Hulu Show 'East Los High' Serves as Learning Tool to Address Latino Issues
East Lost High, a Hulu original series featuring lives of Hispanic teens in East Los Angeles, has been gaining a lot of attention among Latinos and touted as a tool for learning.
The story has sparked interest among viewers and serves as a reflection of society that Latinos can relate to and discuss -- especially about their lifestyles and health, according to the University of Buffalo.
"We wanted to create a place where kids could learn about sex ed and the countless other issues teens face these days," the online series' executive producer Katie Elmore Mota, told LA Times. "But you can't talk down to them and you can't make them fall asleep."
The cast is all-Latino, which is extremely unique in the broadcast marketplace, and intends to relay a social message while addressing Latino communities in the U.S., according to the University of Buffalo.
The first season topped the charts on Hulu and Season 2 is equally successful so far, according to various reports.
"It is the type of show that works really well on a digital platform like ours," Rodrigo Mazon, director of content acquisition at Hulu, told LA Times. "It's addictive, and Season 2 is even more so."
The show has all the elements seen in other top drama shows on cable: lies, secrets, scandals, love, sex and sexual preferences.
"There's something greater behind it than just entertainment," Luke Ryan, CEO at transmedia company The Alchemists, told the LA Business Journal.
The difference in East Los High was developed specifically to encourage social change in response to the number of pregnancies among teenage Latinas, according to the LA Times.
Population Media Center, which is a non-profit based in Vermont, has a reputation for creating content with similar goals, and was hired to head the project -- which ties characteristics of Spanish soap operas, or telenovelas, and societal truths. The script also uses advice from national health and advocacy organizations.
"We know we're a small show," Carlos Portugal, of Population Media Center, told LA Times. "And that's OK. I just felt that when I watched TV, I wasn't seeing myself, or my sisters or my nieces being represented. There's a void that we're just trying to help fill."
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