Ep 144 - Crystal Roman, Owner at The Black Latina Movement

Minority Report Podcast

In episode 144, Erik and Kerel talk with Crystal Shaniece Roman, Owner at The Black Latina Movement, a theater and film production company in New York City. Crystal grew up in New York City and was born to Jamaican and Puerto Rican parents. At a very young age she fell in love with acting and the arts in general and then continued on to become an actor. As she continued in her career, due to her being biracial and not fitting into the one race box everyone wanted to cast from, she wasn’t getting many roles. She decided to start making her own work and that was when The Black Latina Movement started. Other than being the Founder and CEO, she has now written, produced and directed. Crystal shares the changes being created through The Black Latina Movement by traveling to different universities and opening up others’ perspectives about her and others’ cultures, the forward progress that’s being made in the movie industry through the power of people and community, and a very important lesson Crystal has learned about herself since running her own business. “A lot of the time, especially with algorithms and Instagram, people will feel like they have to just jump into different things just to stay relevant. Like, "Oh, I'm doing this one thing and this isn't working for me. And I'm going to do this. And I'm going to do that." You have to stay firm in what your passion is because tides will change and fades go in and out, but if you falter and you don't stay firm and you don't stay disciplined, it's very easy to lose it.” Timestamps :38: Crystal Roman, Owner at The Black Latina Movement, tells us about her experience growing up with Jamaican and Puerto Rican parents in the boroughs of New York City 3:16: Kerel asks Crystal which side of the family’s food is better - Jamaican or Puerto Rican 4:03: Crystal shares about The Black Latina Movement, a theater and film production company in New York City and how it became what it is today 6:08: Crystal’s perspective on what has inspired change in the movie industry to feature more diverse voices and shows 8:09: How the pandemic and social and civil unrest has impacted The Black Latina Movement and the positive change that has come from sharing their perspectives with others 10:19: Crystal talks about how she got into acting 10:54: Crystal shares how times have changed with actors and artists and the lessons she’s learned from when she was actively acting to how to adapt to the landscape these days 12:14: The impact Crystal’s parents made on her to be an artist and a person of culture 13:25: One important thing Crystal has learned about herself since she has started running her own business 14:42: The future of The Black Latina Movement, including touring universities, different cities, more on the digital spaces and upcoming shows 17:19: Where Crystal is finding inspiration these days 18:52: Crystal shares a few of her favorite actors 20:02: The three apps Crystal uses the most to stay connected 20:54: Where you can find Crystal Shaniece Roman and The Black Latina Movement Follow Us: Newsletter: bitly.com/2QLEY8U Linkedin: bit.ly/2ZZUBxG Twitter: bit.ly/2Qp0SzK Instagram: bit.ly/2QLfEQc