"Breaking Into The Hollywood Industry" Panel & Roundtable

Presented by FilAm Arts

Date: Wednesday, March 5, 2025

Time: 1:00PM - 4:00PM (PST)

Location: The Kookaburra Lounge, Hollywood

For the longest time, Filipinos have been excluded from this process, now hear from people that greenlights decisions on who to cast.​
Slots scheduled by RSVP Only.
Participants:

• Opening Statement by Dingdong Dantes​ - Chairman - Aktor, League of Filipino Actors
  
• Arjo Atayde - Actor
  Arjo Atayde is a Filipino actor who was elected representative of the 1st District of Quezon City to the House of Representatives in 2022. The eldest son of actress Sylvia Sanchez and Spanish-Filipino businessman Art Atayde, he started his show business career at a young age. His first TV appearance was via the youth-oriented comedy show Ang TV when he was 9 years old. After a series of acting workshops and failed casting auditions, he managed to get his first major acting project for the fantasy teleserye E-Boy in 2012. He has appeared in numerous TV shows and movies since then. In 2012, he earned his first acting recognition, winning Best New Male TV Personality at the Philippine Movie Press Club Star Awards for Television for his appearance in an episode of drama anthology series Maalaala Mo Kaya. Internationally, he won Best Actor in a Leading Role at the Asian Academy Creative Awards for the online series Bagman in 2020 and Cattleya Killers in 2022. In 2021, he launched his own production company, Feelmaking Productions Inc.
  
• Reggie Lee - Actor
  Originally from Quezon City, Philippines, Reggie is an actor and producer, known for Grimm (2011), All Rise )2019) and The Lincoln Lawyer (2022)
  
• Joanna Bacalso - Actress
  Joanna was born on August 10, 1976 in Cebu, Philippines. She is an actress, known for Snow Dogs (2002), Dude, Where’s My Car? (2000) and Bedazzled (2000)
  
• Mark Labella - Actor
  Mark Labella is a Cebu-born, San Diego-raised, award-winning screenwriter and actor, a veteran Hospital Corpsman of the United States Navy, and graduated with a doctorate in Medicine. He received his first screenwriting training at the WGA Veteran's screenwriting program and has produced, and written, multiple projects including the Chicago Screenplay Award-Winning "MisDiagnosed" medical comedy series, the M**der-mystery thriller "Catholic School", and the comedy series "Soul & Spice". As an actor, he's appeared in features "The Plane" with Gerard Butler, television shows "NCIS:LA," "Magnum P.I.," "Chicago Fire," Disney's "Doogie Kamealoha," and more.
  

• Chris Lee​ - Manager, Authentic Talent & Literary Management
  Talent Manager, U.S. Navy Veteran and Father of 2 girls. Originally from San Diego, CA. Graduated from Cal State San Marcos with a Business Degree in Information Technology. Worked at Agencies in various departments from unscripted, below the line and talent. Currently a Talent Manager at Authentic Talent & Literary Management. Specializes working with Asian talent and advocating for more stories and faces that resemble Asian culture.
  
• Loren Albento - Talent Manager, LBI Entertainment -
  

• Christian Bustamante​, Casting Director, Bustamante Casting
  Christian Bustamante is known for One Night In Miami (2020), The Accidental Getaway Driver (2023) and Shirley (2024).
  
• Robert Baltazar, Vice President, TV Programming DEI
  Robert Baltazar is NBCU LAUNCH's Vice President, TV Programming DEI, servicing NBC, NBCU’s cable networks, streaming platform Peacock, as well as the Universal Studio Group. In this role, he oversees the TV creative talent development Launch programs for both scripted and unscripted, such as the NBC Launch TV Writers Program, the TV Directors Program and Female Forward, the New Mexico Directors Initiative, and the Unscripted Producers Initiative. Prior to his current role, Robert has worked in the entertainment industry as a non-scripted development executive at various television networks, production companies, and studios, such as Discovery Studios, Four M Studios, and ITV Studios. Most recently, he was the Head of Development at Four M Studios, developing and selling the documentaries The Story of Diana and The Story of the Royals to ABC Network with PEOPLE Magazine attached, the PEOPLE Magazine Investigates franchise to Investigation Discovery, and People Puzzler to Game Show Network. This is Robert’s second term back at NBCU, as he previously was Vice President of Reality Development and Current Programming for USA Network, shepherding non-scripted formats and docu-series for the network.
  
