Tag: The Mediapro Studio

THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO’s “THE HEAD”, produced in association with HULU Japan and HBO Asia, is currently shooting

Posted on by contentntek in News, Production & Post Production

Directed by Jorge Dorado (“El Embarcadero”, “Mindscape”) for 12 weeks, this survival thriller is set in one of the remotest places on the planet – Antarctica. The shooting is taking place in the Canary Islands and Iceland.

The Pastor brothers and Jorge Dorado have worked with Ran Tellem (“Homeland”), Head of International Content Development of THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO, in the creation of this thriller.

The project, one of THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO’s major investments, took its first steps in 2017 at the prestigious International Series Mania Forum, held in Paris. The Head was presented at a pitching session and aroused great interest among representatives from the media and entertainment sector.

Álvaro Morte (The Professor and mastermind behind the ambitious robbery in “Money Heist”, and a character that has earned him widespread international success; “The Pier”, “El secreto de Puente Viejo”, “To Love is Forever”), Tomohisa Yamashita (“Code Blue”), Laura Bach (”Sprinter Galore”, “Rita”), Mònica López (“Hierro”, “In the city”, “The uninvited guest”, “Acusados”), Alexandre Willaume (“Below the Surface”, ”Deep State”, “Tomb Raider”), Katharine O’Donnelly (“Mary, Queen of Scots”), John Lynch (“The Terror”) and Amelia Hoy (“Below the Surface”, “Killing Eve”) are part of the international cast of the series.

According to Javier Méndez, Chief Content Officer of THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO, “The Head is an example of the direction we’re headed in, with ambitious and complex international projects based on great stories. The Head is a major step in the Studio’s strategy to guarantee that the best stories reach our clients around the world; to do so, we have excellent partner like Hulu Japan”.

Laura Fernández Espeso, Corporate Director and CoHead of TV of THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO, commented: “The Head is the fruit of many months’ labor to meet deadlines when demand for content is huge. Having talent like Jorge Dorado and Àlex and David Pastor working from the beginning to build and shape this project, altogether with a great international cast and a prominent partner such as Hulu Japan, gives an idea of the magnitude of the project. It is a privilege for THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO to bring this amazing series to the audiovisual market”.

The dark, long months in Antarctica, the cold, the wind and the large stretches of ice, along with the feelings of loneliness and claustrophobia, are the distinguishing features of this six-episode series.

The plot of “The Head”, with dialogues in English and Danish, is set in the Polaris VI international base, in Antarctica. A small group of scientists from several countries will be in charge of the base during the long polar nights. But in the middle of winter, the base stops communicating with the outside world.

“After a process lasting two and half years, we at THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO are proud to bring this unique story to the screen”, explained Tellem. “’The Head’” is about Good and Evil. Our story begins when a group of people find themselves completely disconnected from the world, in the frozen darkness of the South Pole winter. For the unknown killer among them, this is the perfect setting. For everybody else, telling good from evil just might be the thing that saves your life.”

 

“In ‘The Head’, I made some contribution to the development, which is quite unusual,” director Jorge Dorado explains, “because directors normally join in at a much later stage. And this is very interesting, because this way, the story in a way becomes yours too.” The director also emphasizes the work of THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO: “At the moment, no one else in Spain is doing projects of this magnitude and with such international ambition.”

Àlex and David, who have worked on the screenplays of “The Head”, along with Isaac Sastre, define the production as a “claustrophobic thriller with a central mystery.” “The series plays with two different times, because the idea is to find out who the murderer is, the reasons why they have done this, and if there is something else behind or beyond what seem to be a series of crimes,” they suggest.

The Pastor brothers have a brilliant track record in filmmaking with titles like “Carriers” and “The Last Days”, both written and directed by them, and “SELF/LESS”, written by them, directed by Tarsem Singh (“The Cell”) and starring Ben Kingsley and Ryan Reynolds. They made their debut in the TV world with the series “Incorporated”, for the US channel Sy Fy, produced by Pearl Street Films, which is Matt Damon’s and Ben Affleck’s company. The Pastor brothers were in charge of the screenplay and the direction of the pilot episode. Recently, they have directed the film “Hogar” for Netflix.

