Erika Gómez, head of sales at Onza Distribution, discusses the strengths of the company’s diverse slate across telenovelas, dramas, documentaries and entertainment formats.
Onza Distribution represents an expansive catalog that covers the gamut of genres. “Our focus is on delivering stories that entertain, inspire and connect with audiences worldwide,” says Gómez.
Onza particularly prides itself on its telenovela offering, which features an array of options from the Portuguese channel TVI. “Its telenovelas are the undisputed leaders in prime time, which makes a lot of sense since its stories have the capacity to captivate audiences inside and outside its border. These telenovelas capture very well the Mediterranean culture, lifestyle and landscapes, but at the same time deal with universal themes such as love, jealousy, family secrets and revenge, which connect with audiences all over the world.”
Prime examples include The Color of Love, which sees three Portuguese sisters inherit a wealthy estate in Angola, and Cacao, in which a young Portuguese woman who makes chocolates on a Brazilian cocoa farm discovers her real father is the wealthy owner of the plantation. Both give viewers cross-border storylines. Heart Keeper, meanwhile, “shares the leading role with the successful Cacao, Matilde Reymão, who this time plays a businesswoman in the restaurant business who is in love with the man who was accused of killing her father,” Gómez explains.
“In addition to all these interesting plots, high production values, spectacular locations and very elaborate casting have led to the international success of our telenovela catalog,” she adds.
Onza Distribution’s fiction slate spans beyond telenovelas to include comedies, thrillers and much more. The feel-good comedy Traffic Jam takes place across one evening in the middle of a traffic jam. “Each episode takes you through different emotions like love, nostalgia, suspense or even terror, but always leaves you with a good feeling,” Gómez says.
Other titles in the fiction catalog include Flowers Over the Inferno, a thriller that follows criminologist Teresa Battaglia through investigations in the Italian Alps, and Mamen Mayo: At Her Will, centered on a flamboyant lawyer who specializes in inheritances.
In addition to its offer of fictional stories, Onza Distribution’s slate features a slew of documentaries that “span a variety of topics, from nature and conservation to history and human stories, all aimed at engaging and informing audiences worldwide,” Gómez says.
This includes Iberia & Savannah: One Wildlife, a documentary that accompanies a leopard cub and an Iberian lynx cub as they grow into adulthood alongside other species. “This documentary perfectly complements our factual slate by reinforcing our commitment to high-quality, visually stunning and entertaining content,” she explains.
Onza Distribution also has a deal in place with Wakai for three sports documentaries “that delve into the inspiring journeys of athletes, the challenges they overcome and the broader cultural and social impact of sports,” Gómez notes. “They fit seamlessly into our slate by providing high-energy, character-driven narratives that appeal to both sports enthusiasts and general audiences. At Onza, we aim to tell stories that transcend the field of play, offering compelling human experiences that resonate globally.” She points to Courtois: The Return of the Number 1, telling the story of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois’ comeback, as a shining example.
Ultimately, “our documentary catalog is aligned with our values of educating while entertaining, whether it is wildlife, sports, science, history or social issues,” she states.
Onza Distribution additionally has a partnership in place with 7yacción to represent “innovative and entertaining formats that have already proven their success,” Gómez says. Through the partnership, Onza represents formats such as The Celeb Challenge, pushing celebrities to face real challenges to raise money for charity; The Anthill (El Hormiguero), a celebrity talk show that also features scientific experiments; and The Way Home, accompanying celebrities as they retrace the journey from their childhood home to their old school to who they are now.
This multigenre offering will only continue to grow, as the company plans to keep diversifying its already-expansive catalog “with high-quality, distinctive content that aligns with our vision,” Gómez says. “In fiction, we seek character-driven dramas [and] thrillers that bring fresh narratives and strong international appeal. In factual, we aim to acquire premium documentaries that explore sports, current affairs, human stories and wildlife with a strong commercial approach. Additionally, we are always interested in entertainment formats that can be easily adapted for different markets.”
No matter the genre, though, she reiterates that the company’s main ethos remains on “delivering stories that entertain, inspire and connect with audiences worldwide.”
