Episode Summary
In this episode of The Expat Files, Johnny Mueller delves into several key topics that are relevant to expats and businesspeople in Latin America. He begins by discussing the challenges and opportunities for medical professionals looking to establish practices in the region, particularly in tourist areas. He highlights the need for medical professionals to pass local medical boards and the importance of knowing Spanish. Johnny also addresses the irony of first-world medical care being available in Latin America but being costly and accessible only to the wealthy, while national health care systems are underfunded and serve the poor. He touches on the state of national health care systems in Latin America, describing them as underfunded and located in poor neighborhoods. Finally, he briefly mentions the challenge of advertising a new business in the region, suggesting that local platforms like the Latin version of Craigslist can be useful.
Next, Johnny discusses the best ways to advertise a new local business in Latin America. He notes that while the internet is accessible to many, it's not widely used for business purposes. Instead, he recommends using traditional methods like hiring teenagers to hand out flyers, which is common and effective in the region. He highlights cultural differences in how advertising is perceived and the social acceptance of such methods in Latin America compared to the United States.
In another segment, Johnny explores the phenomenon of 'impulse adoras' in Latin America, women who work in supermarkets and are strategically placed to attract attention from men, particularly those from more affluent backgrounds. He explains that these women often come from middle and lower middle-class backgrounds and are looking to improve their social and economic status by attracting upscale men. Johnny highlights the business model behind these women, noting that they are not directly employed by the stores but are supplied by modeling or impulse adora agencies. He further touches on the challenges these women face in actually achieving their goals, as the number of upscale, unmarried men is limited. The segment also includes a brief mention of a news story about contaminated bottled water in Spain and a promotional pitch for an upcoming seminar on water purification.
Johnny then discusses the movie 'Sicario,' highlighting its relevance to the current situation in Mexico, its production details, and the broader context of piracy in Central America. He emphasizes the movie's depiction of the drug war and the government's hidden role, suggesting it's a must-watch for expats and businesspeople in Mexico. He also comments on the prevalence of pirated DVDs and the local culture around them, including a humorous anecdote about the coin-flipping terminology used in Latin America.
Finally, Johnny discusses his experience working on the original 'El Cartel' movie in 2006 with producers Mauricio Islas and Jose Luis Franco, highlighting the complexities and challenges of the Latin media entertainment industry. He describes how the Mexican affiliate of a US distributor faced financial issues and how pirate media channels ended up investing more in advertising. Johnny critiques the low standards and unregulated nature of the Latin media entertainment industry, calling it a 'Wild West' environment. He notes that many Latin filmmakers are second-generation Americans who return to Mexico due to limited opportunities in Hollywood. Johnny also comments on the low salaries and the desire of media professionals in Latin America to work in the US, despite the challenges.
Topics
Medical Practice in Latin America, National Health Care Systems, Advertising a New Business in Latin America, Impulse adoras in Latin America, Social and economic status, Business model of impulse adoras, Challenges faced by impulse adoras, Contaminated bottled water in Spain, Promotional pitch for a water purification seminar, Sicario movie, Mexico drug war, Piracy in Central America
Chapters
00:00:00 Opening 00:00:47 Medical Practice in Latin America: Opportunities and Challenges for Expats 00:01:34 The Irony of First-World Medical Care in Latin America 00:04:20 The State of National Health Care in Latin America 00:05:42 The Best Way to Advertise a Local Business in Latin America 00:05:47 Advertising a New Business in Latin America 00:07:17 Traditional Advertising Methods in Latin America 00:11:15 Introduction to Impulse Adoras 00:11:21 The Role of Impulse Adoras 00:11:27 Background of Impulse Adoras 00:11:31 Social and Economic Motivations 00:11:39 Goals and Expectations 00:11:48 Definition of an Upscale Guy 00:11:54 Cultural Acceptance of Impulse Adoras 00:11:59 Cultural Context and Motivations 00:16:55 Introducing Sicario as a Hollywood Film About Mexico 00:17:30 Behind-the-Scenes Government Involvement in Mexico's Drug War 00:18:29 Piracy and DVD Sales in Central America 00:21:37 Coin Terminology in Latin America 00:22:36 Quote from a Listener with Experience in Mexico 00:22:40 Johnny's Experience with 'El Cartel' Movie 00:24:17 Critique of Latin Media Entertainment Industry 00:26:01 The Wild West Nature of Latin Media Industry
Transcript
Automatically transcribed from the original recording; names and wording may contain errors.
