When UCLA senior Jonathan Hernandez walked into his first
casting call as a 9-year-old, no one noticed him.
He was a small child, and coming from a Latino background, he
was passed over for traditional acting roles.
But he wasn’t interested in what people told him he could
not do.
“Growing up as a child, there were a lot of social
barriers,” Hernandez said. “As a kid working in
Hollywood, I was afraid of associating with my Latino background,
but I learned that I wasn’t going to allow others dictate my
identity.”
Nearly 13 years later, Hernandez is not only a successful Latino
actor, but is on the verge of showing his newfound appreciation for
his culture in an entirely new market. Earlier this month, he
purchased the Long Beach Languneros, a Latino-based American
Basketball Association franchise situated in an area with a
burgeoning Latino population.
Hernandez, a 22-year-old civil engineering student, not only
believes this is the beginning of a greater Latino presence in
professional basketball but is the culmination of the hard work he
has put in to reach this point.
“If you were to tell me that I would own a professional
franchise at the age of 22, I would have thought you would be
kidding,” Hernandez said. “I have always had a great
passion for sports and there is no better opportunity than
this.”
The team, which reportedly cost Hernandez $10,000 to buy, is
co-owned by Hernandez and former ABA player Tomas Gillespie, and
replaces the now-defunct Long Beach Jam as the main ABA presence in
the Southern California market.
It will hold open tryouts in July and is set to begin its season
in November. Its goal, Hernandez said, is to attract a large Latino
fan base.
“We are holding tryouts at UCLA in July,” Gillespie
said. “We want the team to be a family environment where all
people including Latinos can get together and enjoy the
entertainment.”
The ABA has had its share of problems in the past, but if anyone
knows about overcoming odds and creating a successful business
model, it’s Hernandez.
He started his own corporation, Norart Productions, when he was
13 years old, and officially took over his father’s trucking
company at the age of 18.
“I realized from a young age that I didn’t want to
just sit by the phone and just wait for auditions,” Hernandez
said. “My father was a truck driver and I definitely wanted
to set myself up for the future.”
Hernandez, in fact, was so serious about his future that he took
an interest in physics and buildings from an early age, and was
accepted into California Institute of Technology as a senior in
high school.
“I’m a South Campus nerd, what can I say,”
Hernandez said. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t
also like acting, music and sports.”
Someone who helped Hernandez develop his diverse interests was
Paul Rodriguez, a fellow Latino actor whom Hernandez first met when
he began acting.
Rodriguez taught Hernandez that there was much more to life than
just acting, and that he should accept his Latino background.
“It was through him that my views really changed,”
Hernandez said. “I grew up believing that it was wrong to be
Hispanic and he taught me that there were a lot of ignorant people
out there, and that it was my job to prove them wrong.”
Jonathan’s mother, Nohora Hernandez, remembers one
instance, in fact, where Jonathan came home from school and told
her that he hated her for being Hispanic.
“It broke my heart to hear him to say that,” Nohora,
a school teacher, said. “I had always taught my kids to
appreciate their Latin identity, and Jonathan didn’t
understand that at first.”
It was only in acting, where Hernandez landed roles in movies
“Beverly Hills Cop 3,” and “Spanglish,” did
he finally learn the importance of his heritage.
“Acting gave me an outlet where I could express myself and
not be worried about what others thought,” Hernandez said.
“It was a real break that I got involved in acting at such a
young age.”
Since appearing in Latino-specific roles in movies, Hernandez
has also acted in mainstream shows “Nick Freno” and
“Touched by an Angel.”
In fact, Hernandez now works as the head of sports programming
for LATV, one of the largest Latino entertainment networks in
Southern California.
He covers Major League Soccer teams Chivas USA and the Los
Angeles Galaxy, and critiques sports video games made by EA
Sports.
“Jonathan has been a great asset to our network,”
LATV Producer Lupe Rodriguez said. “With his acting
connections, and his sports knowledge, he is a perfect fit for the
position.”
Before that, Hernandez worked for two years for UCLA Radio,
where he hosted a show called “The Gravel Pit,” which
combined his passion for music and sports.
But nothing he has done in the past compares to the enormous
venture that he has taken now.
“When I first looking into purchasing the franchise, it
was much more than I expected,” Hernandez said. “But
I’ve never been one to step back from challenges.”
Hernandez met Gillespie through a mutual friend in late March,
and they started talking about the possibility of buying an ABA
franchise soon after.
Gillespie has played on three ABA teams: the San Diego Wildfire,
Las Vegas Slam and Los Angeles Stars, and brings the experience of
having played on the Guatemalan national team to the
partnership.
“I think that Tomas and I can create a great
partnership,” Hernandez said. “Both of us have our
strengths, and if we have the right management in place, we should
be successful.”
Hernandez has done extensive research concerning the Southern
California market, and he believes that he has found a gold
mine.
“The majority of the Southern Los Angeles area is
Latino,” Hernandez said. “For many years, upper
management has refused to market the Latino fan base, and I think
we take full advantage of their ignorance.”
And if history serves as any indication, Hernandez may be
right.
“I have never seen anyone of his perseverance,”
Nohora said. “My husband and I were skeptical at first, but
we have trusted him in the past, and he has yet to prove us
wrong.”