Today we’d like to introduce you to Charo Toledo.
Hi Charo, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I was born and raised in Puerto Rico. I’ve always admired Rita Moreno, Moreno is one of the few artists to have won all four major annual American entertainment awards: an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony. So I told my folks I wanted to be an actress. Throughout High School, I won a lot of Performing Awards and wanted to go to acting school but my mother said I needed to get a college education, “just in case”. I attended Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania where I got a BA in Sociology and then got an MFA from American Conservatory Theater – one of the top Acting schools in the nation. I was on my way to become a famous actress in Los Angeles when I found out that there were no parts for a Latina like me to play. Huh? And the two or three parts available were playing maids and nannies. Nothing wrong with that, but as a light-skinned, 5’9″ Puerto Rican woman – I do not read submissive. I refuse to stop because of this. If the acting parts do not exist, then I will write them myself. That’s how I ended up falling in love with writing. My first play was “The Princess Within” – a series of monologues about all the personalities I developed with the different men I dated. The core message was, “I am the frog who became the Prince who rescued ‘The Princess Within’.” I casted my talented friends who also needed their talent showcase. Some of the cast included: Ashley Borden (a celebrity fitness guru), Luis Raul (a late, uber famous Puerto Rican comedian), Michele Lamar Richards (Nicky in “The Bodyguard”) and was directed by Joyce Guy (“Moneyball” and “This is Us”).
After that, I ended up writing for a variety of award shows, sitcoms and telenovelas. Then, I was accepted in ABC’s Drama Writing Program and ended up writing storylines for the soap “Port Charles”. After that, my mom got sick with cancer, and I took a year off to care for her in MD Anderson in Houston, TX. After I came back, I got a job as an intel analyst for the DEA while co-writing the GLAAD Award-winning film, “East Side Story” (Logo) and “Pop Star” (Lifetime). Afterwards, I ended up working as a Producer and Writer for Hulu’s Emmy nominated, “East Los High” Seasons 2 and 3 where I won a Sentinel Award. After that, I went to produce International Emmy Winner, “El Vato” (Netflix) as well as the high-rated reality competition show, “La Reina de la Canción” (Univision). I wrote, produced and directed FYI’s talk show, “The Kiki Mobile” and worked as a Consulting Producer for Facebook Watch’s highest-rated show, “Confetti Mexico”. Currently, I am developing a series of projects in order to pitch to networks. I also have started sharing my knowledge with young Latinx writers in my Writing Master Class: From Monologue to Short Film. I truly enjoy empowering Latinx writers to create their own stories. If we don’t tell our stories, who will? I want to inspire everyone to write their story by giving them specific techniques to build their own authentic narratives. I especially love to teach actors. Since I was trained as one, the way I teach writing is from a character’s point of view. If you know your character, you can tell your story. I believe anyone can write if they’re given the tools. Stories define our reality. I aim to encourage potential writers to get honest and start writing their stories. Remember, if I can do it, so can you!
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?
Obstacles are part of the journey. The first obstacle I encountered was the realization that there were not enough acting parts for Latinas. The Hollywood narrative did not reflect me or authentic characters that I grew up with. This inspired me to create my own characters and not wait for someone else to write my story. When in doubt, pivot.
The entertainment business is extremely tough. You have to grow a thick, bulletproof skin against abuse yet your heart must be open in order to create. I have suffered my share of traumatic betrayals in this business. People who I thought had my back were only thinking of themselves. I have learned from those betrayals to look at the part where I was blinded by the illusion of fame and refused to face facts. The biggest gift you can give yourself is the gift of forgiveness – forgive those who have hurt you and forgive yourself for the mistakes you made. It’s the only way to grow and thrive in this business and be happy in life.
Rejection is brutal after you’ve poured your heart into a performance, pitch or script. Learning to manage expectations as well as learning from mistakes has been challenging. Also, it is super important to have a connection with God (or Higher Power of some kind), be of service and take care of yourself: financially, physically, emotionally and spiritually. As creators, we must guard our energy from negative people and dream stealers. In hindsight, I see how rejection is God’s protection. There is a divine plan to serve others with our work. We just have to align with that divine energy in order to achieve it.
Don’t hang on too tightly. Be willing to let go. Hanging on to what we want creates a lot of unnecessary misery. Action and persistence are super important but so is God’s timing. We must be ready. Our audience must be ready. Our work must be ready. Be ready. Live in the moment and expect miracles.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
As a creator/writer, I bring authenticity and edge to every character and story I create. I specialize in Latinx stories. I have been blessed to work in both the Spanish and American markets in different genres and formats. Being bilingual has allowed me to write stories and shows in both Spanish and English. It is rare for a creator to have worked in reality competition shows, half hour single camera, multi-camera shows, feature films, game shows, plays, children’s shows, animation, soaps, telenovelas and thrillers.
As a collaborator, I bring energy, discipline, excitement, and edge as well as enormous amounts of work ethic and loyalty.
As a teacher, I enjoy inspiring new talent to write new stories. I love seeing the sense of accomplishment and empowerment from achieving something they never thought possible. I offer a “no judgement” attitude that allows the writers to create freely.
As a consultant, I am able to bring a fresh perspective to characters and stories to make the script pop off the page with excitement and authenticity.
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My favorite childhood memory is my summer vacation with my primos (cousins) in Cerro Gordo, Vega Alta Puerto Rico. Every June, my family would go to the beach house and spend the whole summer with my cousins in the beautiful beach town. We would boat, swim, ski, eat, fish, play paddle ball, volleyball, pool, dominoes and tan with baby oil (when we didn’t know it was bad for you). We would dance at jaranas (parties) and flirt with the boys at the beach. It was truly a joy being around our large extended family, smelling the ocean, listening to the stories when they were kids, eating my mom’s bomb food and just bathing in “las positas” – natural shallow swimming pools in the ocean. Summertime in Cerro Gordo, I will never forget.
Pricing:
- 6 Week Writing Class – $250
- Script Consulting – $100/hr
- Script Writing – Fee upon request
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.charotoledo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/charchartoledo/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/charotoledo
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/CharoToledo2011
