Today we’d like to introduce you to Paula J. Leon.
Hi Paula, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born in Canada, 40 minutes outside of Toronto, and was raised there by my Peruvian parents till I was 11 to which. Then we moved to Switzerland, where I learned German and french until I graduated high school and made my way to New York City to attend New York University. Throughout my life, my parents took me to Peru for extended periods of time, months. Even so, I do consider Peru to be home to me. It’s where all my family is. But I think being exposed to so many different countries, with different ways of life and the differences between each society has fascinated me. I’ve always been able to connect with people from all over the world, listen to their stories, and share my own.
In my last semester of college during the Covid-19 pandemic, I was feeling a lack of community as I was away from all my peers and my family since I was warned as an international student that if I left, I wouldn’t be able to get back into the US. As I applied to hundreds of internships for the upcoming semester, I started exploring my writing more. First, it started because I was submitting to Buzzfeed and Reductress, and then I realized I could do this on my own. Independently I mean, I don’t need a big name company to give me my opportunity. I can create it. So I did. For the entire month of August, I played around with the website for MiVozMedia.com and recruited writers to be a part of my team because I didn’t wanna just to share my voice. I wanted to create a space where BIPOC creatives had the freedom to write on the important conversations we often have in our affinity spaces. A lot has happened since our initial launch in October. We had a makeover and relaunch in January with a bigger, stronger team.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
For Mi Voz Media, there’s definitely been a learning curve in a sense we excelled in some things at the beginning but we’re falling behind on others because I was trying to tackle too many things at the same time. My team really helped me. Neeta Thadani is our Social Media master, a lot of people underestimate how much work social media is, having Neeta on to focus on that area and break down what we need to do where has been a major factor in our social media success. I wanted to do a lot of things at once. At the start, we had an artist needing a support page with a list of BIPOC creatives’ Go fund me’s and an opportunities page which we will bring back but at the time, I was the only one updating all of these things so I was falling behind. When we the executive team (Raeva Sayed and Neeta Thadani) sat down to discuss the relaunch, it became clear that we should cut down on what we’re providing and make sure we’re executing that perfectly before trying to tackle other areas and maybe one day get members who solely focus on those areas.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m an actor, singer, dancer, writer, comedian and entrepreneur. I’ve done stand-up comedy for over two years now. I started out doing stand up in February of 2019, going to open mics, performing at fundraisers for small theatre companies and an NYU event, in fall of 2019 I decided to join Women Stand Up, which is a group that empowers women through comedy by providing a safe space to workshop your material and eventually do a show! I’ve stayed with them and am now a prominent member of the E-Board since the relaunch. I recently wrote, directed, edited and starred in a comedic short I produced called “She Knows Her Place,” which you can find on Youtube here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vF_5OvzoCQ&t=5s.
I love theatre, and once things are able to be in person, I would love to be a part of a devised theatre piece because I feel like those always awaken the artist inside us. I’m definitely very proud of Mi Voz Media; I love reading fellow BIPOC’s work, finding ways to best display it on the website. I’m the host of an interview series we have called Muchacha Charla. We kicked off the start of the series celebrating Latinx Heritage Month, where I interviewed seven Latinx creatives from varying backgrounds and experiences, which I thought was important. We have important conversations about how latinidad isn a monolith. Every latine has a different experience because we all look different, and no one seems to accept that, especially in the entertainment industry. I’m really proud of the conversations I had during that series, and I hope more people watch them and learn.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
It takes a village. As much as you want to do everything yourself, you really can’t, well, atleast or without sacrificing your mental health. I’ve learned to trust people, trusting that they know better than me in certain areas, and that’s a good thing, not a bad thing. Having a team means everyone is bringing something to the table and realizing that is so relieving. I have a senior editor who has a ton of journalism experience, and she teaches me something new every time we meet. I think it’s beautiful to learn from the people you work with. There’s no reason it has to be lonely at the top, let people in and make it a party.
Contact Info:
- Email: muchachacharla@gmail.com
- Website: mivozmedia.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paulita_chatita/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mivozmedia
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/mivozmedia
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQtnbaJ3Ns5SNXw8QldGoBw
Image Credits
Mi Voz Media
Cartoon Images of our team members – Lisa Paravano.
