Eva Longoria & Cris Abrego to Launch Hyphenate Media Group

Cris Abrego and Eva Longoria have formed a new media holding company and content studio, Hyphenate Media Group, which will invest in creator-led enterprises as well as develop and produce its own slate of original programming.

Abrego will serve as the CEO, and Longoria will serve as its chief creative officer. Banijay, where Abrego has served as chairman of the Americas since 2020, has made a strategic investment in the new business to accelerate its growth.

The announcement was made by Abrego and Longoria during a dedicated keynote at MIPCOM: The Future of Content: What Comes Next?

Hyphenate Media Group has acquired the full slate of UnbeliEVAble Entertainment, the independent production label founded by Longoria in 2005. UnbeliEVAble is behind titles such as Telenovela, Grand Hotel and Searching for Mexico. UnbeliEVAble Entertainment projects will be folded into the core operations of the new business, and Hyphenate will take over and advance the lineup as well as develop new scripted and unscripted programs.

Its first title, Apple TV+’s Land of Women, is slated for delivery in 2024. Abrego and Longoria will produce exclusively for the new company, and all television projects directed by Longoria will be produced under the new banner.

Abrego, co-founder and CEO of Hyphenate Media Group, said: “With Hyphenate Media Group, Eva and I are building an engine for culture-defining content by investing in visionary multi-hyphenate artists and providing these extraordinary creative leaders with the resources and infrastructure they need to scale their businesses. Through capital, brand development and the leadership provided by Hyphenate, we will drive their creative output, enhance their deal-making capacity and grow their brands, building franchises driven by original IP. Over the course of my career, I have scaled multiple production studios, starting with my own and, more recently, on behalf of Banijay. I have known Stéphane and Marco for many years, and I am grateful to count on their support and investment in this next chapter.”

Longoria, co-founder and chief creative officer at Hyphenate Media Group, added: “With Hyphenate Media Group, Cris and I are leveraging the power of the creative industry’s greatest resource, the multi-hyphenate, to help meet audiences and the industry where they are. We are answering the industry’s call for premium, inclusive content with broad appeal and an undeniable point of view. Our intention is to provide greater financial participation for makers, creators, talent and entrepreneurs—the Hyphenates. Given the multiple transformations that our business is undergoing, I cannot think of a better time to lean into makers, who are the essential drivers of the creative enterprise.”

Marco Bassetti, CEO of Banijay, added: “Hyphenate Media Group is a studio with a truly unique perspective. Combining Cris’ standout creative leadership with Eva’s reputation as a celebrated producer, director and activist, this is a powerful home where multi-hyphenate voices can truly tell inclusive, mainstream stories. And with an ambitious vision, unrivaled credentials and an impressive growth trajectory, this marks the perfect first strategic investment for us in the U.S. scripted market, a space we’d explored for some time but never, until now, found the right fit to cut through.”