INDUSTRY REWIND
2024 marks the 20th anniversary of TTVNews, a big reason to celebrate for our group, which, with the help of our colleagues and friends, has consolidated itself as one of the go-to media platforms in the audiovisual industry in Latin America. To mark the occasion, we’ve invited many of the executives that have supported us over the past two decades to walk the memory lane to when they first started working in the industry.
Back in June, we shared our first edition of this unique report, with 18 testimonies. In this second edition, we present another 18 executives who have shared their anecdotes and experiences from the last 20 years.
The complete list of testimonies can be found on our website and social media, as well as our upcoming special edition to close out this important year. READ ALL THE TESTIMONIES HERE!
Adrián Santucho, Chief Creative Officer, 360 Powwow
Where were you 20 years ago?
20 years ago, I was on an island in Tigre doing a reality show called ‘Blind Trust’; which really drove me crazy. I worked at Endemol Argentina, a company with a lot of creativity and where many of today’s executives came from. And well, I was in a crazy country and just about to move to Mexico to start my international career as an executive at Endemol Mexico, which later brought me to live in the United States. It was a very important time in my life and career.
What challenges do you see in the industry today?
It’s a very complicated moment, I think. More and more initiatives of associations, the search for private funds to carry out projects. And looking for the final consumer, looking for the fandom, for the people who want to consume content directly. I think this is one of the keys for medium-sized or small production companies. On the other hand, obviously, we should look for partnerships. A good idea will always prevail, but we have to get more and more creative because ideas are everywhere, and we have all evolved and learned a lot. Today, the platforms and channels in particular are also seeking to reinvent themselves and to be the size they have to be and not the size they pretended to be, and that is also a challenge for us.
Ana Langenberg, SVP, Format Distribution & Production, NBCUniversal Media
Where were you 20 years ago?
20 years ago I was living in the Netherlands, and I was working in Sales for Endemol, selling their catalogue at the time. I was living in a very small town, but I was working in this industry, so it was amazing to have that contrast between the two worlds. I probably didn’t know it yet, but I was going to be pregnant with my child soon and still traveling. I remember I went to Natpe that year, January 2004, in Las Vegas. And I went to every Natpe that was held there after that.
What was your first industry event?
My first event was Mipcom in 1998, so I had just joined a British company that was selling formats and I was a marketing assistant. That was my job at the time. My boss said: ‘You take this job, it’s gonna be great because you’re going to Cannes and you’re going to meet everybody in this industry, and it’s gonna be amazing.’
And I had no idea what to expect. I used to travel with VHS tapes to show off formats and I used to book all our meetings via fax.
Rosalind Rotundo, VP, VIP 2000 TV
Where were you 20 years ago?
Twenty years ago, I was a practicing lawyer in Venezuela. I joined the industry 17 years ago, so I was not yet in the entertainment industry at that time.
Where do you see the most significant growth opportunity in the industry?
Well, the growth opportunities, I think, are still in partnerships, in co-productions, in developing a property or an IP for international sales. I do believe that is the future.
Michelle Wasserman, SVP LatAm, USH & Brazil, Banijay Rights
Where were you 20 years ago?
Twenty years ago, I was celebrating ten years in this industry, and now I am just celebrating 30 years in the audiovisual industry. I was in charge of Telefe’s international sales and international business, which included content sales, formats, co-productions and international production services. I was living in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
What was your first industry event?
My first event was an LA Screenings, and I could see in person what I had experienced from my desk. Because when I started at Telefe, I went through the administrative and marketing area until I reached the audiovisual area. At that first event, I felt lost, but not as much as I thought, because I had already experienced it from a distance.
César Díaz, CEO, 7A Media
Where is the most significant growth opportunity for the audiovisual industry in the future?
The greatest opportunity is still to generate content and shows with the idea of entertaining. Original, and recreational ideas with some element of interaction, whether it’s a video game or something else, where the viewer has an additional participation to sitting and just watching the content. The future growth of the industry is also closely tied to the demands of the new generations. They are the ones who will drive the need for interactive and participatory content, where they can be more than just onlookers and be active participants.
Eduardo “Coco” Fernández, Production Manager, Artear
Where were you 20 years ago?
Twenty years ago, I was at the channel that I love, Canal 13. We were starting to prepare new programming at that time, like ‘La Noche del 10’ with Diego Armando Maradona. It was a very nice time.
What was your first industry event?
The first market I attended was Mipcom in October, a characteristic date for us, like Los Angeles, where we could meet and chat with people in the industry. At that time, we could see what was coming, that some internet things and sites were starting to appear. In the last twenty years, we have lived through all the changes in the industry, and we have been adapting.
Lilly Páez, Sales Director for the Americas, The Kitchen
Where were you 20 years ago?
Twenty years ago I wanted to be a Hollywood actress and that’s how my interest in the industry began. The plan changed a bit, these last few years have been a lot of growth in different areas of the audiovisual industry. My journey has been anything but linear and each step has enriched me tremendously, I’m excited for the next 20.
What was your first industry event?
My first event was a Natpe cocktail party in 2014. I was at The Kitchen as an Operations Assistant. I was fascinated to be able to go and see what was going on in these markets that I heard so much about.
Luis Peraza, Founder and Managing Director, Pyrus Media
Where were you 20 years ago?
Twenty years ago, I was at HBO. I had spent almost ten years living in Miami and travelling a lot to Argentina at that time. We started with the original content production project at HBO, and the first project we did on a big scale was the series ‘Epitafios’, which we produced in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with Pol-Ka Producciones. It went wonderfully from the production point of view, and the series did very well in Latin America in general.
What was your first industry event?
