One of the largest corporate presences at this year’s MipCancun, Spain’s Mediapro, for decades now a sports broker, services provider and producer of auteur films, from Woody Allen and Roman Polanski to Spain’s Isabel Coixet and Fernando León de Aranoa, has made a pair of high-profile executive moves within its flagship The Mediapro Studio production unit, naming Eugeni Sallent as the company’s new head of Latin America and Carolina Bilbao as VP of content and business development for the U.S.
Both appointments are representative of an ongoing push among many European “super indies” to grow their current operations on the other side of the Atlantic, a phenomenon manifesting itself in the open at this year’s MipCancun, where speakers from Gaumont, Banijay, Endemol Shine Boomdog, The Mediapro Studio, RT and Turkey’s Intermedya will all participate.
Recent CEO at the Mediapro Group’s headquarters in Colombia and Italy, Sallent takes charge of all The Mediapro Studio offices and production projects across Latin America, reporting directly to Marta Ezpeleta, head of international offices, distribution, co-productions and acquisitions for The Mediapro Studio.
A computer engineer and MBA, Sallent steps into the new role as The Mediapro Studio continues to increase the number of productions and co-productions in its pipeline, working closely with partners locally and internationally for both broadcasters and digital platforms. Recent company credits include International Emmy-nominee “Pequeña Victoria” for Telefe and a second season for Amazon Prime Video, “Siempre fue yo” for Disney Plus and Nickelodeon’s Club 57, and “Las Bravas” for WarnerMedia.
“Eugeni is an extraordinary and highly renowned professional in the sector, having forged excellent working relationships with members of the creative community and strong bonds with our partners and clients,” said Laura Fernández Espeso, CEO of The Mediapro Studio. “We are delighted he is on board and taking the helm of our operations in Latin America as we’ve become a pivotal player in the region with projects already released and others in production and Eugeni’s appointment ensures continuity in our expansion and growth across the region, especially in Mexico where we have major production objectives in fiction (TV and Cinema) and non-fiction.”
“Eugeni’s experience and knowledge of the Latin American market will bolster the Studio’s activity in the region, as well as fostering co-operation between Group offices in the region,” added Marta Ezpeleta, head of distribution and international offices.
“Returning to Latin America is like returning home. I’m excited about this new stage and the opportunity to rediscover an even more mature market, with enormous growth potential for our productions,” said Eugeni Sallent.
Furthering the labels commitment to production in and for the U.S. market, Bilbao will head the company’s launch of both English and Spanish-language productions in the U.S., reporting to senior VP of content and business development Juan Pablo and director of content Daniel Burman. She joins the company from Hemisphere Media Group, where she spent 13 years in different executive roles.
Her appointment comes after The Mediapro Studio has prioritzed the U.S as a growth territory. Ongoing company productions in the U.S. include “Is There No Place on Earth for Me?” written and directed by John Turturro who adapts Susan Sheehan’s eponymous novel, and “The Doctor,” a spy thriller from director Assaf Bernstein. The company recently completed production in the U.S. on its upcoming series “Las Bravas,” a WarnerMedia co-production for HBO Max, thriller series “The Implacable Code,” co-produced with Sony Pictures Television for Claro Video, and TV feature “Hunting Ava Bravo” with Erik Barmack’s Wild Sheep Content.
“Carolina will be a great asset to the Studio not only because of her wealth of experience in content production, but also her extensive knowledge of the industry in the United States, key to raising our growth expectations to the next level,” said Burman of the appointment.
Bilbao added that, “I’m excited about this new challenge. The Mediapro Studio has an incredible pool of creators with whom we can develop productions, not only for the North American market, but for a global audience who have a huge appetite for fresh content”.
