NGL Studios Documentary Directed by Ben DeJesus: John Leguizamo’s Road to Broadway – Nominated for Imagen Award
Hollywood, CA (August 7, 2019) The documentary John Leguizamo’s Road To Broadway is among this year’s Imagen Awards nominees. The NGL Studios documentary was produced by produced by Bradley Kaplan and Jill Krikorian and directed by Ben DeJesus.
John Leguizamo’s Road to Broadway follows Leguizamo as he prepares for his most challenging theatrical quest yet – cramming 3,000 years of Latino history into 90 minutes of stage time for his one man show. With extraordinary access to his creative process, the film traces the evolution of his latest success, Tony-nominated play Latin History for Morons, from its challenging premise through its triumphant debut. A special co-presentation of Great Performances and Latino Public Broadcasting’s VOCES, John Leguizamo’s Road to Broadway, was directed by Ben DeJesus, who also directed the critically acclaimed documentary Raul Julia: The World’s A Stage, premiering in September on PBS.
Director and President of NGL Studios, Ben DeJesus remarked: “John Leguizamo’s Road To Broadway is a comedic yet pointed look at the systematic repression of Latinx culture throughout American history. Along with capturing the journey of John’s latest theatrical triumph, the film shed light on the many contributions of Latinx immigrants, beginning with John’s own inspirational story. It’s amazing to see his journey of self-discovery unfold over the course of years leading up to Broadway, and culminating with what many feel is his most powerful and important one man show to date. We are honored to be nominated for an Imagen Award as Best Documentary.”
The Imagen Awards were first established in 1985 upon recommendation from TV veteran Norman Lear in an effort to recognize more Latinx representation in the media. The nominees are determined by an independent panel of entertainment industry executives and Latino community leaders. The Imagen Awards span a range of categories including informational programming, on-air advertising, outstanding individual performances and prime time programming in film and television.
The 34th Annual Imagen Awards will take place August 10th at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills. Director Ben DeJesus is available for interviews from August 6 – August 12th.
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Media Contact: Jasmin Espada / Espada PR / (818) 521-3807 / jasmin@espadapr.com
About NGL Collective:
NGL Collective is a pioneer of new media and entertainment that connects advertisers and New Generation Latinx (NGLs) across platforms in-language, in-culture and in-context. Decades before it was cool, understood or even acceptable to talk about the NGL majority that is driving growth in America, NGL Collective was dedicated to modernizing the way advertisers reach and engage New Generation Latinx. As the group who coined the term “New Generation Latinx,” we know NGLs best and help advertisers connect with them through our end-to-end offering spanning NGL Media, NGL Studios, NGL Social and NGL Live.
NGL Studios – Our award-winning in-house studio specialized in premium branded entertainment, documentaries, non-scripted TV and commercial production for today’s Latinx audience in Spanish and English.
About Ben DeJesus: Director, Producer, and NGL Chief Creative Officer
As an award-winning documentary filmmaker, episodic TV director, and music video veteran, Ben has created over 100 hours of content including television, non-fiction, branded, and digital. Ben began his career as a stage actor, before interning at MTV, where he became one of the original producer and writers of the iconic series MTV CRIBS. His passion for pop culture, music, and theater has fueled his work since. Along with John Leguizamo and David Chitel, Ben co-founded NGL Studios, where he directs and produces a growing slate of original television, documentary, non-fiction, and digital projects. Currently, Ben is a director for BUNK’D, the top-rated sitcom on DISNEY. Ben also recently directed the PBS documentary RAUL JULIA: THE WORLD’S A STAGE and JOHN LEGUIZAMO’S ROAD TO BROADWAY. In his 2018 debut as a Broadway producer, Ben was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Play for JOHN LEGUIZAMO’S LATIN HISTORY FOR MORONS which is currently touring nationally. Ben has over 15 years specializing in the US Latinx, urban, and youth markets.
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