Gloria Calderón Kellett
Born in Portland, Oregon, of Cuban descent, Gloria Calderón Kellett is a writer,
producer, creator, and actress to emulate. As the sole creator of the newest Netflix
show “With Love,” co-creator, executive producer, and co-showrunner of “One
Day at a Time,” Calderón Kellett is a leading Latina in the entertainment industry,
bringing stories of tradition, love, and more to your screen.
When many were inspired to write books and bring their creative side
forward, Calderón Kellett was inspired by the pandemic to write. In doing so, “With
Love” was created.
“I was facing a year of not being able to spend the holidays with my family;
I missed them,” she shares. “That coupled with the trauma I was seeing on my
Instagram feed lead me to a place where I really wanted to make something that
celebrated the Latine community.”
Calderón Kellett believes there is a purpose for her work. “With Love” is a
show about love, thriving, and Latina business owners living their version of the
American dream.
From writing to performing stand-up comedy, Calderón Kellett has worn many
hats throughout her acting career. While collaboration is the best part of her work,
she admits a few challenges and obstacles throughout her journey have not made
it easy.
“I think being a staff writer, in a way, was my most challenging role,” she shares.
“Breaking in was very challenging. There is no one way into this job. There is no
roadmap, so I had to sort of hustle to figure out ways to break into the industry, and
it took time and hard work, but I eventually broke through and that was certainly the
most challenging. Once I got in, I felt that I could climb the ladder.”
Inspired by her grandparents who fled an oppressed regime and bravely sought
life in a new country, Calderón Kellett feels she is in a position of power enabling
her to “send the elevator back down to bring more young people from diverse
backgrounds and give them an opportunity,” she shares. “From an artistic standpoint,
I am inspired by Shonda Rhimes, Mindy Kaling, and Tina Fey; women who were
able to break through the patriarchy and build artistic communities and kingdoms.”
“I want to see Latines in every genre,” she shares. “I want to see my company,
Glonation, build into many different aspects of the industry, and eventually have
a foundation that helps underserved communities know that there are jobs in
this industry aside from just being writers, directors, producers, and actors. There’s
a lot of below-the-line jobs that are great jobs, and that are creative jobs. These
positions are necessary and vital to have BIPOC people as department heads
so we can build a more equitable future not only in front of the camera but behind
it as well.”
Calderón Kellett enjoys the opportunities to build a community of like-minded
individuals who share the same sentiment and want to use entertainment as a form
of culture change.
“We are in a moment right now where a bunch of amazing Latine shows have
been canceled within the last few years, and that is disturbing to me,” she shares.
“I’m hoping that there are more since we are 20 percent of this country. I feel like
that should be reflected on the screen so that people can see themselves represented.”
She is currently working on “We Were There Too” with Natasha Rothwell at
HBOMax, a classic 80’s coming of age story set in John Hughes’ Chicago.
“In this story, the Brat Pack is in the background,” she shares. “And for the first
time, the focus is on the Brown kids, the LGBTQ kids, and the Black kids; the real
outsiders, because they were there too.”
Additional works include, “The Horror of Dolores Roach,” a grotesque Sweeney
Todd inspired tale of eat or be eaten, survival of the fittest; and hopefully Season 2
of “With Love” which we will find out about in March.
Her advice to aspiring artists is to educate yourself and build a community of
like-minded actors.
“Find your community, find your people, work with them, grow with them, share
information and keep practicing, and keep getting better,” she shares. “Put on shows
and write short films, direct short films, and act in short films. Help one another and
climb the ladder together, it’s so much less lonely that way!”
LS
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20 www.latinastyle.com LATINAStyle V ol. 28, No. 1, 2022
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