk about their experience and growing up , and why they feel like they are inspired to write those characters , and also what they feel like their responsibility is to present those characters for future generations. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. So it's like instead of looking at that and seeing a space where you weren't represented and just sort of closing the book and saying that space isn't for me , you decided to be the change that you wanted to see. Absolutely.
S5: Absolutely. Those are great words. That's actually what my father used to tell me. Uh , you know , don't just talk about it. Be about it. Be the change that you want to see.
S1: Yeah , well that's great.
S5: Uh , I mean , I'm seeing so much more , uh , representation a lot more a lot of stories from different backgrounds than even seven years ago that I wasn't seeing. So I'm really excited to and fortunate to live in this time and age where I'm actually seeing these. A lot of authors step up and write their stories.
S1: And tell me a bit more about that , because it's not just like you're seeing characters , um , in white spaces , right ? You're seeing diverse characters sort of bring in their own with their own cultural background and and bringing the culture into the genre.
S5: It's it's what makes it so beautiful is that we have these authors who are stepping up from different backgrounds , different cultures and their writing , their stories , their their mythologies , their backgrounds , you know , for for years and years and years , fantasy was dominated by Eurocentric stories , um , you know , primarily male , Eurocentric , Eurocentric stories.
S1: Like , for example , what what would be.
S5: A prime example , Harry Potter ? Sure. Yeah. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. Okay.
S5: You know , it's. It's normally Eurocentric. I mean , if we can go further back , we can go with King Arthur. We can go with Lord of the rings. We can go with any fantasy story that predates maybe 20 years. A lot of them start to have these same tropes and images that are really based in European mythology. European storytelling , the castles and all of that. It's all European. Mhm. Recently we've been seeing a lot more of an attempt from other authors showing , you know , Middle Eastern or , you know , Asian or African. I've , I love actually actually reading those stories because it's a side that we don't get to see very often. Mhm.
S1: Well let's dive more into your own journey because you were actually teaching before you became a writer full time. What was the catalyst for that.
S5: Uh , for becoming a writer. Yeah. Yes. So I was teaching. I was a substitute teacher for seven years , and I was teaching long term in a fourth grade class. And in fourth grade , they start learning about narrative fiction. And I had a student asked me , Mr. Wells , do you. Have you written anything ? And I started scribbling some stuff in college. Uh , specifically my first book I started working on in college. And I said , yeah , I can pull out my manuscript. So I read them the first chapter of my book. And the next day they came back , said Mr. Wells , can you read us the next chapter of the book ? Each day they kept coming back and asking for more. And I said , okay , I know what you're doing. You don't you want to get out of lessons ? Well , we have to do lessons. So if you want to hear a chapter of the book , you'll have to come during your lunch break. And then I'll read it thinking that nobody would come. And they all came during their lunch break to to hear the next chapter of the book. Uh , and it just I got to a point where I was out of chapters. I had to keep writing , I had to finish the book , and they really pushed me to finish my book. Wow.
S1: Wow. Well , you're still very passionate about arts and education. How are you continuing to merge the two ? Yes.
S5: I go into schools and I speak to students. I've had the privilege. I can't say anything other than that of being able to travel into schools , um , around the country and even around the world and speak to students about writing , speak to students about , uh , following their dreams , even if they don't want to be a writer. I had the privilege of of sending a message that whatever you put your mind , you whatever you want to do , even if it feels impossible , you can do it. I come from a background where , um , I actually struggled to learn how to read. Uh , I was on Hooked on Phonics. Most people don't even know what that is anymore. Uh , I , uh , I didn't know how to read or frankly , want to learn how to read. Mhm. And , uh , in addition to that , I was on I was in speech pathology until I was eight , uh , because people struggled to , to hear my hear me. I had such a raspy voice. People struggled to understand a word I was saying. My sister had to translate for me. Uh , so when I go into schools , I tell them that story. Is that for me to be a person who not only didn't know how to read , but also couldn't communicate with people ? And now I'm standing here in front of you. Uh , published author. I've written books , and I'm speaking. You know , that's what I do for a living , is speak. And , uh , if I can do that , something that I thought was impossible. You can do whatever you put your mind to. Yeah.
S1: Yeah.
