My alter ego is Latina.

Hemingway had an alter ego. I learned that in seventh grade, when we read The Nick Adams Stories. They say Adams, the protagonist of more than two dozen short stories, was inspired by the author's own experiences -- from growing up fishing on lakes in Michigan to serving as an ambulance driver in Europe during World War I. The unfolding of a boy's adolescence into adulthood is carefully crafted in these stories, all linking a life together. Or maybe two lives, really: Nick's and Hemingway's.

Similarly, I have an alter ego and she has been present for many, many years. Although some have known her, this is her official and "public" coming out.

In 1983, as a young Spanish-speaking speechwriter, aspiring political promoter and basic go-fer, I was sent to Venezuela as part of a strategic team to work for a year on a Presidential campaign. There, under a name given to me by their Secret Service, I became Conchita Davila and had access to the Cabinet, DISIP (their Secret Service), the President, the presidential candidates and top COPEI party officials.

Among my friends and colleagues from those days, the name stuck and they jokingly still refer to "Conchi" in the most endearing terms.  But even more lasting has been her spirit, which has provided an impetus for my years of working in Latin America and the US, predominantly in television as a writer, producer, marketer and promoter.   I have won numerous awards for both writing and promotions, including an Emmy for a series called “Youth Speaks Out,” a special commendation for a documentary called “Cori: A Struggle for Life”; ADDYs, Tellys and BDA awards for promotional campaigns at networks including WNBC, Telemundo, Cinecanal, MTV Latino and The Weather Channel / El Canal del Tiempo. 

But what's always been my motivation are not the accolades, but the ability to transform . In particular, transformation to a culture that was not my birth-right, but my passion. What I've come to realize is that,THAT is the spirit of the Urban Nomad -- the desire to understand the depths of emotion, motivation, action and reaction of a culture not your own and make it your own in new ways, by living it.

In my “spare time,” I have always written fiction. Now, I have decided to write under my alter ego. Conchita's screenplay, is, in fact "writing what I know," as the experts always advise. 

The Sanchez Clause, is a holiday tale with, I think, huge commercial potential.  Part Beverly Hills Chihuahua, part Fred Clause, this comedy featuring a somewhat “dark” Santa Claus,  a loving Latino family from East LA, crazy characters from the Caribbean, Harlem and Park Avenue , I believe, offers a true cross-over opportunity for audiences and actors alike. 

I hope you'll embrace Conchita Davila and her works with as much love and support as you've given me, as Karen.