Banijay Iberia Appoints New MD for Zeppelin

Amparo Castellano has been appointed as managing director at Zeppelin, a Banijay Iberia company.

Shifting from within Banijay’s existing Spanish footprint, Castellano will lead Zeppelin with a remit to further build the business’s portfolio of hits for the local and global market. Castellano was previously at Banijay Iberia’s DLO/ Magnolia, where she has been managing director of entertainment since 2014. Castellano began her career at Banijay Iberia label Gestmusic, spending 15 years producing successful formats such as Operación Triunfo: Los Castings and Your Big Day (Tu Si que Vales).

As part of the move, non-scripted series from DLO/ Magnolia will become part of the Zeppelin portfolio. The award-winning current affairs series Radio Gaga, documentary series such as Pioneras and entertainment shows such as Pop Up Chef and Sing on!, along with other non-scripted series, will now come under the Zeppelin umbrella.

DLO/ Magnolia’s scripted projects will continue to run within the label, under the direction of José Manuel Lorenzo.

Pilar Blasco, CEO of Banijay Iberia, to whom Castellano reports, commented: “Amparo is uniquely skilled in recognizing and creating original ideas and driving innovative productions. Her commitment to creativity, along with a flair for leadership and management make her ideally placed to oversee Zeppelin, a company with exceptional professional talent.”

Castellano said: “Zeppelin has a long-held position at the forefront of television, with a fantastic team in place who is well-known for creating programs that become social phenomenons and captivate audiences. This is set to be an exciting new phase of my career, leading a company that pushes the boundaries to explore exciting new genres, with a team developing original IP for global and local audiences which is true to the essence that makes us unique. It’s great to be making the move across.”