Happy Cancer Chick - The Women Behind the Web Series - Part 3 of 3

We activists are fond of saying, “If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem, and when it comes to the representation of Latinos in popular entertainment, the problem remains huge in 2013. 

Look no further than this past Sunday’s Oscar telecast.  In addition to overlooking prolific and gifted actress Lupe Ontiveros in the memoriam segment, Seth McFarlane’s “joke” about no one understanding nor caring what Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz or Salma Hayek says because they’re so hot had a dissertation full of fail. For example, Zoe Saldana – who co-presented earlier a technical award with former co-star Chris Pine a technical award doesn’t count as a Latina because… what exactly? She’s Black? She’s not hot? She doesn’t have an accent?  Or is she not hot because she’s Black? Because she’s doesn't have an accent? Or because she's Black and doesn't have an accent? 

See… layers upon layers of failure.  And let’s not forget the enduring and complex politics of casting most recently exemplified and further complicated by this year’s Best Picture ARGO.  These are only three examples of how little Latinos have come in fourteen years since the so-called Latin Pop Explosion. 

Lupe Ontiveros, 1942 - 2012

One way to be part of the solution is to seize control of our own images and independently produce media with whatever technology, capital, talent and other resources we have available. For two seasons, producers Jenny L. Saldaña and Linda Nieves-Powell did that with the web series Happy Cancer Chick. Read on in this third of three installments to discover how they exemplified another saying by inspirational writer Orison Swett Marden: Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great!"

SQ: Before HCC, Linda, you were well-known for theater and your novel Freestyle. What made you decide to realize this concept as a web series instead of, for example, a play such as YO SOY LATINA?

LNP:  I love writing.  Period.  I don't stay in one place for too long.  My first short story, The Fly Ass Puerto Rican Girl from the Stapleton Projects was just published in the Akashic Books anthology, Staten Island Noir.   I love to try new things and I'm not afraid of the learning curve when doing so.  I really wanted to try this out and now that I have, I think I'll produce more

SQ:  With two seasons under your belt, what advice do you have to others who may have an idea for a web series?

LNP:  Writing, whether it's on the web or TV or the stage is still key to a successful show.  Writing is the blueprint.  If it doesn't work on paper, it won't work at all. Season 2 I actually got hung up on this a lot.  I threw out a lot of ideas before finally feeling that the current format would be the best format to use.  I watch a variety of different webseries, some feature great actors, great writing, most have great intentions, but a lot are trying to mimic TV.  My favorite webseries is THE GUILD.  It's done really well and the content is perfect for the medium and demographic.  There are other series like THE MISADVENTURES OF AWKWARD BLACK GIRL, that are about funny moments and less about story arc.   I think ABG structure is a great format for the web.  This isn't always easy. I'm story driven.   So for me, I have to learn to keep it shorter and sweeter but still have a great beginning, middle, and end.   I find that the ABG series is more about that moment.  I like that.  But I can't write like that.  My brain doesn't function in moments.  I need connect ideas and themes.  Stories have to be bigger for me.  So fitting my writing sensibilities into this tiny, quick format, requires me to build new skills and create ideas that will fit this format.  My overall advice is do it.  Just do it.  You won't know until you try.   And don't be afraid of  the unions like SAG/AFTRA or WGA.  Jenny and I were able to become members of the Writer's Guild Of America because of this series and several of our actors were able to join SAG through our little project.

SQ:  So what is next for you? HHC Season 3? Something else?  

JLS:  I think we've said all we've wanted to say with HCC. For right now the HCC is going to bed. I'm working on a book of short stories, and am really enjoying that process of reliving some of my college antics.

LNP:  Yes, we decided that we said everything we wanted to say about HCC for now.  If someone came along with an idea for future episodes, I'd think about it. For now, I've been developing a few projects the last few months, one for the stage and a few screenplays.  As for the web, I have a couple of ideas I'm developing.  One is very close to being finished. Now that I know the medium a little better I want to try a few things.  I find that I can now play in two worlds instead of one.  The web (new format) and the real world (traditional format).

Here are Parts I and II of my Q & A with the fierce women behind Happy Cancer Chick. In the meantime, you can check out all five webisodes here and on Facebook. And by all means, comment and share! 

Happy Cancer Chick - The Women Behind the Web Series - Part 2 of 3

As the creator of the web series and social network HomeGirl.TV, I know firsthand that producing a web series is not as easy as it appears. And I had a simple concept.  Take on a serious issue that touches millions like cancer, and your project inherits multiple layers of complexity.  Using true stories about finding light in an experience people still talk about with dread and whispers…. who dares to do that?

The women behind the Happy Cancer Chick did. Not just once but twice. Read the second installment of my 3-part Q&A with creator Linda Nieves-Powell and co-producer Jenny L. Saldaña after watching the following webisode from Season 2.

SQ:  How was producing HCC different from your video Shit Girls Say to Girls with Breast Cancer?

