Starting on June 10, CAA hosted the seventh annual CAA Amplify Summit, an annual invitation-only convening of artists, thought-leaders, and executives of color from leading organizations in entertainment, sports, media, brands, and technology, and beyond.
Hosted in Ojai, Calif., the annual event is organized by a diverse cross-section of CAA agents and executives and will explore business opportunities, social justice initiatives, and collaborations to accelerate transformational change in rooms of leadership and popular culture.
This year, the Summit welcomed an impressive roster of speakers and attendees that included actor, singer, and icon Ricky Martin. The Grammy winner sat down and had a conversation with CAA’s Bruno Del Granado where they talked about Martin’s journey going as far back as his time in the boy group Menudo.
During the conversation, Martin spoke candidly about living authentically and his choice to come out when he did. With support from his family, he wrote a letter and posted it on social media during the early days of Twitter. “I felt the instant gratification of thousands and thousands of people sending nothing but love,” said Martin. As for the haters? “It took them a minute,” he laughed. “They didn’t know what to do with their life.”
Before this, Martin had always been a superstar in Latin America and beyond, but it was his performance of “The Cup of Life” at the 1999 VMAs that made him a crossover icon. He came out in the spring of 2010 and wrote a book in the fall. He appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show at the tail end of its run and then went on to go on a tour. While in Latin America, he visited numerous presidents including the Argentinian president at the time Cristina Fernandez de Kirchne. Same-sex marriage was legalized in Argentina in 2010 shortly after Martin came out.
“I just want to be free,” said Martin. “That’s it. It’s as simple as that.”
Former First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama was also in attendance at the Summit. She sat down with Oscar and Emmy award-winning Regina King to talk about Higher Ground Productions, which she co-founded as well as the importance of storytelling.
“What’s the format that people come together and learn? It’s movies, it’s short films, it’s stories,” Obama said. “This is where America is and you’ve got to meet people where they are. If Hollywood is where they are, as Barack and I think, well then how can we be a part of changing this, helping to be a part of this landscape and broadening the types of stories that get told.”
Other speakers and attendees included Ponyboi star and writer River Gallo, Taste the Nation‘s Padma Lakshmi, Academy Award-winning American Fiction filmmaker Cord Jefferson, Saturday Night Live star Ego Nwodim, Beef creator Lee Sung Jin, The Daily Show alum and comedian Roy Wood Jr., Peabody winning comedian Mo Amer, Editor-at-Large of The 19th Errin Haines, With Love and One Day at a Time creator Gloria Calderón Kellett, athlete and activist Colin Kaepernick, Emily in Paris star Ashley Park, among others.
“CAA Amplify has become a place to activate a community of artists, thought leaders, and influencers of color. Our super power is connecting luminaries across business, philanthropy, entertainment, technology, politics, and beyond to inform, strategize, and take action to create a more optimistic future,” said CAA’s Natalie Tran, who has helped organize this annual convening since its inception. “Now, more than ever, as commitments to impact become less visible, the collective expertise and collaboration within the CAA Amplify network are essential to driving meaningful opportunities for those that help shape culture, storytellers, and global brands.”