News & Updates
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Eva Longoria To Produce Interracial Family Comedy For ABC
Posted by NALIP on October 08, 2015
Eva Longoria’s UnbeliEVAble Entertainment has set a half-hour project at ABC with veteran comedy writer Bobby Bowman. The untitled interracial family comedy centers on an ambitious and meticulous Latino chef who runs a cafe with his unpredictable white father-in-law. Bowman executive produces with UnbeliEVAble’s Longoria and Ben Spector. Universal TV, where the company is based, is the studio. This marks the return to ABC for former Desperate Housewives star Longoria and Family Tools creator Bowman. Last year, ABC and ABC Studios developed a half-hour comedy as a starring vehicle for Longoria before she committed to NBC’s Hot & Bothered. That series, which UnbeliEVAble produces with Universal TV, debuts in midseason.
In addition to Hot & Bothered, UnbeliEVAble has Bonita & Mechelle in development at NBC with Will Packer Prods. as well as projects at HBO Films and NBC International. The company is repped by CAA and Brillstein Entertainment.
Bowman also is writing comedy How To Speak American, about a coddled millennial who teaches ESL to immigrants, at CBS, with Greg Garcia executive producing. Bowman has a long history with Garcia and has worked as co-executive producer/executive producer on all of Garcia’s series: Yes, Dear and The Millers on CBS, My Name Is Earl on NBC and Raising Hope on Fox. He is repped by ICM Partners.
Check this out at Deadline.com
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15 episodes from Gran'pa Knows Best streaming on HBO GO, HBO NOW, and HBO ON DEMAND!
Posted by NALIP on October 01, 2015
Do the right thing! Go straight ahead! Check out the first season of Gran'pa Knows Best, created and directed by NALIP member William D. Caballero, on HBO GO and HBO NOW. All you have to do is click on LATINO SERIES. There, you can find 15 episodes of Gran'pa, on topics such as dating advice, recreational marijuana, marriage, and even what kind of super hero Gran'pa would be! New episodes premiere every Wednesday at 7:55pm on HBO LATINO!
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Comcast's Xfinity Free View Latino, the Largest Latino on Demand Event Ever, Returns with More Content Than Ever Before
Posted by NALIP on September 30, 2015
Xfinity TV Customers Get Two Weeks of Free Access to More than 3,500 Hours of Latino On Demand Programming from September 21 to October 4. Third Annual Event Includes More Content Available Across Platforms Than Ever Before, Ability to Navigate Content in English or Spanish -
Filmmakers Try Mix of Genres to Lure Latino Audiences From Hollywood Hits
Posted by NALIP on September 30, 2015
Photo: Courtesy of PantelionBy: Anna Marie de la Fuente
Hispanics in the U.S. go to the movies a lot, but reaching them with anything other than Hollywood blockbusters is a challenge for America’s Latino filmmakers.While Pantelion has not yet had another success on the level of “Instructions” — the elusive U.S. Latino market is drawn to superhero fare, just like the wider audience — its new slate reflects a bigger mix of themes, ranging from upcoming Spanish-language heist comedy sequel “Ladrones” to Mexican imports such as the animated “Un gallo con muchos huevos,” which has grossed more than $7 million since its Sept. 4 limited domestic release, as well as English-language Latino-themed pics and Spanish-language remakes of international hits such as Derbez’s upcoming “The Valet” (France) and “Chinese Take-Out” (Argentina).
The Spanish-language “Ladrones,” which bows Oct. 9, aims for the humor of an American pic, according to its director, Joe Menendez, and scribe, Jon Molerio.
Shot in the Dominican Republic under Pantelion’s multi-picture deal with Pinewood Dominican Republic Studios owner Lantica Media, the movie also includes top Dominican actors, in an effort to play to a wider demographic mix.
“The smartest decision we made was to cast the film to reflect the U.S. Hispanic population, which is mainly Mexican but also includes people from the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, among others,” says Pantelion chairman Jim McNamara.
Pantelion acknowledges that its marketing costs on the film exceed the pic’s $3 million budget (although it was mum on the exact amount). It’s that kind of commitment that has made the distributor the first stop for Latino filmmakers. But even with its expanded slate, Pantelion must turn away many, including Carmen Marron, the director, producer and co-writer of “Endgame,” about a chess champion, inspired by a true-life story in Brownsville, Texas, where it was shot.
“I did approach Pantelion, but they said it was too similar to another English-language Latino-themed release of theirs, ‘Spare Parts,’ ” says Marron of the fact-based students-against-the-odds drama.
Instead, Marron will self-distribute “Endgame,” which debuts Sept. 25 in two theaters in L.A. and one in Brownsville.
