Spanish Companies Gear Up for NATPE

The Spanish content industry is represented at NATPE under the Audiovisual from Spain banner. The umbrella brand encompasses a number of companies, including Boomerang TV International, BRB Internacional, Filmax International and Imira Entertainment, to name a few. Its promotional activities are sponsored by ICEX Spain Trade and Investment and FAPAE Spanish Federation of Audiovisual Producers.

Among the programming on offer from Boomerang is The Time in Between, a mini-series that was the best Spanish drama premiere of the decade, according to Ruth Martínez, who handles the company's international sales. "It's huge in Spain and we know it will work very well in most European territories," she says. Other highlights for Boomerang include Old Bridge's Secret, a telenovela, and Mum Detective, a police dramedy.

Titles being presented by BRB include the animated shows InviZimals, Filly Funtasia and Mica. "These are three TV series co-produced by outstanding partners on a global level, such as Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (InviZimals), Dracco (Filly Funtasia) and the Santillana publishing house (Mica)," says Emilie Pasquet, a sales executive at BRB. "They have been designed to be aired on different platforms and have incorporated 360-degree strategies in their marketing plans," she adds.

Filmax heads to Miami with The Red Band Society, a drama that has secured a number of sales around the globe. The show was the recipient of the 2013 Ondas Award for best fiction TV series. "Its unique approach to a tough subject has pleased buyers, critics and audiences alike worldwide," says Iván Díaz, the head of Filmax's international division. Other highlights from the company include the feature films The Machinist, Darkness, Transsiberian and the REC horror movie franchise.

Leading the NATPE slate for Imira are the animated titles Lucky Fred, Bat Pat, Mondo Yan and Escape Hockey. "In the last year we have seen a renewed interest in comedy for children and, all these projects have universal themes of humor, which make them engaging globally," says Begoña Esteban, the company's sales manager for Iberia, Latin America, U.S. Hispanic and Central Europe. "Fun stories, visually exciting designs and surprising characters are appealing to children wherever they live, and our new shows bring an element of humor that we hope will work across many territories."

Then there is newcomer GoldBee, which will have a stand separate from Audiovisual from Spain at the market. "I founded GoldBee in 2013, providing distribution and consulting services to the industry, joining forces with one of Europe's premier distribution companies, ZDF Enterprises, in order to exploit their kids' brands in Iberia and Latin America," says Christophe Goldberger, the company's managing director. Among the ZDFE.junior titles represented by GoldBee is The New Adventures of Peter Pan, which "revisits an all-time classic, keeping the original qualities of this evergreen magical tale while giving it a brand-new look," says Goldberger. There is also Wolfblood, a live-action teen show; Sam Fox: Extreme Adventures, a boy-skewed comedy; and Q Pootle 5, a book-based preschool program.

For Boomerang, business as of late has been better than expected. "Ratings are very good for all our programs," says Martínez. "Broadcasters trust us. That means we have good production prospects for 2014, so we hopefully will be able to bring new titles to the market next year."

BRB is equally optimistic about the future. "We have great expectations to close deals for our latest productions and the rest of our catalogue, especially in Latin America and the United States given our close ties there," says Pasquet. The company also anticipates growth in the area of digital media.

Filmax is continuing to have "a strong presence in the international feature films marketplace," according to Díaz, who mentions REC 4—the final installment of the horror film franchise—as an example of an upcoming feature. The company has also signed up for Summer Camp, another horror movie, which is currently in preproduction.

Despite the country's economic woes, Esteban says that Imira has been enjoying success. "We have been very fortunate that our business continues to be strong when the global financial problems have had such a strong effect on Spain over the last 12 months," she says. "Spanish production is renowned throughout the world due to its quality and innovative production values, so the animation industry here is growing and getting stronger."

Although GoldBee is just starting out, the company has big plans for the year ahead. "Our priorities for 2014 in Latin America focus on finding new broadcast partners and forging strategic partnerships with digital platforms and merchandising specialists for the strong multiplatform properties and brands in the ZDF Enterprises lineup," says Goldberger.