Set Life: Latinas in Media Atlanta co-founder Denise Santos created a community for Atlanta filmmakers

CAROL BADARACCO PADGETT

APRIL 24, 2026

ArtsATL’s Set Life series focuses on local creatives who work in Atlanta’s film and television industry. We’ll talk to those who work on both sides of the camera and explore their struggles and successes in navigating Georgia’s volatile film and TV scene.

Latinas in Media Atlanta was featured on WABE’s City Lights Collective, Atlanta’s NPR station highlighting the city’s vibrant arts and culture community. The segment spotlighted LIMA’s work amplifying Latine and underrepresented voices in film, television, and theatre, and celebrated our efforts to create inclusive spaces for storytellers both on and off the screen.

Latinas in Media Atlanta (LIMA) is proud to partner with the Peaberry Film Festival to spotlight Latine filmmakers at the 2025 festival, October 3–5 at the historic Canton Theatre in Canton, Georgia. This special film block will feature narrative and documentary works in Spanish, English, and Spanglish—celebrating the range, diversity, and artistry of Latine storytelling.

Submissions are now closed, and we can’t wait to share this unforgettable day with you! For tickets, visit the Peaberry Film Festival tab on our site.

Denise Santos, Founder & Producer of Latinas in Media Atlanta (LIMA), is spotlighted in a recent Discover Atlanta feature, where she shares her passion for uplifting Latine voices in film, television, and theatre. LIMA has become a hub for underrepresented creatives—creating space for powerful storytelling, community building, and cultural visibility.

Hosted in collaboration with Georgia Entertainment, “The Creator’s Toolbox at Shadowbox.” will bring together storytellers, service providers and industry influencers to explore how innovation, infrastructure and collaboration are reshaping content creation across multiple formats. INDEPENDENT BY DESIGN - “It starts with intentionality. When you see a community missing from your team on a production, reach out to someone. Have their stories read … We’re top spenders. We go to the movies, and we want to see ourselves represented.” – Santos

Latinas In Media Atlanta is honored to be featured on the cover of Atlanta’s Oz Magazine! This spotlight celebrates Latinas in Media Atlanta’s mission to amplify Latine and underrepresented voices in film, television, and theatre. As a grassroots, community-led collective, being recognized in this way is a powerful reminder of the importance of representation, storytelling, collaboration, and comunidad in shaping Georgia’s creative industry.

According to a study by the University of Southern California, Latinos made up only 4.5% of speaking roles in top U.S. films over the past 12 years. This statistic comes as no surprise to the women behind Latinas in Media Atlanta (LIMA), whose mission is to “build a community of Latinas in the performing arts to create a platform and advocate for representation of Latin(a/o/x).”