S5: Uh , it does. And my my writing , especially the Caleb Andrews Chronicles , is really entrenched with my background , my culture and , um , my experience as a queer black male. First , I'll say I grew up in a town that was very , very white. Uh , I grew up in a town that there weren't a lot of people that looked like me. And I went to a predominantly black church. I went to a predominantly white school , and the intersection between those two did not really meet up. Um , I lived in this world where I was too white for church and too black for school , and I didn't really know where I fit my identity. I didn't , um. I didn't have one. I didn't feel like I had one. Uh , and Caleb , my main character. He is a black kid who was adopted by the white mayor of a very small town. And Caleb has that same experience of feeling like he doesn't really fit in. He doesn't really know where. Where he's supposed to go , where he's supposed to belong. And on top of that , the parents that he did that he does have kind of use him as a show horse. A show pony. You know , look how good we are. We adopted this black kid. Um , and he doesn't know how to feel about that. He doesn't feel good about it. Uh , but he doesn't really know why. Uh , so I feel like that really was very influenced by my own. My own background. I would say , furthermore , uh , there's a there's a quote in my book , I'm not going to be the good guy in this story. You should probably know that before you get the wrong idea. You're probably expecting some kind of hero or chosen one , but I'm not. I am inherently evil. And if you stick around long enough , you'll see that comes directly from my experiences growing up in a very conservative and religious household and discovering that I was queer and being told that it was wrong. Hmm.
S1: Hmm. I see where you going.
S5: I was. I grew up in a in a in a time where in a place where I so desperately wanted to please not just my family , but to please , you know , the God that we believed in. And , um , I tried so hard just to be that. Just to be who they wanted me to be. And I eventually got to a place where I said , I realized that if this is what good is. I can't be that so ? I must be evil. Obviously , I don't believe I'm evil. Right. But I had to get there before I could actually truly be myself. And , um , so when Caleb says that Caleb is struggling with who he is , um , and , uh , unfortunately , Caleb himself is not queer. Uh , he was written. He was. He came into being before I was even able to claim that for myself. But , uh , he does still struggle with this sense of identity. And who am I supposed to be ? Wow.
S1: It sounds like , you know , your your writing has been a way for you to stay on your journey of healing and , uh , a way that is something that really just provides you freedom. Absolutely.
S5: Absolutely. 100%.
S1: You know , we're in a political moment right now where a lot of diverse stories get caught up in culture wars , online and off.
S5: I just last year had an email come to me and say saying , you know , I will not be attending your panel because I don't believe that this is a real issue. Uh , you know , and I've had someone I've had people comment and say , you know , I was so interested until you mentioned diversity. So if those those comments are still around , they should be proof enough that , hey , we need to be talking about this. We need to keep talking about why it's important for readers , for book lovers , and for kids to see themselves represented in the stories that they read. You know , I spent most of my life thinking that I was going to be the sidekick in my own story. You know , because I didn't see anybody who was the hero. So I want I don't want other students of any background to feel that same way.
S1: Well , important work you're doing , for sure. I've been speaking with John Wells , the third author behind the Caleb Andrews Chronicles series. For those attending Comic-Con , the Diversity and Fantasy panel will take place tomorrow from 6 to 7 p.m. in room nine. John , thank you so much for coming in.
S5: Thank you so much for having me.
S1: Still to come. The actress behind Maria is the subject of a new documentary about Sesame Street.
S6: When you're working in TV and film , you always want to pitch something that's kind of familiar but brand new. And I think this documentary really fits that bill , because we know who Maria is , but we don't necessarily know who Sonya is.
S1: Hear more from director and Emmy nominated TV writer Ernie Bustamante. When KPBS Midday Edition returns. Welcome back. You're listening to KPBS Midday Edition. I'm your host , Jade Hindman , coming to you live from Comic-Con. So listen. Let me paint the picture for you out here. The traffic situation is everything you would expect at Comic-Con. Might be best to take the trolley down as far as foot track. If traffic is concerned , consider wearing those good sneakers you have with the arch support. Because the escalators are down and many of the pavilions and the areas , so be prepared to walk. Also , the food situation. It's one of those things that matter. So you've got everything from your sandwiches to the delectable like brownies and Rice Krispie treats and Auntie Annie's , which we're standing right next to , because of course , we set up near the snacks. But those are some of the things that are important. Also of importance are the panels that are happening here at Comic-Con. And so there's a special one here that's going to highlight an actress who so many of us really grew up with on Sesame Street. You know , for the most part , and for most of my childhood , I really did wonder how I could get to Sesame Street. And I absolutely loved the rowhouses , the sense of community that happened on the stoop , Big Bird , Elmo , and even Oscar the Grouch. And there was one person on the show who just really stood out to me , and that was Maria. And now the actress behind Maria is the subject of a new documentary. The film is called Street Smart Lessons from a TV icon , and it chronicles actress Sonia manzano , life from South Bronx to Sesame Street , and I recently spoke with director and Emmy nominated TV writer Ernie Bustamante about that film and what they've got in store for Comic-Con. I asked by I started actually by asking him what inspired him to take on this project. Here's that conversation.
