Despite what you may think, not all of Latino USA’s staff are, you know… Latinos. Of course, most of them are, but as part of a proudly diverse newsroom we also have two white men as producers. Host Maria Hinojosa sat down with the office gringos, Michael Simon Johnson and Marlon Bishop to find out what they’ve learned about being good allies and how to work for a show about a culture that isn’t theirs.

 Marlon Bishop is a radio producer and journalist with a focus on Latin America, New York City, music and the arts. He got his start in radio producing long-form documentaries on Latin music history for the public radio program Afropop Worldwide. After a stint reporting for the culture desk at New York Public Radio (WNYC), Marlon spent several years writing for MTV Iggy, MTV”s portal for global music and pop culture. Marlon has also lived and traveled all over Latin America, reporting stories as a freelancer for NPR, Studio 360, The World, the Village Voice, Billboard and Fusion, among other outlets. He is currently a staff Producer for Latino USA.

 Michael Simon Johnson is a radio producer and audio engineer based in New York. A Pittsburgh native, he graduated from Emerson College with a degree in Sound Design. As a producer, he covers criminal justice and is currently a 2014/2015 John Jay Juvenile Justice Reporting Fellow.