Sammy Lopez
Q: Can you talk a little bit about your involvement with 10glo? Can you also touch upon how 10glo is different from other digital platforms?
10glo.com is a digital hub for artists, especially during COVID-19 when we can not gather in person. It's a platform for artists to share their work and have “no gatekeepers” in terms of deciding what content belongs on the site. I believe access is the way to create the industry we want to see. We inherited an industry that has gatekeepers, and I think with this moment of a pause, we're given the opportunity to re-evaluate how these structures work.
I am very passionate about 10glo because, to me, it’s the next generation of theater artists. It is giving artists a platform to host videos that they're creating during quarantine, share their reels, or educational videos, etc. It's a place where people can have their virtual stage without the noise of traditional social media platforms. As a social media marketer myself, I love the power of connection and how you're able to put your work out there on YouTube or Facebook or Instagram. But what I love about 10glo is that there's the elimination of the number of followers or “likes” that you have. It allows you to hone in on the art itself and the artists that are creating it...
Q: Can you talk a little bit about how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected you as an artist, the communities that you're in, and your work?
...With that pivot and new realization I was able to meet new creators. I'm in the process of co-creating a multicultural commercial investment and producing organization called The Industry Standard Group. We're a group of BIPOC theatre-makers and we're focused primarily on educating and bringing more BIPOC producers into the industry. So, The Industry Standard Group is going to be a fund with stakeholders exclusively from BIPOC communities. We're hoping that this could ultimately open the door for more BIPOC producers to get immediate access into producing on Broadway and beyond...
Sammy Lopez is a Latinx artist dedicated to uplifting underrepresented voices & stories through the arts. He is a producer, director, digital marketer and social media manager working on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and online. He is on the producing and social media team for The Old Vic's A CHRISTMAS CAROL and co-produced BE MORE CHILL on Broadway. In 2017, he began his production company, Holtzman-Lopez Productions, with his producing partner, longtime collaborator, and best friend Ben Holtzman. Together, they are developing the new musicals GUN & POWDER (2020 World Premiere at the Signature Theatre), HOW TO DANCE IN OHIO, BRADICAL (Zoom Edition now streaming on Broadway On Demand), as well as producing the Syracuse University Lewis Hecker Drama Showcase. As a social media manager, Sammy is on the team at Marathon Digital representing Broadway productions, regional theatres, and other live entertainment clients in New York City and he is the Chief Media Strategist of 10glo.com, a new website dedicated to promoting artists by removing traditional barriers of entry in theater. In Los Angeles, he spent time developing the social media strategy at Center Theatre Group's Mark Taper Forum, Ahmanson Theatre, the Kirk Douglas Theatre, in addition to working on the LGBTQIA+ Chicano activist/performer Dan Guerrero's acclaimed solo show GAYTINO. He is a Supporting Teaching Artist with CO/LAB Theater Group, a non-profit organization offering individuals with developmental disabilities a creative and social outlet through theater and he is proud to be on the New 42 Board of Directors, opening new worlds to young people and families at the New Victory Theatre. He recently joined the team of The Industry Standard Group (TISG), a multicultural commercial investment and producing organization strategically formed to promote work reflecting diversity and increase the presence of BIPOC investors and producers in the commercial producing arts and entertainment field. Sammy is a graduate of the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts and the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Syracuse University.