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“MALAKA” to open the XI Vitoria FesTVal

Posted on by xlbrothers in News, Production & Post Production

The disappearance of the daughter of an important businessman and the arrival of a new drug on the streets are keys to this southern noir. Antonio Gil, Cuca Escribano, Laura Baena Torres and Susana Córdoba, among others, complete the cast of the series shot on location in Malaga.

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An unexplained disappearance, an extremely diverse group of protagonists, all with a painful past, and the city of Malaga. The three keys to “Malaka”, the latest reality thriller from La 1 which has been chosen to open the XI edition of the Vitoria FesTVal, getting underway today, Monday 2nd September. Maggie Civantos, Salva Reina and Vicente Romero head up the cast of this hour long serialized drama in which our protagonists strive to settle old scores with their pasts… and with their present.

Produced by RTVE in association with Globomedia (THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO), Malaka begins with the disappearance of an important local Malaga-born businessman’s daughter. The Andalusian city takes on the role of an additional cast member in what has been described as a ‘warts and all’ look at the city, with everything from the bright lights of high society to the very underbelly of the underworld producing the drug.

The series features a formidable cast, a great many of who are native Andalusian’s: Cuca Escribano, Antonio Gil, Laura Baena Torres, Susana Córdoba, Alejandro Casaseca, Manuel Morón, Víctor Castilla, Emilio Palacios, Ignacio Mateos, Héctor Medina, Pilar Gómez, Helena Kaittani, and Naomi Ruiz. The nuts and bolts of society’s landscape; wealthy businessmen and young people, mafia clan capos and petty criminals.

Created by Daniel Corpas (Yo soy Bea, Lo que me contaron los muertos, Bajo el mismo techo) and Samuel Pinazo (Topos, Las tetas de mi madre), directed by Marc Vigil (The Ministry of Time, Red Eagle, Locked Up, Aída, 7 Lives), Malaka originated in the 2018 SGAE Workshops. The drama is supervised by Javier Olivares (The Ministry of Time), showrunner and co-producer, and with Jordi Calafí as script coordinator.

Characters with a painful past

Blanca Gámez (Maggie Civantos), only child and daughter of legendary Police Chief Gámez, poised, intelligent, calm and straight-talking. But nobody in Malaga knows why she has decided to return to her hometown after spending her entire working-life in Madrid. She may be an elite Inspector, but she’s got a lot to learn about what the real world is like.

FOTO MAGGIE CIVANTOS.[1]
Maggie Civantos
Darío Arjona (Salva Reina) has no doubt in his mind “Someone has to get dirty to keep everything clean”, the soundbite that best defines his moral compass and its flexibility. Dario is a Police Inspector who navigates skillfully around the city’s grimiest neighborhoods that spawned him and his type. With one foot in the world of corruption, he fights to maintain the status quo in the drug market.

FOTO SALVA REINA
Salva Reina

These are two very different Police Inspectors, but who share a complicated past as more is revealed to us in each episode.

Joaquín Romero ‘Quino’ (Vicente Romero) joins Blanca and Darío in their inquiries into Noelia’s disappearance. The ex-cop turned private detective handed in his badge a long time ago. A murky affair he prefers not to discuss.

FOTO VICENTE ROMERO
Vicente Romero

An unexplained disappearance…

Noelia’s disappearance is the starting point for Malaka. A young loner, in love with oriental mysticism and nature, the daughter of Germán Castañeda, an important local businessman. The investigation into her disappearance begins to reveal unimaginable connections and secrets.

Oro, a new drug that comes in the form of a gold ingot, unleashes a gang-war between rival clans who run drug trafficking. Among these, boss of the Los Cucos clan, La Tota rules with an iron fist.