[00:00] South of the border down Mexico way That's where I fell in love when the stars above came up to play and now I wonder Hello there all you expat wannabes. I'm Johnny Mueller and you're listening to the expat files living in Latin America The show that tells you just what it's like to live work play and or retire down here in Latin America It's a mix of the good the bad the ugly and the great and it's all right here. So let's get started I can pick and choose from virtually hundreds of emails to tell stories and such and sometimes emails remind me of things I should have talked about a long time ago Like this one for example from a previous seminar attendee and I'll paraphrase this as usually says basically Johnny
[00:47] What about bringing a medical or chiropractic practice down to Latin America a big enough city? Where there might be a need for such things or better yet in tourist areas where you got a lot of gringos and upscale Latins Who might appreciate a no appointment walk-in kind of service because they're on vacation doing somewhat crazy things or things? They wouldn't otherwise do at home. Like for example white water rafting skiing paragliding Volcano climbing hiking diving zip lining snorkeling partying drinking, etc. Etc. I know for a fact people get themselves in all kinds of Medical difficulties when they're on vacation been there myself and of course doing a lot of walking and strenuous things They might not be doing otherwise because they're on vacation That's an invitation to sprained ankles bumps and bruises and torn ligaments, etc
[01:34] That really is a great idea for on the gringo tourist trail But here's a problem in any country including the u.s You can't practice medicine or any kind of medical specialty unless you pass their version of the medical boards and down here In Spanish up north here in English, which is why even if someone has a medical specialty from let's say Germany And he comes to the states. He can't practice medicine unless he takes and passes the US medical boards So if you're a medical professional up on states You can come down to Latin America But you'll have to take the medical boards with the rest of the medical students who are taking them that year Which means you're really gonna have to know your Spanish and not just kitchen Spanish either Which is kind of funny because you see Latin countries will let doctors without borders and all kinds of medical
[02:20] Do-gooders and charity groups come in. Yep foreign doctors can come in and do surgeries even very extensive and complicated Surgeries, but do note that almost all of those surgeries are done on indigenous people way out in the boonies Yeah, they can come in with all their equipment and go nuts as long as they do it for free However, if you want to get paid for that kind of work, you have to pass the local boards in Spanish Isn't that ironic and on that subject people are always saying Johnny, you know You talk about first world medical care and how they're great first world hospitals and doctors and clinics in Latin America Then how come all these do-gooder doctors without border guys are flying in a Latin America. Yep You'll often pick up a Latin paper and see these doctors and their photo ops with local scumbag politicians when they arrive
[03:07] So that's why people say Johnny. How could that possibly be when you're telling us all the time? There's first world medical and dental care, etc. In fact, you say it's available practically everywhere Well, there's two points here good first world medical care costs money down here in Latin America, too Of course, it's about a quarter to a fifth of what it costs up in the states But you see if 70 to 80 percent of Latin American population only makes around 300 to 400 bucks a month Even if it's 25 bucks for a visit to a medical specialist That's about 25 percent or more of the average guy's weekly income and point number two is when Nurses and doctors and medical professionals graduate from school down here They don't want to be paid in tortillas and driveway chickens They want cash money because they got to pay their bills, too
[03:53] So they rarely set up their practices way out in the bony's where clients and patients have little real dough on hand But a lot of tomatoes tortillas and driveway chickens Which is why when you see the occasional blurb in the newspaper and photo op that doctors without borders are in town Well, they're not really in town. They're setting up shop way out in the bony's So then what about the people in the big cities that don't have money for the first world care? Well, they've got the crappy national health So when you get boots on the ground down here, you'll see that the big cities have crap clinics and national health satellites all over The place almost always in very trashy neighborhoods. Why well because that's where the Pool of patients are coming from and generally, you know when you're within a couple of blocks of one of those national health care hospitals or clinics
