Actresses Francia Raisa and Gina Rodriguez visited K1 Speed Torrance to shoot a segment for DUB Latino on mun2. Check your local listings.

Francia Raisa

For a girl who was born into Latin radio royalty, 2009 ALMA Award nominee, actress Francia Raisa is certainly one of the most gracious rising stars in Hollywood. Born on July 26, 1988, Francia was born and raised in Southern California. Her mother, Virginia Almendarez, born in Mexico, and her father, Maximo Renan Almendarez Coello, born in Honduras, worked extremely hard to give Francia and her two sisters a wholesome life in the high-paced city of angels. In fact, a few years after Francia was born, her father came up with the winning Latin radio personality, “El Cucuy”, and, since then, he has been the number one disc jockey in Los Angeles on 97.9 FM, La Raza.

Like many strong talents, at the early age of five, Francia began taking dance lessons – excelling in tap, jazz, acrobatics, hip-hop, and Polynesian dance. Not only did she dance, but she also explored karate and ice skating. These lessons became a stepping stool to stardom as each experience added to Francia’s abilities as an actress.

Francia began to book acting jobs in her junior year of high school. She started to model for print ads, star in commercials, and even dabbled in the world of sitcoms. Just a month into her senior year, she booked one of her first lead roles, starring opposite Hayden Panettiere in Bring It On: All or Nothing (2006) (V).

After shooting Bring It On: All or Nothing (2006) (V), Francia broke into a new level of stardom after starring as the lead female role of MGM’s ABC Family TV movie, The Cutting Edge 3: Chasing the Dream (2008) (TV), alongside actor Matt Lanter…read more

Gina Rodriguez

Growing up in Chicago, actress Gina Rodriguez started performing at age seven with the salsa dance company Fantasia Juvenil. She went on to work with other companies including Los Soneros Del Swing, performing at several Salsa Congress’ in Chicago, California, New York and Puerto Rico. Gina knew she wanted to continue to perform and entertain and at age sixteen, Gina was one of thirteen teens to be accepted into Columbia University NY- Theatrical Collaboration taught by Richard Niles. For two months she wrote, directed and performed original work with twelve other kids brought from all over the world. She fell in love with New York and living in Gramercy Park, NYU called her name. Upon her acceptance to New York Universities- Tisch School of the Arts, her calling was clear, and theatre would be it.

Gina had four years of intense theatre training at both the Atlantic Theatre Company and Experimental Theatre Wing, working with both David Mamet and William H. Macy, the brilliant guidance of Rosemary Quinn and other wonderful professors. Directly after graduation, Gina booked her first lead role in the feature film Tiny Dancer. After that, Gina originated the role of Frida Kahlo in the world premiere of Casa Blue: The Last Moments in the Life of Frida Kahlo at the American Stage Theatre. She continued to work in New York with multiple theaters and her work in film and TV steadily grew, including shows “Jonny Zero,” “Army Wives,” and “Law and Order,” in addition to several short and indie films. One in particular, Osvaldos, was accepted into festivals including ABFF, NY HBO Latino Film Fest, Chicago International Film Fest, Urbanworld. They named Gina winner of the “Best Actor” award at the First Run Film Festival in NY and Osvaldos aired on HBO in 2010 and was named on of the “Five Best Shorts.”…read more

DUB LATINO
Premieres Summer, 2012
“DUB Latino” is a half-hour, 8 part new weekly lifestyle magazine series targeting Spanish dominant Latinos. The show focuses on car-culture passion and celebrity lifestyles of Latino stars. The series is Produced by DUB Magazine, Executive Produced by Myles Kovacs for DUB and Gloria Medel Solomons for mun2.