Art by Ricky Rodriguez, IXHUI Studios
BOSTON — The Latino Newsletter today announced the launch of American Colony, a bilingual podcast series premiering July 4, 2026, the 250th birthday of the United States.
Created by award-winning journalist Julio Ricardo Varela, American Colony explores how 128 years of colonialism shape the everyday lives of Puerto Ricans on the island and across the diaspora. The series consists of eight episodes produced in English and Spanish, with weekly releases through the end of August. A talk show video format of the series will follow in September as a bridge to Season 2 in 2027.
“In 1990, I wrote my Harvard thesis about Puerto Rico’s colonial wound. Thirty-six years later, nothing has been resolved, and if anything, it’s gotten more urgent,” Varela said. “American Colony is where my biography and journalism have always been heading.”
The series is co-hosted by Varela and Nuria Net and executive produced by both, along with The Latino Newsletter’s senior producer, Joaquín Cotler.
Net is the founder of Shake It Easy Media, which is co-producing the series with The Latino Newsletter. A co-founder of Remezcla, she has produced shows for Amazon Music, The Latin Recording Academy, and the award-winning documentary series Punk In Translation for Audible. Cotler’s credits include Road to Rickwood, The Sum of Us, La Brega, and The Last Cup.
The production team also includes managing editor Christina Hernández, producer Carlos Berríos Polanco, consulting producer Susanne Ramírez de Arellano, and Anthony Milian and Aliana M. Bigio, who are creating social video content to accompany the audio series.
“I’ve spent my career telling Latino stories that don’t get told in mainstream media. American Colony is the series I wish had existed when I was trying to understand what it means to be Puerto Rican in a global context — and why that question still doesn't have a simple answer,” Net said. “Colonialism isn’t ancient history. It’s a phone call with your family, a bill you can’t pay, a passport that doesn't mean what it should. That's the story we’re telling.”
The original score is composed by Alain Emile, a multi-instrumentalist film and media composer from Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, whose recent work includes scoring Esta Isla, which won at the Tribeca Film Festival and Spirit Awards.
Original illustrations are by Ricky Rodriguez, working under the name IXHUI Studios. Rodriguez has been doing visual cultural works for social justice and community organizations since 2016. They are currently pursuing an MFA in Documentary & Experimental Art at Duke University.
“This series is an important part of an ongoing conversation about what it means to be Puerto Rican,” Cotler said. “It’s also a space for diasporic and Puerto Rico-born artists, journalists, and producers to collaborate and explore the ways in which our experiences have shaped our community. And hopefully that will resonate with Puerto Ricans everywhere.”
American Colony opens with a question: When was the first time you realized Puerto Rico was a colony? It closes with another: How does colonialism end? In between those bookend episodes, six reported stories show how colonialism shapes daily life on the island and across the diaspora.
Episode producers include the series’ executive producers, along with T.J. Raphael, Camille Padilla Dalmau of 9 Millones, Juan Diego Ramírez, Raquel Reichard (in partnership with Locatora Radio), and Alana Schreiber. Season 1 of the series traces colonialism through some of the systems Puerto Ricans live inside every day — military service, baseball, entertainment, commerce, identity, and politics.
The series arrives at a moment when the colonial playbook is impossible to ignore, 250 years after the United States acted against colonialism to gain its independence. American Colony is a series about the present that explains the past, told by people who have lived it, reported it, and are still being asked to accept it.
American Colony will be available on The Latino Newsletter podcast feed, its YouTube channel, and all major podcast platforms beginning July 4.
The Latino Newsletter is an independent, no-paywall, newsletter-first newsroom covering the issues shaping Latino life and influence in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Founded by award-winning journalist and media executive Julio Ricardo Varela, the Boston-based nonprofit outlet pairs proximity reporting with national relevance through premium daily coverage. Stories are distributed via newsletters, podcasts, social channels, and open syndication to outlets that seek to amplify Latino voices. The Latino Newsletter upholds rigorous editorial standards and is committed to delivering accessible, high-quality journalism. Subscribe at thelatinonewsletter.org.
About Shake It Easy Media
Founded by Nuria Net, Shake It Easy Media is a bilingual content studio specializing in podcasts, digital storytelling, and culturally-driven multimedia content for Latino audiences globally. The company develops original IP and branded content for clients, including Amazon Music, Audible, and The Latin Recording Academy, with a focus on connecting storytelling, community, and audience engagement across markets. Recent productions include Las Cosmos, Grammofonías, Tumble en Español, and Corinna and the King.
American Colony is supported by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Press Contact: Julio Ricardo Varela, [email protected]
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