JLS:  Well, the obvious is that we shot that in one day over two hours, and that’s it. I think people now know that Shit Girls Say is so much deeper than it seems on the surface. I actually now show it to newly diagnosed breast cancer patients as a guide to what to expect. Producing HCC was completely different. Even for season one I had to dig down low into some parts of me I wasn't ready to revisit. With season two, I knew I was asking other women to do the same. For some it was rough. One woman told me she had filed all those feelings away until I brought them back with our interview.

SQ:  And what did each of you bring to the production of HCC?

JLS:  Linda is the brain. She came up with the concept and execution. There would be no HCC without her. She even coined the phrase. I'm the cancer expert and resource. I have a lot of connections in the cancer world so was able to get the doctor on board as well as some sponsors. I'm a good schmoozer.

LNP:  I have 15 years of experience in writing and about 10 years in directing and producing.  Although most of this experience was in theater and some film, it transfers well. 

SQ: Given how unfortunately prevalent cancer has become, a series like this could develop a major following. Yet with so much "noise" on the internet, it can be hard to break through. What are you plans for increasing the likelihood that HCC will do just that?

JLS:  Linda might better answer this, but I think that social media is our biggest friend as well as enemy. All we can do is chat it up and hope the conversation continues.

LNP:  I agree with Jenny.  The web is a hangout.  You can't predict what will happen next.  Trends come and go very quickly here.  Attentions spans are super short.   People are not themselves a hundred percent on the web.  It will take time before we see a webseries compete with an HBO show.  A long time. Maybe the web is great just to try new ideas before they hit TV. Folks are getting noticed here.  When I created this show, I didn't expect anything but to reach the women I felt would benefit from this message.  That's all.  I didn't have any great expectations.  I just always want to do a good job.  Period.

The very happy Happy Cancer Chick production team

SQ:  How have you changed and grown as a result of producing HHC?

JLS:  I've learned a lot from this process. I had never been on the production side of a series before. I've learned that, for the most part, if you ask, people will acquiesce. We got a lot of free stuff!

LNP: Oh my.  I am a tech geek and I just got geekier.  Really.  I love this stuff!  Love camera patches and hacks!  I can work a mean hack on my Canon. Learned about photography.  I try to stay on top of technology like the newest 2k or 4k cameras, the lenses, the editing software, all of that good stuff.  It helps to know these things in the event you have to step into a job or when you go to hire someone, you know exactly what you need. 

Working on Happy Cancer Chick afforded me a great experience.  I became a SAG and WGA signatory producer.  This means when I'm ready to work on the next idea, my production company, Odd Girl In Entertainment is already set up with both unions.

The more I work on productions, the more I learn about the craft of storytelling. I am writer.  My writing informs my other skills. 

Things are really opening up on the web.  If you browse YouTube and Vimeo, kids, actual teens and younger are doing amazing things on their own.  They shoot, produce and edit their own films now. It's really a new and exciting time.  

Mia Valour prepares Antonia Marrero to play cancer survivor Evelyn Reyes 

SQ: Jenny, as THE Happy Cancer Chick, do you ever hear from cancer survivors who feel pressured to "bright-side" their experience? Others have criticized "pink ribbon culture" for putting a happy face on breast cancer, arguing that it actually makes it difficult to demand a cure. What’s your take on all this?

JLS: Cancer SUCKS!! Everything about it SUCKS. It's scary, painful, and everything you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. Even though I've tried to remain positive throughout my journey I've had many a blue day. I HATED talking to survivors! I felt like, "Who the hell are you? You graduated already. Of course, you're happy!" So I know that now that I'm on this end, some may feel the same about me. Every cancer journey is different and all must come to grips with how they want to deal with it. I do think that having a positive outlook makes the journey a little less 'sucky,' but you're allowed to hate every minute of every thing that's happening to you.

About pink… we have pink overload in our society to the point that it's more business than anything else. However, I have found a way to use pink to my advantage. I have a pink ribbon on every coat I own. I want to mark or brand myself as a breast cancer survivor to let others know that I’m a safe haven and will always help. Humor helped me get to the other end of the tunnel. To "graduate" and to lead the way for others. My way doesn't have to work for you. It just had to work for me.

SQ:  You know I have to ask you about Lance Armstrong….

JLS: To millions of cancer survivors – yours truly included – Lance Armstrong will always be a hero. He beat cancer three times and took that to create a wonderful organization that is bigger than him. Yes, he's a failed jock. His ego got bigger than the person, but the organization that will live long after we're gone is going to continue to help and inspire cancer patients. Livestrong inspires, educates and helps which is what we wanted to do with HCC.

Stay tuned next week for Part III of my Q & A with the fierce women behind Happy Cancer Chick. In the meantime, you can read Part I here, watch all five webisodes on YouTube and connect with the producers on Facebook. And by all means, comment and share! 