But, who really is Noelia? Who benefits from flooding the streets of society’s underbelly with the strange yellow pollen? These are just some of the questions Inspectors Darío and Blanca with Detective Quino will be forced to find answers to.

Malaga, an additional member of the cast

Filming for Malaka took place in partnership with the City of Malaga between April and July of this year. The capital of the Costa del Sol was host to and backdrop for scenes filmed on location at some of Malaga’s best-known natural interior and exterior beauty spots, taking in a varied route including emblematic spots like the Paseo de los Curas, the Alameda Principal and Avenida de Cervantes, in addition to the Puerto del Condado and the ​​Cerrado de Calderón district.

Other well-known locations featured include the Perchel bridge over the Guadalmedina river, Balneario Los Baños del Carmen, former Provincial Prison, and the area surrounding the Albéniz cinema in the Alcazaba neighborhood.

A new era of “Zapeando”

Posted on by contentntek in Non classé

The set will also undergo a complete revamping complete with an entirely fresh graphics line

One more season and then there were six. “Zapeando” is back, without having ever left. But this is no ordinary return as, in addition to some fresh faces around the table, the show will also feature an entirely new studio set and revamped graphics line, kicking off a whole new era with the arrival of the show’s new presenter: Dani Mateo, a man who has been yearning to make a radical change in his career and says he’ll do his best to make it work. Joining Dani will be the usual cast of contributors including Cristina Pedroche, who has promised to dedicate herself mind, body and soul to the program, provided her other commitments don’t get in the way; Anna Simón, who claims to be delighted to work with Dani and literally said, “I can finally ask him if he’s really like that or does he have someone doing it for him”; Miki Nadal, who when asked about the reunion with his former partner from “Sé lo que hicisteis” said “I’m excited, eager to see who has matured less”; Quique Peinado, revealed that this season he will refrain from wearing shirts that spark epileptic fits and Lorena Castell, who has sworn to do everything for “Zapeando” at least until something better comes along.

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The magazine brought to you from the desktops at LaSexta and produced by Globomedia (THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO) will also continue to enjoy weekly visits from our very own special dandy and elegance guru, Josie, and Marián, Garcia’s Pharmacy with her somewhat off-beat clinic.

But, there’s more. The show will feature some new faces including actor Jesús Vidal, who’s weekly hand-picked news section will provide audiences with a more optimistic outlook on the world we live in.

Isabel Zubiaurre who, in her condition as physicist, will prepare some of the very best highlights of what can happen when there’s a camera recording nearby. And, we’re especially excited about Isabel joining us at “Zapeando”, as we’ll finally have someone on the team with a college education.

Valeria Ros will be our test pilot in the world of online shopping and, consequently, the battle between expectations and reality in a section we’ve named “What you order, and what you get in the post”.

Santiago Alverú joins us in the role of audience ombudsman who will receive complaints, questions and opinions from viewers about every TV program…except ours.

Maya Pixelskaya loves history. So, that’s why we’ve asked her to talk to us about the future and, using videos, help us to answer the question on everyone’s mind.. Why can’t kitchen robot chefs clean up after themselves?

Gotxon Mantuliz, adventurer and animal lover will guide us through the fascinating world of pets.

Our musical expertise will be provided by rapper El Chojin and we’ll be demanding the greatest feat that could be requested of any rapper; avoid serious talk at all costs.

And finally, Javier Cansado will visit us every week to do what he only he can do best: play Javier Cansado.

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“My Name Is Violeta”, selected to participate in the San Sebastian Film Festival in the Made in Spain section

Posted on by contentntek in News, Production & Post Production

“My Name Is Violeta”, a THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO and Polar Star Films co-production directed by David Fernández de Castro and Marc Parramon, is set to take part in the San Sebastian Film Festival. The non-competitive section Made in Spain will host the film screening this coming September 27th.

The film was officially presented out of competition at the recent edition of the Malaga Film Festival. “My Name Is Violeta” also took part in the DocsBarcelona Festival, ​​where it won two awards: the Audience Award and the Amnesty International Award.

