Throughout Latin America the telenovela is an extremely popular form of entertainment. While they are often described as a Spanish-language TV “soap opera,” the biggest difference between telenovelas and American soap operas is the Spanish-language version actually has a planned episodic ending. It’s rare for a Spanish-language telenovela to last more than two-years. But the audience is well aware of this. And some telenovelas have had famed remakes or re-airings.

Spanish-language television networks in this country have kept the telenovela popular in the U.S. The most popular ones come from Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil. And the tradition of watching telenovelas has spanned generations as well as diverse nationalities and ethnicities.

Now, CEO Women, an Oakland based advocacy group, is taking advantage of the telenovela format to train Latinas in the intricacies of starting a small business. Producer Lonny Shavelson tells us about this unique project.

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