• Jennielyn Abrot - Talent Manager
  Jennielyn Abrot is the owner of JAR Entertainment. Prior to this, she worked as a Development Executive for management and film financing/production companies where she oversaw the companies' film slates. Abrot has worked on several films including “Lovelace" (Amanda Seyfried); "Solitary Man" (Michael Douglas); "Death And Life of Bobby Z" (Paul Walker); “Trust” (Clive Owen); and "As Good As Dead" (Andie McDowell). Most recently, Abrot is attached as an Executive Producer on the upcoming horror film “The Remedy” (2025) starring Timothy Granaderos and London Thor, and in post-production on Filipino film “Yellowfin". In 2023, Abrot pioneered and led the Inaugural FilAm Creative Film Festival in Los Angeles held at Occidental College which garnered over 900 attendees its opening night. As a breast cancer survivor, Abrot was honored and named "Crucial Catch Captain" in 2020 by the NFL, Los Angeles Rams, and Cedars-Sinai for their campaign to raise awareness and fight cancer. She was nominated as "Visionaries of the Year" 2022 by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Born and raised in the Philippines, Abrot attended CalArts for Theater and Performing Arts as a California Arts Scholar, and received her B.A. in Art History and Visual Arts, with emphasis in Film and Media Studies, from Occidental College.
  

Moderators:

• G Tongi​ - SAG-AFTRA Moderator
  Giselle Töngi, known to her community & fans simply as "G", is a familiar and respected figure in the Filipino/FilAm community. She has long been active in the entertainment industry with over 2 decades of TV & film experience in both the Philippine and Filipino-American markets. Primarily recognized for her award winning acting in film, TV & theater in the Philippines, Töngi is also a writer and producer. Her past work includes the short film "Pinoy Grease" , produced at UCLA, "Pinoy Tango", as well as "The Balikbayan Project: With the Bascos," a 13-part travel series about a second generation Fil-Am family's experience in the Philippines, acquired by GMA Pinoy International . "G" is a graduate of UCLA with a Communications degree in mass/new Media with a double minor in film and theater. She also holds a Masters in No Profit Management from Antioch University in Los Angeles. She is more recently defined by the many roles she plays off the stage. She has actively participated in or hosted many events and fundraisers in the Filipino-American community. Her personal goals have always been aligned with melding her own bi-cultural identity. Growing up in the Philippines and America has given her a unique perspective, allowing her to value the importance of her roots. Töngi says that "to be able to bridge the gap between my own 2 cultures by creating content specifically for Fil-Ams such as myself is truly the focus of my professional career. To be able to be a voice in my Filipino community and be given the chance to represent the Fil Am experience is also a way to define our culture and identity, which I take very seriously. This keeps me aligned with other people who are also working toward reuniting other fellow Fil-Ams together. " She was also the executive producer of the terrestrial television was with "Kababayan Today", the only daily talk show and program for the Filipino American community that aired on KSCI-TV/LA18 in Southern California, KIKU-TV in Hawaii and worldwide on TV5 from 2014-2017. Online the views of the show with her at the helm have garnered close to 13 million views. She is currently a co-producer and Cultural and Community Liaison on Here Lies Love on Broadway and the Executive Director of FilAm Arts, a nonprofit arts and culture organization based in Los Angeles that advocates for Filipino American artists and culture .
  

• Winston Emano​ - Moderator
  Winston F. Emano is the founder/principal partner of mano Y mano Media, the premium, boutique media strategy firm he established which has repped more than 230 feature films and more than three dozen current NBA and NFL athletes. A noted specialist in award-winning, crafted, out-of-the-box campaigns and contemporary media training, his works have resulted in 28 All-Interview Team selections, 5 Academy Awards, 3 Peabody Awards and 2 Independent Spirit Awards, 2 Webbies and client endorsement valuations totaling well over a quarter of a billion dollars. He co-founded the popular annual Asian Filmmakers Reception at the Sundance Film Festival and has presented panels at SXSW, Los Angeles Independent, Nashville and Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festivals respectively He is a proud founding board director of The Association for the Advancement of Filipino American Arts and Culture (FilAm ARTS, inc), CinemaSala and the Philippine Olympic Development Committee among many. A William Paley Scholar at Syracuse University, where he captained the men’s rugby team (A first for an Asian student-athlete at the school.), Winston was honored and privileged to have delivered the Keynote Addresses at both USC and Loyola Marymount’s Filipino Graduation Ceremonies.

To access Ovation’s Parking Garage:

• Enter the underground parking garage from Highland Ave. in front of Loews Hollywood or
• on Orange Court between Hollywood Blvd. and Franklin Ave.

Parking Rates:

• $2.00 every 20 minutes; $6.00 every hour
• Daily Maximum of $20.00
• Enjoy up to 2 hours for $3 with validation by participating shops and restaurants.
• Enjoy up to 4 hours for $3 with validation from the TCL Chinese Theatre, The TCL Chinese 6 Theatres, Dave & Busters, and The Kookaburra Lounge
• Regular parking rate applies thereafter.
• Please note: Dolby Theatre and the Ray Dolby Ballroom do not validate.
• Valet Daily Maximum of $30.00

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

The Kookaburra Lounge, 6801 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, United States