[04:41] For one, you'll always be in a crappy scruffy neighborhood Then expect to see a kind of a low-grade chaos with people mulling around Standing in front of what looks like depressing Soviet era buildings and other telltale sign look for that giant chicken bus staging ground right in front of the entrance because you see the vast majority of people go into the national health care hospitals do Not own cars themselves. They're too poor. Oh, and I forgot to mention It always smells like urine within a block or two of those places because middle and lower middle-class male latins of all ages Just whip it out whenever they feel the urge, but you knew that already, right? Again, those are not the hospitals and clinics we ever want to go to by the way Here's another little something I remembered while reading this email
[05:27] It has to do with how to very cheaply and easily Advertise a new brick-and-mortar business when you start a new business One of the hardest things is to get your name out there quickly You've got to let as many people as possible know who you are what you do and where you're located So what's the best way to advertise your new business if your client base is gonna be local now? You might be thinking well go to the internet go to that website the Latin version of Craigslist Olex.com and advertise there it's free. Well, that's great. If you've got a high-tech or high-end service, you're trying to sell Why because you have to remember only about 15 to 20 percent of Latin Americans are on the internet 24 7 Oh, yes, they've all got smart or somewhat smartphones because they're really cheap down here now In fact, I've seen some with decent internet connections for as cheap as 25 or 30 bucks
[06:16] So yes, you could say that 80 to 90 percent of Latins have the capability of being on the internet But they're not going on the internet to do their shopping or search out places of business because well those average Latins who make Three to four hundred bucks a month or less have quickly found out that hooking up to the internet with their little somewhat smart phones is Like feeding a one-arm bandit. So basically they only use the internet for social media and things like what's up Believe me 80% of Latin Americans are not downloading YouTube on their somewhat smart phones Nor are they downloading elephantine Kardashian body parts. So yes people Selectively use the internet like what's up, but they're not using it all the time So technically 80% of Latin America is on the internet, but not 24 7 So bottom line unless your business is targeting very high-end clients throwing all your advertising bucks or pesos or lip eras or colognes
[07:09] Into internet promotion might not be the best way to go though You have to have some internet presence or you'll wither and die on the vine no matter what business you have So anyway, if you have a brick-and-mortar business and your clients are basically local One of the best cheap and dirty ways to advertise is now don't laugh Hiring adolescence or teenage kids to hand out flyers on the streets. Yeah, I know I know it's so 1940s and 50s, but down here it's done all the time In fact Latin America is the land of handbill and flyer overkill In fact at some busy corners, you'll see people walking around as human billboards though I'm not recommending you advertise like that. Anyway, just know there's an unlimited supply of Kids that'll take five or ten bucks a day to hand out as many hundreds or even thousands of business flyers that you can supply
[07:59] And you know because Latins are so polite when a kid hands a Latin person one of those things They almost always take it and shove it in their pocket or stick it on the dashboard of their car Seems gringos like you and me are the only ones who look at those flyers as pure garbage and part of the problem However, Latins are so used to being handed those things. They gladly accept them and even say thanks now I don't know what it's like in the states But down here the moment you pull into a parking lot at a big strip mall or some kind of upscale business or shopping area You're bound to run into three or four kids handing out that stuff and when you get back to your car You'll find a bunch of that crap loaded under your windshield wiper, too. So for us gringos. It's a two-edged sword We hate that stuff But it's good advertising and here's a tip even get a better response if you hire a smiling young adolescent girl
[08:46] They hand that crap out after all it is a very macho society down here now Do note the average Latin person does not look down on a so-called menial job like that I mean how many people up in the states would pass out flyers for a living? Adolescent kids up in the states would probably laugh in your face if you suggested such a thing even if you paid him 50 bucks a day though I imagine some up there in Cleveland in Chicago would take the dough and then shove the flyers and then there is dumpster and say They handed him out. So up in the states. It's considered low-class and embarrassing but down here It's both a job and a pleasant social undertaking so you'll see the people handing out those things are smiling they're having fun and Interacting with the people that are handing the flyers to it's kind of strange and weirdly Uplifting to see that go down because it could never happen in the states
