This is Latinx
Hollywood producer Dany Garcia pens letter about her journey to La La Land
The Latina powerhouse writes about finding success in Hollywood.
HOLA! USA wants to empower the Latinx community with narratives about the contributions that Latinos have made in the U.S. across the full spectrum — music, fashion, entertainment, business, health, beauty and wellness. It is time to celebrate our Latinidad in all its glory. These are our stories; this is Latinx.
Were you a fan of last year’ s Jumanji remake Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle? Do you record HBO’s Ballers every week? If you enjoy both of these and are an all-around action movie junkie, you can thank producer extraordinaire Dany Garcia for all these must-watch blockbuster and television hits. Dany, who is of Cuban descent, grew up to be one of the most successful female producers in Hollywood. In 2012, she co-founded Seven Bucks Productions, which produced a variety of chart-topping movies, including Baywatch and Hobbs & Shaw. She also founded media management firm The Garcia Companies, where she serves as CEO and Chairwoman. If that’s not enough, this Latina powerhouse has enough time to hit the gym and train as a bodybuilder.
HOLA! USA has chosen her to be part of our Hispanic Heritage Month celebration. Below you can read Dany’s story in her own words...
Authenticity in Enterprise: The Art of Finding Your Brand and Staying True to It
When you’re making stories for the world to experience, you have to be committed to being connected to the world. As Founder, CEO and Chairwoman of The Garcia Companies and TGC Management, and Co-Founder of Seven Bucks Productions, I live by those words. I am an audience/consumer-first advocate passionate about enhancing the human experience. I currently oversee an expansive global enterprise in the business and entertainment spaces, managing a portfolio of brands that includes consumer-facing, innovative entertainment media, food and fitness-driven products. Our robust Seven Bucks production slate has consistently celebrated global box office success such as “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw” and Sony Pictures’ highest-grossing film, “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” as well as television shows including HBO’s “Ballers.” One of our next ambitious endeavors includes the first-ever Athleticon, a live, immersive event experience bringing together the very best in athletics, wellness and entertainment launching in October 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. I am and always will be about people. That is one of the core expressions of my brand.
Brand development is a two-sided coin. There is the internal self-realization of who you are to yourself and what drives you and then the external conversation of translating those realities, to what I like to refer to as “expressions.” Externally to the world my expressions are Chairwoman, CEO, investor, producer, philanthropist, professional athlete, mother and wife. Internally, I am driven by my adoration and love for my family, my faith, a delight for discovery, a passion for growth, mastery of skill and the overwhelming desire to impact people’s lives for the better. I love to research and philosophize. I love to create art through design, whether that is with my physique, content or fashion. The years of investment into understanding myself and what fuels me have directly created the blueprint to what represents my life and what the world experiences from me as my brand. It is true that there was no clear mold for the path I’ve created, but the alignment of my actions to who I truly am created a self-universe that inherently is intertwined and serves all the multiple expressions of who I am. I don’t wear many hats – I wear one large hat filled with everything I love to do.
I’ve become comfortable re-assessing and re-strategizing to continue to refine, examine and realign what I am doing to ensure it is authentically speaking to who I am – which ultimately means what I create for the world is organic and true. Is it easy? I think you already know the answer. We all grow and change, and mistakes are inevitable. Eventually though, you get comfortable with missteps and learn that you can quickly make adjustments. You learn to treat the highs and lows of the journey as nothing more than information opportunities that are allowing you to adjust and realign. Most importantly, you begin to experience the incredible joy that comes from living daily in a space where your internal and external brand representations are completely aligned. For me, that is truly a life well-lived.
