Meet Denise Santos of Latinas in Media Atlanta

Today we’d like to introduce you to Denise Santos.

Denise, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
As a proud daughter of an immigrant, I was raised by a single mother. Although born in the U.S., Spanish was my first language and I learned English in school. As a former Ecuadorian beauty queen and because I was a very shy child, my mother enrolled me in modeling and acting classes. During my senior year of high school, I enrolled in a Drama class and found my passion for acting. Choosing acting as a career; however, was not encouraged; I had to find a different path. While in college studying Child Psychology, I began working with differently-abled children and although I loved my job, I could never really let go of that spark that I found in high school. It wasn’t long before I began working as a background artist, auditioning for independent films, and even performing some on stage.

In 2003, I had my first child and took a break from acting to focus on family. In 2009, as a single mom, I met my husband, got married, and moved to Atlanta. Little did I know, the Atlanta industry was about to boom. I took this as a sign to pursue acting once again and I hit the ground running. I was blessed to find work as an inclusion specialist in a classroom, which allowed me to be able to invest in acting classes and headshots. I found a wonderful agent and then began auditioning professionally. As one of the few Latinx actresses in Atlanta, I quickly began to notice the same actors and actresses in the room. After running into each other so frequently, I became friends with the actresses I had admired from afar, Viviana Chavez, Gabriella Ortiz, and Michelle Rivera-Huckaby. These fiercely talented women joined me in the efforts to highlight other Latinx actors and to shine a much-needed light on the diverse industry that makes up Atlanta.

I am happy to add Co-Founder/Co-Producer of Latinas in Media Atlanta to my resume while continuing to learn and expand as an actress by taking classes (virtually, of course) even having the opportunity to perform in a virtual play with SheATLArts. I’ve co-starred on The Resident (Fox), MacGyver (CBS), Family Blood (Netflix), as well as working on independent films, print ads, voiceover campaigns, and as a principal actress in 50+ national and regional commercials. A few stage credits include Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues, Carmen Rivera’s La Gringa, and Alan Ball’s Five Women Wearing The Same Dress. Theatrical Reel: DemoReel.com/DeniseSantos. Latinas in Media Atlanta’s 3rd showcase is currently in pre-production. 

Has it been a smooth road?
Challenges are a given when pursuing your dreams. I learned quickly there are certain things I just can’t control. I’ve surrounded myself with a small group of supportive friends and my family has kept me moving forward. I don’t know where I’d be without them.

We’d love to hear more about Latinas in Media Atlanta.
Inspired by the heavy-hitting Latinas of Hollywood, in 2017, I started a Facebook group titled, Latinas Who Lunch, which later became Latinas in Media Atlanta. What started as just an idea to meet up and have lunch with friends turned into an opportunity to connect, share, encourage, and even work with each other. After hearing feedback from our community, we began producing diversity showcases at The Robert Mello Studios. Each showcase consists of original one-act plays directed and performed by talented Atlanta actors and actresses. The beauty of our group is that although we may have similar backgrounds, we all bring our own unique life experiences to the team. We’ve been able to work remotely, continue to pursue our individual goals, and get through a pandemic while staying connected to the industry.

Contact Info:

• Personal Website: DemoReel.com/DeniseSantos
• Phone: Instagram.com/denisepsantos1
• Email: LatinasinMediaATL@gmail.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/denisepsantos1
   Instagram.com/LatinasinMediaATL

Image Credit:
MacGyver (CBS), The Resident (Fox), Latinas in Media Atlanta (Almendra Fuentes)

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