Philanthropic Investments and Strategic Partnerships Lead

Luis Castro is an accomplished strategist and creative producer with two decades of experience developing and executing strategies to create a more diverse and inclusive entertainment industry. As a producer, Luis works with diverse storytellers to develop TV, film and multiplatform projects that change the cultural narrative. Through his consulting practice, Luis works with institutions large and small – from global media companies to groundbreaking nonprofit organizations and innovative funders – to design and implement integrated and impactful inclusion strategies, organizations, and creative talent development initiatives. Luis specializes in integrating equity into overall strategy, program design, implementation, and operations. 

Luis was an executive in programming at HBO in Los Angeles, where he devised a comprehensive equity strategy and worked across film and television to expand the network’s relationships with diverse creators, find new scripted projects, and identify diverse writers for existing shows. Before joining HBO, Luis led corporate grant-making as Executive Director of Philanthropic Initiatives at Time Warner. Luis was Acting Commissioner of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, overseeing the agency charged with supporting and promoting NYC’s multibillion-dollar film, TV, and theater industry. Luis began his career in Washington, DC, as a legislative aide to U.S. Senator Paul Simon and served as a legislative advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Education. Luis served as a Senior Fellow of TV Storytelling and Culture Change at The Pop Culture Collaborative. He was a member of the TONY Awards Nominating Committee and served as an advisor to The Sundance Institute Theater Program. He is on the Board of Directors of New Dramatists and the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. Luis lives in Garrison, NY, with his wife and 13-year-old son.

Luis was born and raised on Chicago’s southside, the son and grandson of Mexican immigrants. His mother emigrated to the United States from Guanajuato. Luis’ paternal grandparents came to South Chicago in the 1920s to work in the steel mills. They helped build the community and parish that made up the first Mexican settlement in Chicago. Luis’ late father, Ray Castro, was a prominent community and political activist.