“My Name Is Violeta” revolves around two very different families who share a common situation: both have trans-gender children. Violeta, 11, daughter of the adult film actor and producer Nacho Vidal, is (so far) having a relatively placid transition, although her parents, baffled, took a while to assume her new identity.

Alan wasn’t so lucky, bullied at school, the love of his family wasn’t enough to avert a tragic end which moved the entire town where he was born. Based on the two stories, the profoundly moving film shows a society which is making strides in accepting trans-gender children, but which still has a long way to go.

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THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO hires Juliana Barrera, the producer of “The White Slave” and “Always a Witch”, as Head of Content in Colombia

Posted on by contentntek in News, People, Production & Post Production

Juliana Barrera, the well-known Colombian producer and showrunner has joined THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO team. Barrera, one of the most respected professionals in the Latin American audiovisual scene, will be Head of Content at MEDIAPRO’s office in Colombia. By hiring Barrera, THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO once again confirms its commitment to high quality international content.

With a career spanning two decades in which she has specialised in creating, developing and producing content for television, Juliana Barrera has amassed extensive experience in writing and producing series of fiction and entertainment formats, and in directing content teams.

Since 2011 she has been linked to Caracol Televisión as a Producer, Head of Content and Creative Director. In this last role, she generated new business opportunities. Highlights of her long career include the executive production of the first season of “La Voz Colombia” and the development and production of fictions such as “Always a Witch”, the first original Netflix series in Colombia; “The Secret Law”, which brought to the screen for the first time the true story of a special police unit made up solely of women; “The White Slave”, an ambitious historical series about slavery in Colombia which has been sold to almost 150 countries; “Perfect Lies”, an adaptation for Colombia of the U.S. series “Nip/Tuck”, and “Lynch”, the first fiction written by Barrera and also the first Premium content in Colombia to be acquired by a pay channel.

In the area of entertainment, she has been Head of Content of several editions of the reality show “The Challenge” and of “Big Brother”, “The Farm”, “The Apprentice” and “The Hairdresser’s”, among other formats.

She has received a dozen awards for her work, including the TVyNovelas Prize for the Series of the Year for “Perfect Lies” and the India Catalina Audiovisual Industry Prize -awarded at the Cartagena de Indias International Film Festival- for Best Reality Show-Contest for “La Voz Colombia”.

Laura Fernández Espeso, TV Director at THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO, has commented: “THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO has become a benchmark in the international market for the production of high quality content and, in this sense, Juliana’s becoming part of the team will help us to continue implementing our strategy. We feel very fortunate to have a professional with her talent and experience”.

Juliana Barrera has added: “Joining THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO as Head of Content in Colombia at a time when the industry is so eager for content is a very important step in my career. Now the challenge is to attract the best talent, offer the best stories, and turn THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO Colombia into a benchmark of creativity and production in Latin America that appeals to all types of channels and platforms”.

Juliana Barrera joins the extensive list of creators at THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO, which includes Diego San José, Marc Vigil, Ran Tellem, Iván Escobar, Javier Olivares, Fernando González Molina, Daniel Burman and Lorenzo Silva, with whom THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO has recently signed a collaboration agreement to adapt fiction content inspired by his novels.

ORANGE and THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO join forces to produce the operator’s first drama series in Spain

Posted on by contentntek in News, Production & Post Production

Developed by 100 BALAS, part of THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO, filming on the gender-based series is scheduled to begin this coming fall

THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO and ORANGE announced an agreement for the production of what will be the first series of the telecommunications company in Spain to be made available on its Orange TV platform. 100 BALAS, the production company owned by THE STUDIO will be responsible for the production.

