Ariel Taboada

Head, Programming, Production & Operations, Claxson

What are some of your top properties for MIPTV?
Volcano Hunter: It is an adventure series in which an internationally famous photographer sets off to find some of the most impressive volcanoes in Hawaii. Carsten Peter, the main character, is a born adventurer who works for the most prestigious magazines of the world. All these locations will be the scenes of an illustrated feature that will appear in the last episode. The main character will travel to Hawaii, get involved with the culture, the religion and the landscapes, and face problems to get the pictures he is looking for (he will climb volcanoes, sleep in tents in order to wait for dawn, scale, walk, travel around incredible places and he will finally find the place from where he will take the chosen pictures). The journey will be a race against time during which this character will have to take the best pictures before his exhibition takes place.
Brotherhood of the Snow: Brothers Ruben and Isaac Vergés are two famous Spanish snowboarders. During their trip through three continents, this series will be with them during their highly-demmanding preparation to participate in the Snowboard World Championship. They will look for the best spots in the planet for each of the stages required for their trainning. Europe, United States and South America will be the chosen destinations, before going to New Zealand to compete in the most important event of this sport. During their trip, the Vergés brothers will show us wonderful places, they will unveil the secrets and the sacrifices involved in their preparation, and they will let us into the privacy of their unique, demmanding and adventurous pre-competition preparation.
All That Show (the trip): Sharon’s journey will take her to the  theater capitals of the world and through her eyes we will see the behind the scenes of all the biggest musicals… Rehearsals, scenary, make-up, wardrobe…… We will meet the cast members and their journey to become stars of the stages of Broadway and the London West End and the streets of Paris.
In The Deep:  There are some men who rise up to challenge its limits. Gianluca Genoni has special breathing abilities and is internationally famous for holding his breath under water for 18 minutes. In the Deep is a journey from Italy to Egypt in which we discover the mythology of the sea and the story of the men who have tried for thousands of years to overcome its frontiers. We will see how the body reacts in deep water and how a man has managed to do what only fish had been able to.

Why will these programs appeal to buyers?
Claxson has made a great achievement in producing a wide range of genres that appeal to a wide range of buyers.  The company is strongest in achieving the highest quality of production whilst being able to produce around the world, and in any language without limitation, and at the same time maintaining competitive production costs.  Therefore Claxson offers a wide range of different programs at a competitive price, and at a quality level that attracts buyers around the world regardless of their origin or culture.

What are some of the trends you’re currently seeing in this market?
Although this year has been clearly "slower" than previous years, the Latin American production companies have found special interest in seizing the opportunity to find their place amongst the big production companies from Europe and U.S.A.  Being much more cost effective, there has been more interest in giving companies such as Claxson a chance to prove that the level of production can be as high as requested by each client.

What are your goals and expectations for MIPTV?
Claxson aims at attaining even more partnership and coproduction deals, as well as expanding the already successful distribution of its catalogue.  The wide range of genres Claxson has been producing both for the networks it owns, as well as for partners around the globe, makes it ideal for potential projects for all production companies.