[09:34] Like I've said so many times before it's like the 60s back up in Chicago or Cleveland back Then a job was a job and adolescent kids especially feel lucky to have one and make some dough Anyway, speaking of adolescents and young adults handing out throwaway junk for a living Could you imagine going into a Kohl's or a Kroger or a Walmart or Costco up in the states being approached by a young? good-looking woman in a slinky skin tight Bodysuit uniform and her day job is to hand out samples of cookies soft drinks Doughnuts or Cheetos or any number of other things not to mention sometimes They'll even give you a shot of booze or a cup of beer I'm talking about inside local supermarkets even Costco's and Walmart's now Let me ask you this up in the states
[10:20] How much would you have to pay an 18 to 25 year old woman to put on a skin tight? Slinky outfit and hand out Cheetos samples all day and little cupcake tins Most girls would think you were nuts and say it was way too Embarrassing and their parents probably wouldn't let them do it anyway and believe me these girls are not selected for their intelligence They're selected for their smile and their good looks now. I'm not saying they're dumb. They're not I'm just saying that doesn't enter into the equation and I'll tell you this many many fresh green gringos have said to me Johnny You won't believe what just happened to me in Walmart to which I always say you're not in Kansas anymore Dorothy This is Latin America get used to it And then they say this could never happen in the states why you'd have the feminists in the aclu picketing on the parking lot
[11:05] There'd be class-action lawsuits and of course, it's all voluntary. You know, these girls aren't forced into taking jobs like that But remember you won't find a single guy handing out samples They're all nice-looking women and get this they're not doing it just for the money It's also about getting a little bit extra attention from guys walking by and the fact that a good 95% of these women come from middle and lower middle-class backgrounds They're the beautiful girl in the crummy neighborhood and thus it's one of the ways for them to have a chance at meeting an upscale guy And possibly hooking up in a love then romance situation leading to marriage. That's what they're mostly hoping for and what's the definition of an upscale guy? Pretty much a guy with a car, you know to save him from the fate of being groped and harassed in the chicken bus every day
[11:54] And how do I know that? Well, it's common knowledge down here and no one looks down on it at all I mean, come on everyone in a poor scruffy barrios looking to get a leg up And if you happen to have the good luck to be born the neighborhood beauty many times That's the only trait you have that can get you out of that rut Nothing wrong with that and no one looks down on that situation at all In fact when you come down here and get boots on the ground, especially off the gringo tourist trail I really do suggest you go into a Walmart or a Costco or one of the local big supermarket chains Especially on weekends. That's when the beautiful sample ladies are on duty. By the way, these ladies are called impulse adores Impulse adores and if you notice that words got the English word impulse in it Like impulse buying which pretty much explains everything
[12:41] In fact, the whole marketing idea behind that is to get a beautiful young girl to persuade you into an impulse buy Most guys will fall for it every time but that is guys who aren't walking with their girlfriend or wife Through the store too much eye contact and you're gonna hear about it when you get home. Yep It's basic caveman logic. Now if that doesn't give you an insight into the macho society down here I don't know what will oh and what do these young impulse adores make Oh minimum wage here in Latin America Which is around three hundred to three hundred and fifty bucks a month Just one thing these ladies are not hired by the grocery store the supermarket chain Walmart Costco, whatever They work for a modeling or impulse adora agency. They supply the girls and the product companies do the hiring So one weekday could be pushing Cheetos next week famous famous cookies or banana boat suntan lotion
[13:32] so the thing is you won't see the same girls for more than a couple weeks at a time because they Rotate through all the supermarkets and note there'll be twice as many of them on weekends because those are the busy shopping days So there are full and part-time impulse adores By the way, that's how I found out that glad day is glade air freshener and a hacks is guess what? Ajax dishwashing soap, how about that? So yes, you can improve your Spanish by talking to those impulse adora ladies because they will talk to you Gotta love it down here in Latin America, huh? Oh and you might be wondering how many of these pretty impulse adora ladies actually hook the guy of their dreams You know a guy with a car. Well, unfortunately not many They usually end up with a poor handsome slug from the barrio anyway Why because it's just not that many upscale unmarried guys around who have cars that said can all you gringo lonely hearts out there?
