Cris Abrego Talks LatAm Opportunities for Endemol Shine

CANCUN: Cris Abrego, chairman of Endemol Shine Americas and CEO of Endemol Shine North America, told MIP Cancun delegates about the growth opportunities the company is pursuing in Spanish-language content in his keynote conversation with World Screen‘s Anna Carugati.

Carugati, group editorial director of World Screen, asked about the reorganization that resulted in Abrego and former co-CEO Charlie Corwin adding Latin America to their remit. “I had been in the [co-CEO for North America] role for a year and one of the things I really wanted to do was get into Spanish television, specifically U.S. Hispanic and Mexico,” Abrego said. “Charlie and I were being very aggressive with revitalizing Endemol Shine Latino. We were digging into the opportunities in Spanish television in Latin America. So during the reorganization [following the Endemol/Shine merger] we made a pitch for it to be put under us because we had a real enthusiasm and passion to be in that space.”

On the format side, Carugati asked Abrego about how the company pairs the right brand with the right broadcast partner in any given territory. “That’s been the DNA of Endemol and Shine—they are full of the top creative people in the business, it starts with that. Then there’s the mutual respect of the top creative people in those territories. Look at how many global brands [the company has] created, from Big Brother, which is 20 years old and in over 30 territories, to MasterChef, Deal or No Deal, Fear Factor, Biggest Loser. At the core of creating a format are those tentpoles that can travel anywhere. That’s the real trick. The top creative person in the local territory becomes the person who can tailor it to their territory. Even when you’re generating the idea and developing it, we don’t think about a territory, we think about the creative elements that are across platforms and all territories.”

As for choosing a partner, Abrego said, “The first thing you look for is that passion, that enthusiasm. So many good ideas do end up on the wrong platform and never get seen.”

On the U.S. Hispanic market, Abrego noted that the audience “has changed so much. Telemundo and Univision have started to make some really compelling storytelling and these ‘superseries,'” as they try to innovate beyond the telenovela genre.

A recent success for Endemol Shine Latino in the U.S. has been the NBC Universo scripted series El Vato, which is in production on a second season. The idea originated from Boomdog in Mexico. “When they brought it to me, we were [impressed by their] advancements in storytelling. There was a sizzle tape that had so many exteriors. You’re used to seeing novelas and dramas with just interiors. Just watching the promo tape, the fact that it had so many external shots blew me away. I felt like I was watching something that could have easily been in English. I started calling it the Mexican Entourage. Just those little adjustments, shooting in more exterior locations, makes a huge difference for this audience.” Endemol Shine recently clinched a deal for Netflix to take the show around the world.

More recently, Endemol Shine announced it had optioned a book about the late singer Selena, penned by her husband, Chris Perez. Endemol Shine is focusing on developing a significant scripted business in the U.S. Hispanic sector, Mexico and Latin America, Abrego noted.

Abrego later gave delegates some notes on the pitching process. “You have to humble yourself. You have to go in there and be authentic and passionate without seeming fake. You cannot be overprepared. When you go in to pitch, you could be an incredible salesperson, but if you don’t have materials [you won’t be successful]. If you’ve done everything you can to try to make this sale—sizzle tapes, promo tapes, people attached to it—then your chances of making a sale are up immensely. Whether it’s someone with a track record or without one, you cannot be overprepared with your materials for pitching.”

On the importance of casting, Abrego said, “It can make or break your project, in unscripted or scripted. A great format will do the heavy lifting in a show, but the cast will make it a hit.”