In this interview series, host Alicia Menendez talks to remarkable Latinas about making it, faking it, and everything in between. In often-hilarious and always-revealing episodes, Alicia and her guests take on the challenges of existing, and then thriving, as women of color.
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episode 99: Why TV Showrunner Ilana Peña Craves Complicated Girl Characters
Growing up, television writer Ilana Peña was a student of books, where, she says, "girls could be complicated." Now, as creator of Diary of a Future President on Disney+, Ilana brings that vision of girlhood to life. She tells Alicia about rising from assistant to writer’s assistant to writer to creator, how the early loss of her father taught her to use “grief as an engine,” and why being in charge forced her to stop saying “maybe.”
Follow Ilana @lanstagram on Instagram. If you loved this episode, listen to Linda Yvette Chavez, Gloria Calderón Kellett and Cristela Alonzo for more on creating Latina shows in Hollywood. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!