Gary Acosta is an entrepreneur, public policy advocate, investor, and thought leader passionate about advancing prosperity for Latinos and other underserved communities. As an industry leader, he protects and improves the business environment required to close the wealth gap, particularly via homeownership. Amongst other endeavors, he is Co-Founder & CEO of NAHREP, the country’s leading Hispanic business organization, and Co-Founder of L’ATTITUDE, the preeminent platform for Latino economic empowerment. Acosta is also a general partner of L’ATTITUDE Ventures, the nation’s largest venture capital fund exclusively focused on Latino-led start-ups. Join Gary as he dives into today’s issues through many creative formats.
If you haven’t had the privilege of seeing Hamilton, The Musical, you’ll have a chance to see it on Disney+ starting on July 3rd. If you are not a fan of theater, you may not know how rare this sort of thing is. Broadway musicals are almost never shown on television, much less when they…
Speaking of reading….I’m a busy person, and while I love to read books, I don’t always have the time. On a recommendation, I purchased an app called Blinklist, and it’s the best app I’ve stumbled on this year. In a nutshell, Blinklist is CliffsNotes in an app. You can read or listen to a 15-minute…
I have recently discussed the importance of having a routine, and setting goals for my children while we are all home fighting the spread of COVID-19. I am going to use this time to get more physically fit, do more strategic thinking, and read more books. The three books I plan to read this month…
For those that don’t follow the Academy Awards, Parasite, a film directed by Bong Joon-Ho, won the Oscar for Best Picture. The film was made in South Korea with English subtitles. It is the first non-English language film to win Best Picture. I haven’t seen the film yet, but I think it’s cool that the…
Speaking of movies, I recently watched The Big Short on Amazon the other night. I forgot what a terrific film it was. If you haven’t seen it, watch it . . . and if you have, you should see it again. Ten years ago, the mortgage market almost tanked the entire global economy. For those…
In one of the most feel-good stories of the week, Lin-Manual Miranda brought his Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece Hamilton the Musical to Puerto Rico, the hurricane-ravaged island of his father’s birth. He also returned to the role of Alexander Hamilton, the part he originated and made famous on Broadway. Miranda brought the show to the island…
I was raised a Christian and celebrate Christmas, but I also believe that the holiday season belongs to other religions and cultures. In fact, to me, learning about how other families celebrate the holiday season is one of the best parts of the season. A favorite holiday movie of mine is Love Actually, a British…
I must admit, I like the way television has evolved in the last few years. With all of the formats and options available, the competition has driven more specialization and a higher quality product. There is truly something for everyone. Ironically, live sports are still the thing I watch most on television — which is…
My favorite young actress Allegra Acosta returns for season two of the Runaways on Hulu. The show is about a group of teenagers from diverse backgrounds who unite to fight against their criminal parents. Allegra stars as Molly Hernandez, the youngest member of the crew who discovers in season one that she has superhuman strength.…
I’m confused…with Amazon worth almost a trillion dollars and Millennials supposedly buying everything online, why is every parking spot at the mall filled every weekend? Perhaps it has something to do with how malls are evolving. Living in San Diego, the mall known as the University Town Center near La Jolla was all but dead…
A few years ago, my family rented an apartment in New York City for a month during the summer. My kids were very active in theater at the time and were looking for workshops in the city to hone their skills. My daughter, Marisa was specifically looking for something comedy related. We found a company…
I finally got to see the musical, Hamilton, when it toured through San Diego in January. I went in knowing Hamilton is not an ordinary Broadway show. With my expectations high, it still managed to be even better than I imagined. Hamilton is nothing less than a remarkable achievement of creative genius. Lin-Manuel Miranda, the youthful composer who…
I saw the movie I, Tonya last week with my wife. It seems others agree that this movie about figure skater Tonya Harding was entertaining and well done. The Harding/Kerrigan drama was reality TV before reality TV was a thing. Harding and Nancy Kerrigan were skating rivals training for the 1994 Olympics when an assailant, hired by…
The successful series about a diverse group of teenage superheroes received the green light for a second season. While the world debates the virtues of multi-culturalism and political correctness, the groundbreaking television series quietly makes a place for itself for simply being a really good show. Allegra Acosta and her co-stars are on an upward…
Moving forward, expect a good chunk of this blog to discuss updates and perspective on the world’s largest convention celebrating America’s New Mainstream Economy. L’ATTITUDE will take place concurrent with the NAHREP National Convention in San Diego on September 8-11. The convention will feature a music festival and film showcase that bookends a groundbreaking business…
As a Christian, Christmas means something to me beyond Santa Claus and presents. It is a deeply religious occasion. I think it’s great when people say Merry Christmas to me, and I especially appreciate it when people of other faiths say it to me. It shows that they respect me enough to recognize my culture…
Coco was a masterpiece from beginning to end; a technical phenomenon with a story that will make anyone, especially folks with knowledge of the Dia De Los Muertos theme, choke up with emotion. Coco is also breaking box office records around the globe including in China where it is already the biggest animated film ever.…
Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez are on the cover of Vanity Fair this week. The article tells a flattering story about their relationship and discusses their astronomical success and formidable challenges over the last two decades. Whether you are a fan of the two of them or not, you can’t help but admire their resilience and work…
Last Sunday the Phoenix Suns fired their young head coach, Earl Watson. Three days earlier, my son Aaron and I traveled to Phoenix as invited guests of Earl Watson and the Phoenix Suns to sit in on practice, have dinner with the coaches, and watch the Suns take on the Los Angeles Lakers. Coach Watson…
Congrats to SNL for promoting their first Latina cast member, Melissa Villaseñor from featured player to full cast member. Although we have yet to see Villaseñor play more than a supporting role in any of the skits, I look forward to that changing this season. Meanwhile, SNL is enjoying record ratings due in large part…