Happy Cancer Chick - The Women Behind the Web Series - Part 1 of 3

Two weeks ago I celebrated a (re)birthday.  On the evening of January 16, 2012, I received a phone call from a radiologist with the results of a biopsy on my left breast a week earlier.  She told me the words no one wants to hear. 

“I’m sorry. It’s cancer.”

As of today I have had three surgeries, underwent twenty cycles of chemotherapy and am still receiving targeted medicine via infusion every three weeks. I take a tablet of Tamoxifen every single day and will for the next five years. I gave up a breast, gained an implant and proactively shaved my head before chemo could render me bald.

And I thrived through it all. 

At the Season 2 Premiere of HAPPY CANCER CHICK at the Clearview Cinemas in NYC.

Once the shock, anger and terror wore off, I made a decision to use my cancer experience to transform me. I would examine my life, make changes for the better and recommit to living fully. Nor was I going to wait for the completion of treatment and a declaration of “no evidence of disease” to begin. With or without the specter of cancer, I intended to be happy.

So it was only fitting that my “survivorsary” celebration included attending the premiere of the second season of the web series Happy Cancer Chick. Created by Linda Nieves-Powell who co-produced it with Jenny L. Saldaña, each of the five webisodes tells the story of a woman for whom a cancer diagnosis became a journey toward self-love. 

The series, however, is not just for people who have been touched by cancer or who are curious about it. There are lessons here for all of us on taking stands for ourselves, finding light in the darkest situation and otherwise living authentically now. As a major supporter of media that matters – especially when produced by women who don’t wait for someone else to give them the green light – I had to ask my friends at Happy Cancer Chick what inspired the series, how they produced it and what they learned and share that with others.  The first of my three-part Q&A begins after the clip which features the story of Vanessa Ghighliotty, a single mother who learned how to advocate for herself.... and take more pictures. 

SQ:  Season 2 takes a completely different approach from Season 1. What did you hope to accomplish with these changes? What has been the reaction of those who have been following the series from the beginning?

LNP: This journey began after reading one of Jenny's blog posts about being rejected at a cancer survivor audition for being too happy.  Well, the “too happy” part was her take, and I thought her take was funny but also very inspirational.  So we started writing episodes for a fictional character named Lola based on some real events in Jenny's life.  Then came Season 2, and we discovered there wasn't much more to say about Lola.  This was the biggest challenge for us because how many ways can you talk about cancer and be happy funny about it without becoming insensitive and somewhat careless?  So after struggling for months to write something great, I felt that the best way to continue this journey was to share the real stories of other woman.  Real Happy Cancer Chicks who were able to stay positive during the greatest challenge of their lives and who mirrored Jenny's personality and perspective.

JLS: When Linda said "let's do this about real women!" I was elated. I work with 'real' women every day and being able to tell some of their stories was going to be a blessing for all.

LNP:  The reaction to Season 1 is very different than Season 2, mainly because the approach to both are so different. Season One is outrageous and made some folks a little uncomfortable and unsure about what they should or should not laugh at.  Season 2 is more documentary, less comedy, but I feel, equally inspiring and easier to swallow.

SQ:  What has been most rewarding aspect of creating HHC? The most challenging? And what did you say to people who suggest that you are making light of cancer, and that's something that shouldn't be done?

JLS: The most rewarding thing for me was connecting to these amazing, remarkable and powerful women who NEVER gave up. The most challenging was trying to tell their stories in less than 10 minutes! After our Shit Girls Say To Girls With Breast Cancer video, I think most people know where we're coming from. No one thinks – that I know of – we’re making light of cancer.

LNP: The most rewarding aspect is the response to these stories from both the audience and the women featured.  The other reward is having made it to the finish line. The web, as a storytelling medium, is new territory and at times can be challenging.  We're beginning to learn how to use this chaotic, very busy, digital frontier to tell stories. 

But this is not TV.  This is not film. This is different and you really do find out what works and what doesn't.  I find that comedy on the web works differently than on television or movies.  If the joke doesn't come fast, viewers will tune out fast.  The setup has to be introduced much quicker.  If the audience doesn't get the joke, they will let you know in the frankest ways too.  And everyone and I mean EVERYONE is a critic. We had a few people tell us that we're going to hell for laughing at cancer.   

People are not on the web to watch TV unless they are looking for an old episode of their favorite show.  They are here to pass time, stay connected with people, and maybe learn something new or have a laugh.  But this PC or Tablet experience is different than someone sitting on a sofa tuning into a TV show.  I do believe now that TV's are being made to be Internet Ready, things will change.  My son spends more time on YouTube then on TV.  He knows what he wants to see, finds it, and spends hours on it.  This is the future of something, but not sure what yet. 

Stay tuned for Parts II and III of my Q & A with the fierce women behind Happy Cancer Chick. In the meantime, you can check out all five webisodes here and on Facebook. And by all means, comment and share!