[14:24] See the possibilities enough said about that. Oh, and by the way changing gears a bit here Just noticed in Yahoo News today. They're talking about 4,000 people in Spain contaminated with fecal matter in their bottled water. Isn't that cool? So how did get in the water? Well, who knows but I can tell you this I don't trust any bottled water anywhere. And that's why when you come here to Latin America, you should filter your own That's always recommended. Oh, and by the way, there's just prize for everyone It's coming down to my July 2016 Latin insider seminar because we're doing a boots on the ground trip to a nothing less than spectacular water Purification company. No, it's not bottled water. It's individual units based on a rather astounding concept and astounding business plan, too You'll see when you get here I know it sounds pedestrian, but you'll be talking about it for months and months afterward
[15:12] I can guarantee you that by the way as of the date this show is going out That would be Friday the 29th You've only got about three days left to get the $500 early bird discount to come to my July 2016 seminar So definitely it's time to get off the fence Get on down here get that plan B going because you know the way things are going up in the states There's a very good chance your plan B will become your plan a shortly You know what they say you have to buy a ticket to win the lottery So just go to www.thenewexpet.com click on Johnny's 2016 seminar link for all the information and sign-up details Nuff said about that when just a tip when you're traveling skip the ice cubes unless you make those cubes yourself From your own purified water now, let's talk about something that's really on PC really controversial
[15:59] It tends to generate a lot of emails and piss off the 1.5 plus million gringos and expats living in Mexico Now I know after being there many times myself and talking to a lot of gringos and expats They don't want to admit that they made a big mistake by going to Mexico and buying land or releasing or renting or starting a business Whatever though, of course, it did seem like a good idea at the time However, the fact is probably 98% of the people who are living or who have invested in Mexico Never really put their boots on the ground in other Latin countries to check those out first And it's human nature to put on a happy face when things really aren't that good Then again, we all know people that are very honest and tell it just like it is all the time Sometimes in fact, they're so honest. You just want to punch him in the face. That's it. Now
[16:49] I'd really like you to rent this new movie or CD. It's called Sicario Sicario S-I-C-A-R-I-O It's a brand new movie and a huge eye-opener for anyone considering moving to Mexico or doing business there again It's Sicario S-I-C-A-R-I-O and no, it's not a subtitled Spanish movie nor is it a Spanish-speaking movie at all It's a US production a Hollywood movie filmed in Mexico If you look it up, you'll find it nearly didn't get made people didn't want it out there and it stars Emily Blunt An Academy Award winner and Josh Brolin, he's good, too And I'll tell you it's about what's happening in Mexico right now The behind-the-scenes stuff that our own government doesn't want us to know. So what else is new, huh?
