LATINA STYLE
A National Magazine for the Contemporary Hispanic Woman

Children’s Television: 

1997 - Volume 3, Number 3

Cheryl Quintana Leader, President of INDIVISION in California, recently developed a pilot in English called, “Young Heart Diaries,”with an eleven-member cast that focuses on Latino girls ages twelve to fourteen.  The show has a classroom setting, takes place on Saturday afternoons, and the cast members have a Latina Literature Club, where they learn about stories and their culture.

The project was originally commissioned by ABC, but after the merger with Disney the project was given back to Quintana Leader’s company.  She is currently trying to sell the show to other networks and cable outlets and remains positive about her chances.

“There is interest in the project because it is a hybrid of animation, live-action, and spoken-word music video,” says Quintana Leader, who admits that the show’s emphasis on the idea that Latinos are made up of all colors and a blend of ethnicities may be making television executives nervous.

“Networks don’t want to see a black person who is Latino,” she says.  “[There are] no purebreds, and to identify that on the screen is scary in terms of visual identity.  [The show] intimidates people, so you know you are on the mark.”