S6: I actually met Sonia in 2016 , after she had released her memoir , A Loving Chaos in the South Bronx. Becoming Maria and I met Sonia , and I thought that her memoir about the early her early years growing up in the South Bronx would make a great TV sitcom. And so , you know , I'm a TV writer , and I worked with her over a number of years developing a fictional series. And , you know , we would work on the show and throughout the course of , you know , working with her and developing the series , I would just overhear Her stories that she would tell about her time working on Sesame Street , completely outside of the memoir and the project that we were working on. And so when the TV project kind of ended , it kind of just stalled , mostly due to the pandemic. We just couldn't get a green light to get the series made , that all these stories that Sonia had shared. Lessons I had learned from working with her.
S1:
S6: We had an executive that we pitched over. Zoom burst into tears talking about how much Sonja's presence meant to her , what her story meant to her. And I can also speak for myself. When I looked at Sonja on the television , I saw my mom. I saw my Aunt Norma. Rarely did I see from that point on. Images of Latinas , of families that look like mine , portrayed in positive , just uplifting ways that inspired people. You know , you see a lot of caricatures , especially in comedy. And , you know , there's this part in a C-Span interview that she gives that I found during our research where she says , I've never had to put on an accent and I've never had to play a stereotype. And I could have only done that on public television. And I think that statement that she made probably 20 plus years ago is so important now , today. And so I think the documentary coming out now means a lot , I think. And , you know , we've screened it in a couple of places so far for people who've grown up with her , but also people to learn more about her. Mhm.
S1: Mhm. And you mentioned how much of Sonia's story also resonated with your own. Tell me a bit about that and your own personal journey.
S6: It really did. You know , I am a Mexican on my mother's side and I'm Puerto Rican on my father's side. And so when I saw Luis and Maria on Sesame Street , a Puerto Rican and Mexican couple , I really did see my parents growing up. You know , it was , um , and , you know , they spoke English and Spanish , you know ? So then when I saw other portrayals of Latinos and Latino families on television , they were never like Luis and Maria. They were always , you know , somehow negatively Stereotyped or portrayed as a caricature. And so personally , I always gravitated towards them because , you know , we watch television. It really does mirror society and teach as a tool , whether it's coming from PBS or whether it's coming from , you know , Netflix or Apple TV. What we the images that we see inform us. And , you know , many times I , you know , over the course of this documentary , people have told me that was the first Latina I ever saw that I ever knew. Meaning Maria. And so I do feel a special connection to the characters as a TV writer and a filmmaker. There was an opportunity to show something that we hadn't seen in , what , 30 plus years. And so I thought , you know , when you're working in TV and film , you always want to pitch something that's kind of familiar but brand new. And I think this documentary really fits that bill , because we know who Maria is , but we don't necessarily know who Sonia is.
S1: Well , you know , you mentioned you've had the opportunity to screen the film at a few festivals.
S6: I , you know , we screened at a world premiere at the Bentonville Film Festival , and then the next week we had our Texas premiere at the Oak Cliff Film Festival. And I had people of all ages , of all backgrounds come up to me and say things like , I learned so much. Thank you for making this film. There were people laughing. There were people crying. And so as a filmmaker , to see all those responses , it was just so gratifying because , you know , Sonia , her legacy. You know , she deserves to be cemented in American history as an icon. Not just of children's television , but really of American history , because I was so drawn to the fact that , you know , when she landed her role , she was the first Latina on television , in a regular role and then in a role that she had for 44 years. And so no one is doing that today. You know , television obviously has changed , but to me , that was such a historic milestone. And to see people reacting in different ways , I think it speaks to all the things I wanted to achieve with the film. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. Well , I mean , it's definitely impactful. And still , that impact resonates today. And she's still working by doing Alma's Way , which my five year old loves. Um , tell me. I mean , what excites you about bringing this movie to Comic-Con.
S6: What excites me about bringing the film to Comic-Con is that the audience there already loves her. You know , so she has this fan base. She's been there before , and so she has a fan base there , and I'm excited whenever I bring the film to any screening , to any festival , to any community , is just to hear the different responses. And so we're very , very early or just starting our festival journey. So this will be the third time that we've actually screened it. And so this will be an entirely new audience because it's a Comic-Con audience. And so I'm most excited to just hear the different reactions.
S1: I've been speaking with Ernie Bustamante , director of the film Street Smart Lessons from a TV icon. The Comic-Con panel about the film will take place tomorrow , which is Friday at room 25 A , b c from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.. Ernie , thank you so much for joining me today.
S6: Thank you.
S1: Thanks for joining the special edition of Midday Edition. You can find Khan and our Khan coverage on air and online. Before we go. We'd like to thank the Midday Edition team producers Ashley Rush , Juliana Domingo , Andrew Bracken , senior producer Brooke Ruth , our segment contributors Beth Accomando and Julia Dixon Evans. Our technical producer is Brandon for the Midday Edition. Theme music is from San Diego's own Surefire Soul Ensemble. You typically hear that we've received so much love out here. Love back at you. Have a great day on purpose , everyone.
