Linette Garcia on Growing Up in Hialeah, Family-Inspired Comedy and Her Next Goals

Growing up in Hialeah gave content creator Linette Garcia plenty of material to observe.

What seemed completely normal inside her family could sometimes look very different from the perspective of people from other cultures. Years later, those memories and everyday observations continue to inspire the characters and situations she brings into her comedy.

In an interview with Miami Context, Garcia spoke about how growing up in Hialeah shaped her creative ideas, the role her family plays in her characters, the fear she faced when stepping outside her comfort zone and the projects she hopes to create in the future.

Growing up in Hialeah as a source of inspiration

Garcia says many of her ideas come directly from experiences she observed while growing up.

“Growing up in Hialeah, I saw a lot of crazy things my family would do that seemed ‘normal,’ but in other cultures, it wasn’t necessarily considered normal,” she told Miami Context.

Those observations did not stop with childhood.

“Observing all of that as a child, throughout my teenage years, and now as an adult, I still find things in my culture that surprise me and inspire me to create my next skit.”

For Garcia, the inspiration behind a new sketch can therefore come from situations she remembers from childhood or from things she continues to notice in her culture today.

A little bit of family in every character

When it comes to building her characters, Garcia does not rely on just one person.

Instead, she takes inspiration from different members of her family and mixes those traits together.

“All of the above!” Garcia said when discussing the people who inspire her characters.

She compared the process to The Powerpuff Girls.

“Like The Powerpuff Girls, when the Professor was creating his daughters and said, ‘Sugar, spice, and everything nice!’ I sprinkle a little bit of my family into each character.”

That combination of different personalities and experiences has become part of the way she approaches her sketches.

Overcoming the fear that people might not laugh

Garcia also opened up about one of the biggest fears she faced with comedy: failing in front of an audience.

“It was my biggest fear because I was scared of failing,” she said. “In my mind, I would think, ‘But what if they don’t laugh?’”

Last December, she decided to confront that fear.

“Last December, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and just do it.”

Not every reaction was the one she hoped for, but Garcia says that experience ultimately helped her.

“Were there people who didn’t laugh? Yes. But that helped me build a stronger backbone and keep moving forward!”

Rather than allowing the possibility of failure to stop her, the experience became part of learning how to continue despite it.

Linette Garcia looks toward streaming and stand-up

Looking ahead, Garcia already knows what kind of projects she would like to pursue.

“A comedy series and/or drama series on a streaming platform,” she said when asked about her dream project.

She also has another goal connected to comedy.

“I’d also love to produce my own stand-up comedy show.”

From the family experiences she observed growing up in Hialeah to the fears she has worked to overcome, Garcia continues finding inspiration in her own surroundings while thinking about what could come next.

For now, her culture, her family and the moments that still surprise her remain part of the material behind the next skit.