Series creator and screenwriter José A. Pérez Ledo is the author of two novels (Esto no es una historia de amor, Un lugar al que volver), as well as creator and director of Órbita Laika, and screenwriter on several programs and series for Spanish television. The show will be an adrenaline-packed gender-based series targeting younger audiences. The production, which is scheduled to begin filming this fall, will introduce a novel narrative structure, supported by the use of new technologies, which will play a prominent role in the production both from a visual as well as a dramatic point of view.

“THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO’s tried and tested experience in the field of production makes it the best travel companion we could have asked for to launch the first series project for our television platform, which, in this way, further enriches its already excellent content offer”, said José Antonio Guzmán, Director of Orange TV.

In addition to this initiative, Orange TV takes another step towards confirming its position as one of the most comprehensive and differential television offers on the Spanish audiovisual market, with entertainment options for the whole family.

“We’re delighted to have been chosen by ORANGE to develop its first series in Spain in association with our 100 BALAS label, which enables us to undertake a new style and gender option we are keen to explore,” said Alejandro Flórez, General Manager of 100 Balas (THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO). “It’s excellent news to be accumulating new partners in content production here in Spain, which is experiencing a real golden age for series with international projection, a project we’re truly excited about being involved in as a strategic partner.”

For THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO, the agreement with ORANGE signals the beginning of a new stage of collaboration with the operator and represents a further step in its strategy to consolidate its position as a national and international production studio of reference with 34 series currently underway including titles that have already been announced and are currently in production like Malaka, Perdida, Locked Up: El Oasis, Por H or por B or the international production The Paradise.

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MEDIAPRO LABS closes call for proposals with over 500 ideas of an extraordinary creative talent

Posted on by contentntek in News, Production & Post Production

Participation in the first MEDIAPRO LABS request for proposals has been overwhelming, both in numbers and in quality. Content creators have responded to the call with more than 500 ideas submitted to this laboratory of ideas launched by THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO in December 2018, to identify audiovisual talent with which to associate and produce new suggestions and formats.

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Innovative projects, alternative discourse, short fiction, transmedia content, vertical formats and the most unusual, atypical and novel stories come together in this blend of in excess of five hundred projects that make up a real talent pool.

The directors of MEDIAPRO LABS, Javier Calvo, Javier Ambrossi and Maya Maidagan, director of digital content at THE MEDIAPRO STUDIO, have selected the most innovative projects for their creativity, storyline originality and their connection with current issues.

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The selected proposals are multi-themed: factual, dramedy, young adult, road movie, medieval sitcom, mockumentary, 80s nostalgia, drag visibility, post-kokes, trap, vertical fiction and the stories that move the digital public told by themselves.

Among the 22 projects chosen, highlights include:

  • La luna en tu mirada, (The Moon in Your Eyes) by Tomás Peña: road movie a petty thief-fantasy with a tremendous almost outlawed love affair and nighttime cliffs (antilados nocturnos).
  • Shine, by Victoria Martín de la Cova and Nacho Pérez-Pardo (Living Postureo): post-modern sitcom about an it-girl, a business environment and the  heartaches of life.
  • Código Alfa, (Code Alpha) by Alberto Flores: a tour-de-force through the atypical history of videogames in Spain, from BUP students up to the new generations.
  • Indie Odissey, from Juan Carlos Saloz: an intermediary formula between sitcom and non-fiction about entrepreneurial millennials, dreams to chase and programming challenges.
  • Tú también fuiste joven, (You Were Young Once Too) by José M. Climent (Fortfast): a portrait of the millennial generation from the perspective of one of the most influential youtubers on the Internet, Fortfast. Love, feminism, politics, future, fortune: worries, opinions and reflections from the youngest members of our society.
  • Aventura en tacones, (Adventure in High Heels) by Rubén Errebeene: a drag-themed reality show: challenges and confessions from some of the most high-profile drag Queens in Spain. An initiative to entertain and give visibility to the collective.
  • Haciendo amigos, (Making Friends) by Penny Jay and Gakian: video podcast for Instagram with the most delirious current affairs, most outlandish sections and most militant feminism. Uncensored and unhinged.

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