Michael "Juan Bago" Diaz is a Dominican-American comedian born in New Rochelle, NY, and raised in Connecticut. Diaz started off with aspirations of becoming an actor before diving into sketch comedy. His goal of one day becoming an actor led him back to Washington Heights, NY, where his parents met and many family members still lived. In 2004, a friend connected him with the founder of the New York Latino Film Festival and he wrote and sold his first comedy feature. It sold out at the Latino Film Festival and he created a name for himself, [gained] the buzz. From there, he never looked back and has been an independent filmmaker in comedy ever since. In 2006, Diaz premiered "The Story of Juan Bago," a tale about an underachieving "loser" in his mid-20s who lives at home with his parents and "doesn't bathe very often.”
In addition to "Bago Briefs," Diaz recently launched a podcast titled "Translators" with cohost Jaime Fernandez. Comedians Michael Diaz & Jaime Fernandez are fed up with the representation of Latinos in mainstream media and literature. “The Translators” podcast, features the abundance of creative talent the Latin community has to offer that is often overlooked and misrepresented. Join Michael & Jaime as they uncover the passion, path, and process of each guest to reveal what has made them successful in their highly competitive fields and challenge the myths that come with Latinx stereotypes. Even though we’re speaking the same language, some people still need Translators!
In this week’s episode, Juan shares his experience writing and selling a comedy show as a Latino in the entertainment industry. As a kid, he had a hard time figuring out his identity. Growing up, he thought he was mulatto because he was black and white, and he learned he was Latino he was also shamed for his use of Spanglish. As an adult, Juan is more confident about his identity and who he is, no matter what anyone else has to say about it. He uses that certainty to create hilarious characters and uplift Latino creators in the industry. Check out this episode to hear more about the amazing work he’s doing in TV, podcasting, and beyond!
Keep up with Juan on his website and Instagram.
For all Hella Latin@ updates, follow @hellalatinopodcast on Instagram and connect on LinkedIn. More at odalysjasmine.com.
To learn more about your ad choices visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Podcast production for this episode was provided by CCST.
Too Much and Not Enough with Hady Mendez
Besties Turned Business Partners with Lucia Genao and Nancy Pineda
Bilingual Mental Health with Juliana Londoño
Bet on Yourself with Lex Borrero
Cultural Assimilation with Maria O'Hollearn
Break the Cycle with Dr. Mariel Buqué
Power in Numbers with Elisa Hernandez
Can I f*ck up in peace? with Jasmine Ruiz
More Than Enough with Dulce Orozco
FARî: Representando Honduras en Urbano Latino
Breaking Barriers with Andrea Navedo
Pura Vida y Poesia with Ruben Quesada
Raised in the Burning Bronx with Rosemary Rivera and Mario Menjivar
First Gen Corporate with Luis Báez
I'm No Sellout with Maria Medrano
¿De Dónde Eres? with Dominique Cordero
Just a Little Different with Wendy Amara
Empowered, Equipped, and Invited with Melissa Vela-Williams
Undocumented, Shot, and Fatherless with Christian Martinez
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Modern West
Voices of Misery Podcast
House of Whimsical Terror
Dairyland Frights
Stuff You Should Know
Timcast IRL