Resonant Targets Scripted-Format Arena

After spending a number of years at Argentina’s Telefe International, Gonzalo Cilley set up Resonant TV to identify and develop scripted properties with international potential. He discusses with TV Formats Weekly what have been some of his strategies to help Resonant flourish as an independent in today’s scripted-format business.

While he may have started up Resonant just as the economic downturn was beginning to take hold, Gonzalo Cilley is thrilled with the progress the company has made since its inception. “We’re seeing the fruits of our labor,” he says.

“Our focus is fiction, we did 120 hours for prime time in Argentina this year; we’re doing something in Colombia with Resonant Colombia that we opened with Guillermo Restrepo, a veteran novela producer. We also have a volume deal in place with RCN to produce scripted shows for them.”

One of the highlights for Resonant, Cilley says, is being able to offer the international market the series Once Upon A Time. “It’s a suspense series where we’ve taken the classic kids’ tales like Sleeping Beauty, Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, and given them a twist, telling the stories with a psychological-thriller perspective.” Format rights have already been sold in Spain, France and the Netherlands, Cilley says.

Cilley founded Resonant on a simple premise: good stories can touch people emotionally regardless of their national origin. And in addition to creating its own titles, Resonant has been advising Italy’s Mediaset on its scripted formats. With a diverse portfolio of product to work on, Cilley is feeling upbeat about Resonant’s prospects in the increasingly crowded scripted-format business.

“We’ve seen a positive outlook for a few months now from channels as well as production outfits,” he says. “Some projects were on hold but now we’re seeing that they’re being greenlit for production. The market now is more competitive and globalized. Channels now have a very aggressive international strategy. It’s not only about the traditional business of selling finished product or even formats, but co-productions, digital business too.”

Cilley continues, “This opens up opportunities for the independents, which are also inclined to innovate in business models, work quickly and be very smart with strategic alliances that are the essence of the business. We have to find ways of getting good projects greenlit.”

The key to successful adaptations, Cilley explains, is in having a clear understanding of what you’re embarking on: “Who is your partner? Why are you doing it? Is production viable in the region?”

And, of course, it’s all about finding the right collaborators. “Partners enrich the projects financially and creatively. And it’s not just finding a partner for finding a partner’s sake—we look for genuine added value.”