Still others opt for a nontraditional distribution strategy. Anthony Lucero’s feature debut “East Side Sushi” — about a single Latina mom who strives to become a sushi chef — is the first theatrical pickup of the Hola Mexico Film Festival and its founder, Samuel Douek, who launched a distribution venture with the 15-screen release of the drama on Sept. 18.
Meanwhile, David Llaguer-Mieselman, a U.S. producer-director of Puerto Rican and Russian descent, has joined forces with Latin Heat Media to debut streaming service LatinHeat Cinema with his drama “Strike One,” starring Danny Trejo.
The film’s Sept. 17 premiere at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood also marked the launch of Latino Media Visions, a year-long series of screenings, seminars and networking events to showcase and develop entrepreneurial Latino content makers, according to Bel Hernandez, CEO of the Latin Heat Media Institute, which partnered with Impresario Global Media Group and Alex Mendoza & Associates to create the initiative.
“Our belief is that (a project) starts with the audience, not the script,” Hernandez says.
Adds Impresario’s Marco Rea: “The idea is to help Latino filmmakers gen-erate business. A market-driven approach is key.”
Check this out at Variety.com
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2016 Latino Screenwriting Project
Posted by NALIP on September 30, 2015
The 2016 Latino Screenwriting Project is a 3-day workshop designed to support emerging U.S. based Latino screenwriters and filmmakers working on independent feature narrative screenplays. Organized with consulting support from the Sundance Institute, the workshop will take place from February 24th through February 27th during the 38th Annual CineFestival, the nation’s longest running Latino film festival.
The mission of the Latino Screenwriting Project is to support emerging Latino screenwriters and to elevate the presence, representation and quality of stories that narrate the U.S. Latino experience. Four screenwriters will be selected to participate in a 3-day intensive workshop that will include panels, screenings and one-on-one feedback sessions under the mentorship of Sundance Lab Advisors.
The project aims to provide these screenwriters with a network of support and a practical environment where they can get quality feedback, mentoring and inspiration to further hone their craft, polish their screenplays and take their stories to the next level.
For more information and to apply online go to http://www.latinoscreenwritingproject.com
Deadline is Friday, October, 9th.
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How Horatio Sanz and Fred Armisen Are Creating a Digital Hub for Latino Comedy
Posted by NALIP · September 30, 2015
Más Mejor content studio targets cord-cutting millennials
SNL alum Horatio Sanz will work with emerging Latino comics on Más Mejor. Photo: Alfred MaskeronBy:Tim Baysinger
The Hispanic population is the fastest-growing segment in the United States, accounting for 17 percent of the U.S. population, according to 2014 census estimates. Despite the fact that there are 55 million Latinos, however, the amount of original content targeting the demographic is lagging. And comedy is one of the largest gaps, especially within the digital space.
"There is no real hub for high-quality Latino comedy," noted Saturday Night Live alumnus Horatio Sanz. Along with former castmate and Portlandia star Fred Armisen, Sanz has signed on to groom emerging Latino comics for a new venture from Broadway Video, SNL creator Lorne Michaels' production outfit.
The rollout of Más Mejor (More Better), a digital content studio focused on Latino comedy, will be announced on Tuesday during Advertising Week. Broadway Video plans to launch the studio on Jan. 11, with talent that so far includes sketch comedy troupe Room 28 and stand-up comic Gina Brillon, who in June performed on NBC's Late Night with Seth Meyers.
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Brillon, on Late Night with Seth Meyers Photo: Getty Images
While many of the performers that Sanz and Armisen will work with have been producing segments for their personal YouTube channels, Sanz will aim for an SNL aesthetic. "This is going to be a place where people can go to and know that it's going to be good stuff," said Sanz, who will direct, produce and mentor the comics. "We're going to try and get the taste level a little higher."
Más Mejor will target young millennial Latinos, who increasingly are moving away from watching traditional TV. "They're much more digitally savvy than your average non-Latino," noted Britta von Schoeler, who will head up Más Mejor while remaining president of Broadway Video Enterprises, the production company's distribution and licensing arm. "The millennials in Mexico and here in the U.S., they're not really in touch with comedy on TV as it's being presented," added Sanz.
Some content will come from Mexico City-based What a Bear Producciones and its executive producer Adriana Bello, who with Broadway Video had unsuccessfully tried to launch a Latino version of Saturday Night Live in Mexico. "There is obviously a demand for this kind of content but unfortunately there is not much supply," said Bello on generating comedy geared to young Latinos.