[17:35] And after you see it if you think well, it's just happening in certain areas around Mexico or in border towns I happen to have read an interview from a couple of Retired DEA agents who were commenting on the movie saying it's much much worse than that in all of working-class Mexico So for all you people living working playing in Mexico or owning businesses, whatever I know many many tens of thousands of you live in a nice protected Isolated little gringified island of a city or town Well, you know, that's just fine as long as you stay there and don't leave because I'll tell you what the fact is And you know this well whether you're willing to admit it or not You don't want to get in your car and drive from your nice little safe Isolate a little island of a community to the next town that might be 50 or 100 kilometers away
[18:23] You know what I'm talking about. So that said do rent this movie By the way, I just picked it up down here in Central America for around a buck from the pirate video stand guys, of course Everything's pirate down here. So all of you out there who are saying Johnny, aren't you violating international property rights legislation? Well, a better question would be you try to find me a DVD vendor who doesn't sell pirated stuff then again There's always Netflix. Yep. If you have internet you can get Netflix down here But those movies aren't first run and brand-new now about that intellectual property thing now that pirate DVD sellers are everywhere practically on every second or third Street corner the Legitimate DVD sellers who used to be around some years ago even selling through Walmart and Blockbuster, etc
[19:11] Just don't exist anymore. They could never make a profit charging a buck or two for a DVD In fact, it seems like every single gas station you pull up to there's a little guy with a muchilla That's a backpack sitting on the front step And as soon as you pull up he runs over to your car and whips out about a hundred CDs and shoves them in your face And of course seeing you're a gringo, he'll always double the going price He'll say two bucks and you'll say one then he'll say no, I can't do that How about a buck and a half then you'll say no deal I'll just drive on up to the next gas station and he'll give them to me for a buck Then you'll say okay this time I'll sell them for a buck apiece But really it's every time you just have to work the deal like that Oh, and you should know that the Pirates have really perfected their DVDs a few years back
[19:59] They were kind of crappy. Sometimes they skipped and had defects in them But now they've really got it down. So there's no complaints in quality Not like the old days and if you can believe it these little guys on the street corner even give a money back Guarantee and yes, the same guy occupies the same space every day So you can track them down if you want to own by the way the other day when I was buying that Sicario DVD from one of those little guys at a gas station a Toyota Hilex police cruiser pulled up four guys jumped out Nope, it was no bust. They were out to buy some movies, too That's how little people think of pirated movies down here In fact almost no one knows that these movies are pirated anyway for them It always is and always was the way they buy movies owned by the way I stuck around to see what kind of DVDs those cops were buying from that little guy
[20:46] And they bought a couple of skanky martial arts movies and a couple of even skankier porn DVDs Hmm surely an evidence-gathering mission, huh? Mm-hmm. Oh and while there I watched the cops flip a coin to see who was gonna pay for those videos Yes, just like for the first world. It's a common practice to flip a coin when you're deciding on something though There is a slight difference in the Latin version. They don't call heads heads They call them Cara's which is faces and they don't call tails tails either. They call them Escudos, which is shields as in the shield that a Roman gladiator or conquistadora might use and why is that well because almost all Latin American coins have a shield on the tail side and
[21:31] Escudo, so if you're flipping a coin with a Latin they'll say Cara's Oh is school those Meaning faces or shields just a little inside tip there Oh, and by the way, since we're talking about movies and pirated DVDs, etc. Here's an email that might interest you This is from a gringo who calls himself Don Goya. Hey, Johnny I've scatter shot your archives and really enjoyed the content and break out in laughter and coffee shops sometimes knowing Exactly what you're talking about. I'm definitely not a newbie to the Latin culture having boots on the ground But not an expert either Let's just say I've been slightly wounded with two Latin divorces under my belt now I own some property in Mexico hmm
[22:16] Traveled a bit and am living the beat a loca as a waspy kind of guy and guess what? I'm a fellow shy town survivor who navigated the real estate and film production community there for many years Chicago the city that works supposedly is not much different than Latin America, you know, but as you say, I digress Here's one for your quote marketing in Latin America stories I actually worked on the original el cartel movie with Mauricio Islas and Jose Luis Franco in 2006 and I befriended the producers who were Americans one of these guys later became my business partner Which is a soap opera in itself? But long story short the Mexican affiliate to the major US distributor for this film
