Jasmine Romero

Jasmine Romero is director/creator/co-writer of Princess of South Beach and head of development at Sonoro. Follow her on Twitter here. Follow Sonoro on Twitter here.

How did you get introduced to the audio space?
I was working in New York City as a bartender when I got a push notification from Spotify for Mogul. I had never listened to a podcast before and I immediately fell in love. I grew up in South Central LA, listening to Dr.Dre and Snoop Dogg, and the show sounded like people I recognized. I applied for an internship at Gimlet and got a meeting through a friend of a friend. They were launching their first kids show, and I had been working with Sesame Street for a couple years, so the timing was perfect. Three months later, I came on as a freelance AP and the rest is history. 

Did you grow up watching telenovelas?
Yes! Telenovelas were a big part of my life growing up - it was bonding time with my sisters, my mom and my grandmas. All the women in the house watched telenovelas. 

How much of the story was set in stone before you began recording, and how much of it changed as you made your way through?
The scripts were all done, but I started every session by telling the actors “This isn't Shakespeare, this is a guide, so just have fun with it.” We would usually do a pass that was as written, then let the actors improv their way around scenes. In the editing process, we cut everything together and the result is a mix of the two. Some of my favorite lines were improv-ed on the spot. 

Princess of South Beach is funny, but it also touches on some serious socio-economic issues. Why did you decide to add the more serious stuff?
I wanted to write the telenovela I wished existed. Telenovelas are super fun, but they are also historically SUPER problematic - I wanted to use the existing format and bring it into the present with a more modern point of view. And by making it a comedy, we could go further with the social commentary - one of our characters basically dies from toxic masculinity. 

Can you give us a hint about something exciting that’s to come in the show?
The character Estrella becomes VERY important to the story. She was maybe my favorite character to write because the sassy maid is such a tired trope and I wanted to give that character agency and depth.

How many voice actors do you use? Do some of them overlap characters?
Some of the background characters overlap (meaning, the same actors did voices across the show), but generally everyone only played one role (obviously Sheryl and Rachel pulled double duty given that they played twins!). All told it was over 30 actors, recorded in 8 different cities, across the two productions. I say two because the show really is different in English vs Spanish and it had totally different casts. 

If you were going to start another podcast, don’t worry about the logistics or whether or not anyone would like it, what would it be?
It would be a blended fiction piece about my family, and generational trauma. I really admire the work of folx like Sayre Quevedo, James Kim and Eric Mennel, who are able to bring their personal stories into their work.

How is Princess of South Beach different from other fiction shows?
It’s fun! The fiction space in podcasting is overwhelmingly dominated by horror and suspense. I love those shows, I've worked on those kinds of shows, but I wrote this show specifically because I wanted something silly and fun to listen to. Plus, it’s bite sized (episodes average 10-15 minutes), and you can jump in at pretty much any episode. Each episode starts with a 30 second recap of everything you missed, so the barrier to entry is super low. 

Can you tell us about Sonoro? What is it? 
Sonoro is a Latinx focused Media company developing and producing work in English, Spanish and Spanglish. I first partnered with them to make Princess of South Beach, and I was so excited by the company’s mission that I came on board as head of development. I’m now overseeing a slate with dozens of projects across all genres and it’s the most exciting work of my career. Some of our other shows I think folx would love: Tejana, a police procedural starring Stephanie Beatriz as a Latina Texas Ranger and Toxicomania, starring Luis Gerardo Mendez as the Mexican doctor who legalized all drugs in the 1940’s. 

What did you do on Sesame Street?!
Before my life in podcasting, I was an actor and worked on Sesame Street. I still occasionally do work for them, mainly on social outreach campaigns. Most recently I did a series of videos that answer questions about the covid vaccine and promote awareness. It’s incredibly humbling to be part of a show with such an important legacy - plus its fun working with muppets!

Thanks, Jasmine!