Sketch comedy troupe Room 28While Más Mejor will have its own dedicated website, it will mostly distribute its content across a variety of outlets, including Telemundo, which boasts strong digital reach—and is a corporate sibling of NBC, which airs SNL. The content from Más Mejor will be shared across Telemundo's website, mobile apps, YouTube page and its social media accounts in a bid to help the Spanish-language broadcaster build up its own comedy cred. "Many of our advertisers have asked us, 'Hey, when are you going to do something in comedy?'" said Peter Blacker, evp, digital media and emerging businesses, NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises.
"Why recreate the wheel when we have existing partners like Telemundo digital, which already has such amazing reach?" argued von Schoeler, who is working on distribution deals with non-Latino platforms as well. "We're going to be everywhere."
This untapped market could be a boon for advertisers. And Broadway Video wouldn't be starting from scratch—it's already created branded content for MasterCard and Marriott for its digital comedy network, Above Average.
"There's a need for this kind of content—in fact, the space is fairly wide open," said Mark Book, vp and director, social content, DigitasLBi, noting that over a quarter of millennials in the U.S. are Hispanic, who overindex on consumption behaviors such as mobile shopping and social interaction with brands. "Most brands are failing to deliver the custom, authentic marketing messages that this generation craves."
Check this out at Adweek magazine
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Netflix Acquires Worldwide Rights to ‘Jane the Virgin,’ Two Other Shows
Posted by NALIP · September 30, 2015
Photo: COURTESY OF CWStreamer licenses USA's upcoming 'Colony' and CBS's 'Zoo' for global distribution
By: Variety Staff
UPDATED: Netflix has acquired global streaming rights to three TV shows: CW’s popular telenovela “Jane the Virgin,” USA’s upcoming dystopian drama “Colony” and CBS’s sci-fi thriller “Zoo.”
The deals for the shows come less than two weeks after the Los Gatos, Calif.-based company announced the acquisition of exclusive global rights to ABC hit series “How to Get Away with Murder”on Sept. 18.
About “Jane the Virgin” and “Zoo,” both licensed from CBS, Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos said, “Both shows are delightfully entertaining and will find a big audience across the more than 50 countries where Netflix is available.”
Netflix bought rights to “Colony” before it even hit TV: USA is slated to premiere the show Jan. 16, 2016. “We knew from the moment we saw it that ‘Colony’ is the kind of smart serialized drama that Netflix members around the world would love watching,” Sarandos said in a statement.
While some bizzers view Netflix distribution as a major threat to TV ad revenue, deals for “Murder” and “Jane the Virgin” are largely predicated on the value of binge-watching, which have the potential to help drive audiences to future episodes on the original network. Plus, of course, there’s the undisclosed millions Netflix is paying for the rights.
In 2013, AMC’s “Breaking Bad” saw its premiere audience more than double from the previous year after Netflix had offered the entire past season library to its U.S. subscribers. It was an unprecedented figure, one that showed the growing importance of binge-viewers, who can quickly catch up to a series in a matter of days. Netflix, available to more than 50 territories worldwide, now has over 65 million subscribers.
Season two of “Jane the Virgin,” which stars Golden Globe winner Gina Rodriguez, premieres Oct. 12 on CW. The show is about a religious young Latina virgin — who becomes pregnant after being artificially inseminated by mistake. “Jane the Virgin” is produced by CBS Television Studios and Warner Bros. Television, in association with Electus.
The first season of “Zoo,” based on the novel by James Patterson, aired this summer on the Eye and was the most-watched scripted TV series of the season across several categories. It’s already available on Netflix under a pact with CBS announced last year, but that deal covered only U.S. rights.
The series, about a wave of violent animal attacks against humans that sweeps the globe, stars James Wolk, Kristen Connolly, Billy Burke, Nora Arnezeder and Nonso Anozie. “Zoo” is produced by CBS Television Studios.
“Colony,” which comes from Carlton Cuse (“Lost”) and Ryan Condal (“Hercules”), is a co-production between Legendary Television and Universal Cable Prods. Netflix said “Colony” will be available to subscribers worldwide about a year after the show’s linear broadcast in the U.S., Canada and other territories.
Set in the “very near future,” “Colony” centers on a family’s struggle to survive and bring liberty back to the people of an occupied Los Angeles. Series stars Josh Holloway (“Lost”) as former FBI agent Will Bowman and Sarah Wayne Callies (“The Walking Dead”) stars as his wife, Katie.
“Netflix is the perfect service to stream ‘Colony’ after its initial broadcast in all countries outside North America, whether allowing fans to catch up with their favorite show before the new season airs or enticing new fans to the series,” said Bruce Rosenblum, president of Legendary Television & Digital Media.
NBCUniversal TV & New Media Distribution hold U.S. and Canada distribution rights for “Colony,” and Legendary Television is the international distribution rights holder.
Check this out at Variety.com