Electus & MTV to Develop Interactive Telenovela

NEW YORK: Ben Silverman’s Electus and MTV are to develop and produce a multicultural interactive series, Pedro & Maria, which will be executive produced by actress America Ferrera.

Ferrera (of Ugly Betty fame) will executive produce the series with her production company Take Fountain. Quiara Alegria Hudes, the author of the Broadway hit musical In the Heights will write the script and also executive produce. Ian Kleinert and Jarred Weisfeld of Objective Entertainment serve as co-executive producers.

Procter & Gamble Productions has signed on to produce and lend creative support to the content and production initiatives. P&G will create original commercials and branded-entertainment opportunities for several of the company’s beauty and health brands in and around the show across multiple platforms.

Electus will hold the international distribution rights to the series, which is being developed for TV as well as online. The telenovela is bilingual and tells of a modern-day Romeo & Juliet. Audience members will have the ability to vote and decide on the direction of the show’s story lines. MTV and Electus will use digital platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and other social-networking sites to provide this interactivity to viewers, in both English and Spanish.

"World-class marketers, content creators and top producers are beginning to recognize that their individual success relies heavily on their ability to join forces to create content platforms that are both engaging and entertaining, while over delivering a compelling message for their audience," said Ben Silverman, the CEO of Electus. “America Ferrera, MTV and P&G are leading this charge alongside us with a groundbreaking new interactive platform that allows us to tap into this growing and important demographic.”

David Janollari, the executive VP of scripted development at MTV, commented, "Pedro & Maria comes to us from a trifecta of talent in Ben, America and Quiara, who collectively will bring this youthful, contemporary Latino romantic story to life. The added collaboration with Proctor & Gamble makes this a unique project that perfectly complements our scripted slate and the overall creative diversity at MTV. The Latino population is an under-represented and under-served segment of the audience, and I am excited to help bring this relevant show to MTV."

"Electus is at the forefront of the evolution of content and by partnering with them for a project like Pedro & Maria we can truly explore innovative and creative branded entertainment opportunities for a multicultural audience," added Rich DelCore, the director of branded entertainment at P&G. "Ben has played a critical role in transforming the traditional advertising model and creating unique links and unprecedented collaboration between content production, advertising, and marketing across the board and we are thrilled to be working with him on this project."