Rick Najera

Rick Najera, born in California, began his artistic career as an actor. He is an award-winning actor, writer, director, and producer with credits in film, television, theatre, and Broadway. Early in his career, he was inspired and mentored by Oscar-winning actress Whoopi Goldberg, Keenen Ivory Wayans, and comedian Cheech Marin. Recognizing the lack of roles available to him, he began writing his own way into Hollywood, landing his first major writing opportunity on *In Living Color*. Rick Najera is one of three Latinos in Broadway history to write and star in his own show. He made his Broadway debut in 2005 with his award-winning sketch comedy show, *Latinologues (TM)*, the longest-running and only showcase of its kind for Latinos in America. Najera wrote the holiday film *Nothing Like the Holidays*, starring Debra Messing, Alfred Molina, and John Leguizamo, which earned him an Alma Award. He also received two WGA nominations for his writing on *MADtv*. Najera has been named to the 100 Most Influential Latinos in America twice, among other honors. His fourth book, *Almost White: Forced Confessions of a Latino in Hollywood*, was released in 2013 and received a press tour and five-star reviews on Amazon.com. Rick Najera is the director of the annual CBS Diversity Sketch Comedy Showcase, now in its 12th year. He is a regular contributor to NPR radio and a professional speaker who has addressed institutions such as The World Bank, Google, Harvard Law School, Wellesley College, Stanford, CBS, CNN, Al Jazeera, and UCLA. He is the writer of the multi-Emmy nominated Hulu original series *East Los High* and producer of the talk show *Latino Thought Makers*.