Kate del Castillo’s Cholawood, the Mediapro Studio Ink First-Look deal
Kate Del Castillo’s Cholawood Productions has signed a first-look deal with The Mediapro Studio US & Canada.
The arrangement, unveiled by JC Acosta, head of TMS US & Canada, during a panel at Content Americas in Miami, gives The Mediapro Studio the exclusive first look and option to develop and produce all of Cholawood’s scripted and unscripted projects.
Projects will be in Spanish or English or both, and in all different types of genres. Acosta said in Miami. The announcement came a day after Daniel Burman’s ‘Yosi, The Regretful Spy’ won best drama at the Rose d’Or Latinos, the awards for which were announced on Content Americas.
Also on Tuesday, The Mediapro Studio confirmed that Francesca Ricagni had been named its first head of US Hispanic Content.
Co-founded by Del Castillo and entertainment partners Carmen Cervantes and Jessica Maldonado, Cholawood’s most recent productions include hit Spanish-language series “Volver a Caer” on ViX, and Cholawood action thriller “Hunting Ana Bravo,” Erik Barmack’s TMS-backed Wild Sheep content, both in LA, and Top Dead Center Films from Park City.
Distributed by The Mediapro Studio Distribution, “Hunting Ana Bravo” spent weeks at No. 1 on Amazon in Latin America and is currently streaming on Roku in the US.
“I am excited about this new partnership with Mediapro. They understand not only Cholawood’s vision, but the importance of supporting women and Latinos in an industry that is going through such a transformative time. Only together can we continue to make our voices heard,” Castillo said in a statement.
“We are thrilled to welcome Cholawood productions to The MediaPro Studio. Kate, Carmen and Jessica are true pioneers in elevating the voices of Latinos around the world. As our studio expands its focus to the US, we are excited to work together to create stories that entertain audiences with Latino and female lead voices.”
Addressing the Content Americas panel via video message, Castillo added that “both companies are interested in telling stories with mass appeal that transcend orders and audiences.”
“Our sector is evolving and facing difficult challenges. Mediapro understands these challenges and recognizes that we can only make a difference if we are united. Only together can we continue to create stories that are truly important and transcendental. Stories of the kind that are not forgotten.”
The Content Americas panel presented The Mediapro Studio US & Canada’s ambitions to serve Latino audiences. “Language – English or Spanish – is only important because it is authentic to the story,” Ricagni said.