[23:05] Received the revenue from this unexpected hit now not surprisingly They conveniently went bankrupt right before the distribution of the payments and funny enough the narco slash Pirate media channels were the ones who put way more money into advertising with their own billboards, etc Now the producers actually end up using that same artwork for the US Movie version since they were basically lacked out of their own project and never saw the profits got to love that Latin free market, right? And how about this for a reality show plot line? You film your way down from Denver to Nogales, Mexico through the Sonora desert on De San Carlos with a group of Mexican telenovela film stars with a film crew and the federales in pursuit
[23:51] Of course the requisite females and an oversupply of enhancement drugs Then he says I really love Matt Damon in bed. Affleck's project greenlight thing You remember that series on HBO maybe 10 years ago? Well, I'd like to show both of them our project red light pilot. How about that for a behind-the-scenes reality show? saludos Johnny Don Goya now just a short comment on that email, you know Mexico is the country that produces by far the most Latin media entertainment and 99.9% of it is pure crap and they don't know it because well, it's all about the details, right? The standards by the way are miserably low and they can be because they're playing to a mostly uneducated public sound familiar Now, where have I heard that before?
[24:37] Anyway, the fact is the whole Latin TV and movie industry are the most unrepentant Gringo wannabes you'll ever see. Oh, they have all the latest and greatest technical equipment All right, but they're nothing but rip-off copycats. It's even worse with Latin rock, but we won't get into that However, there's a very small group of pretty good Latin filmmakers who all seem to be Children of the rich or their second generation kids born in the US who went to Hollywood film schools, etc And learned the trade the way Gringo's learned it and a lot of them gone back to Mexico City because they can't cut a break In the states, I mean, come on Hollywood has never been until very recently open to Latins on the production and behind the camera I know I know some Latin directors have won Academy Awards just recently, but that's just kind of a fluke
[25:27] Anyway, a lot of these Latino guys who get their diplomas at film schools up in the states can't break into Hollywood So they rushed back down to Mexico and they have a sort of Gringo advantage by proxy going for him and with an audience of a half A billion easy to please Latins with low standards There is a lot of work in the Mexican movie industry if you've got it in anyway any gringo I've ever known who's been in the Latin TV movie or radio business have stories about being ripped off I'm including myself in that group that said if you think there's some shady deals going down in the movie and TV Businesses up in Hollywood down here in Latin America It's like the Wild West in fact it can be a very dangerous business to be in because like our friend Don Goya says a lot of the production money and marketing money comes from Narcos and believe it or not the desire to be famous in TV and in the movies here in Latin America is
[26:18] On steroids compared to people up in the states if you can believe that that said over the years I've met a lot of Latin actors producers would-be directors and assistants, etc Who work virtually for free just to get some facetime on camera or a small mention in the credits? So bottom line a lot of these sharp-looking men and women you see in the media are still living at home with mommy and daddy Or we're spoiled little rich kids to begin with in fact I can tell you in big markets in Latin America some of the top salaries they pay for newscasters you won't believe Try a thousand to two thousand bucks a month though. You do get a free wardrobe out of it Yet these guys and gals are local celebrities and household names in big markets And by the way All the media people want to learn English too because everyone's ultimate fantasy is to get a job in the media up in the USA
[27:09] even though it's the Impossible dream really and it doesn't matter that for all the thousands of Latins in the media and the movies only a handful of Non-us-born Latins have ever broken into first-tier Hollywood and made it Selma Hayek and Sofia Vergara Maybe even Antonio Banderas is originally from Spain, which is a first world country kind of or let's just say a failed first world country south of the border You've been listening to the expat files living in Latin America coming to you twice a week from somewhere south of the border Email me the expat files at gmail.com And if you want me to help you sort out your own Latin American plans and schedule a one-on-one
[27:54] expat files at gmail.com Nos vemos