New Mexico Tourism: No Indians or dark skinned Hispanics wanted
- The New Mexico Tourism Department is being criticized for its casting call for "Caucasians and light-skinned Hispanics" for a tourism ad.
When questiond, the New Mexico Tourism Department said it wants white and light skinned people in its ad, because that's what it wants to attract to New Mexico.
KOB TVasked New Mexico Tourism Secretary Monique Jacobson what she was thinking when a casting agent called for “Caucasians and light skinned Hispanics” to play a part in a New Mexico tourism commercial.
Jacobson said, “The particular casting call getting all the attention is in regards to our tourist role and we wanted a tourist who could represent people coming from a wide range of states like Maine, Texas, Florida, or Washington."
Jacobson explained the department’s intentions were to cast someone to play the role of a tourist who could easily be identified as someone living in one those states, KOB reported.
Meanwhile, Jacobson said the casting call ad was contracted to an out-of-state company by the tourism's advertising department.
The irony is, at the same time, New Mexico is billing itself as a new mecca for the film industry. Yet it can't even find a local to shoot a good advertisement.
There's no mention of the Navajo, Apaches and Pueblos that comprise the beauty of New Mexico.
Watch KOB's interview: http://www.kob.com/article/stories/s2541798.shtml