The first event I attended was when I started in the television industry in the 1980s. I was living in Venezuela and working at Radio Caracas Television (RCTV), which was a very strong network in telenovela production. There was a telenovela distribution company called Coral Pictures, which still exists and was just starting at that time. I went to a Natpe held in New Orleans, and I was overwhelmed by what the event was like, the number of people there, and the size of the booths. It was amazing to see what the market for buying and selling television programs was like.
Tayfur Sonkaya, Founder, Haciyatmaz Group
Where were you 20 years ago?
Twenty years ago, I was in middle school, so I had no ideas what the future held. But now, we are in Miami, and we’re producing telenovelas. As for the future, I know we will continue very strong and the whole world will talk about our projects.
What was your first industry event?
My first international market was Miptv. Six years ago. I’m brand new.
Cecilia Gómez de la Torre, General Manager and Partner, Tondero Distribución
Where were you 20 years ago?
Twenty years ago, I was working at Frecuencia Latina. I was the Programming Manager for fiction production, programming, and international acquisitions. A that time we produced more than 40 telenovelas and series. It was the golden age of broadcast television.
What do you consider to be the future of the industry?
The opportunity for growth goes hand in hand with new technologies. FAST channels, digital TV channels, and platforms are beginning to open up to other content and original productions. I believe that there is no turning back. As technology advances, it will merge into this new era of a younger consumer who has learned to live differently. This does not mean that broadcast television and cable are going to disappear. As someone who comes from broadcast television, I consider that this is still the mass media in Latin America.
Adolfo Álvarez, General Content Manager, ¡HOLA! TV
Where
were
you 20 years ago?
Precisely 20 years ago was the year of my transition from Telecinco to Antena 3, the competing group. It was a very interesting year because I had information from both channels in my head at the same time, and at some point, I felt like I was fooling myself. It was a year of learning and growth.
What growth opportunities do you see for the industry?
We are at a very interesting moment because the FAST world has opened up some options. We don’t know where they are going to take us yet, but we hope they will expand the market.
Also, Pay TV is changing, and we have to build and see where we want to go. I think that is where we are now. We have to figure out where we are going.
Moira McNamara, Sales Director, Ledafilms
Where
were you 20 years ago?
Twenty years ago, when TTVNews was born, I was working at Ledafilms, starting my journey, loving this industry as I love it today and meeting wonderful people. I congratulate you very much for 20 years, it is quite an achievement, and you deserve it.
What was your first industry event?
My first event was Natpe in 1997 in New Orleans, pre-Catrina, a long time ago.
Albertina Marfil, Director of Format Sales and Production for Latin America, NBCUniversal
Where were you 20 years ago?
Twenty years ago, I wasn’t working in television. I had just arrived in London from Buenos Aires. I worked as a waitress on weekends, and was taking a theater course. I also taught Spanish and English classes for foreigners, and interpreted and subtitled content. I did anything to survive. A few years later, working as a waitress, I met a girl who worked in television and she was the one who gave me my first job. It was a total coincidence, that’s my story.
What was your first industry event?
Jimmy van der Heyden, Sales Manager, CDC United Network
Where were you 20 years ago?
Twenty years ago, in 2004, I discovered Latin America because I was living in Colombia, where I had a phenomenal year learning about Latin American culture and the Spanish language. It is precisely that experience that brought me to this nice market. When I came back to Belgium, I started looking for a job and got a position at CDC, which is the job I have today. All thanks to that experience in Colombia.
What was your first industry
My first international market was a Natpe a few months after joining CDC, so it was in January 2005. At that time, it still took place in Las Vegas, which is a nice memory, no doubt.
Manuel Siles, General Manager, La Luna Pintada Producciones
Where were you 20 years ago?
I remember that 20 years ago, I was just entering this extraordinary and magical world of cinema, not directing my films, but working for other directors in my beloved country, Peru. I was doing production work as a production assistant, making sandwiches, carrying the coffees, setting up the stands and the lights, and carrying the cables. If someone had told me that I would be celebrating 20 years of TTVNews and being a film director, with five finished films, working overtime and in an international market, I would not have believed them. I would have said they were crazy.
What was your first industry event?
The first market I attended was the American Film Market in Santa Monica, USA, about 15 years ago.
Guillermo Pendino, VP Content and Programming, FTA Brands Latam Sur, Parmamount
Where were you 20 years ago?
Twenty years ago, I went to Brazil for the first time to be in charge of the general production and direction of the ‘Floricienta’ format in Brazil, which is called ‘Floribella’.
What was your first industry event?
The first event I attended was Natpe in 2011, when I had been called to Telefe’s Production and Programming Management.
Françoise Nieto-Fong, Director of Business & Creative Development, Centauro Comunicaciones
Where were you 20 years ago?
Twenty years ago I was in Colombia, distributing films for theaters. That’s when I started my production company. It was a good time for theatrical films, back when audiences really went to the movies and every release was a big event that had to be planned.
What was your first industry event?
My first international event was a long time ago, a Natpe. I was still in college. I was on vacation and I went with my father, Gustavo Nieto. We had a distribution company at that time. And I went to Natpe in New Orleans to see how the market worked. The market had an impressive energy, super contagious, with giant stands. Each stand was like an event in itself, at a time when companies invested a lot of money in entertainment and stands. This was back in the 90s, 30 years ago. go and see what was going on in these markets that I heard so much about.
Silvana D’Angelo, CEO, Glowstar Media
Where were you 20 years ago?
In 2004 I was at Telefe Internacional, probably in some Eastern European territory, trying to pave the way for productions in Spanish. And raising my children too, who were very young. Trying to balance my life at a time when I was always on a plane, but I was a mom too.
What was your first industry event?
My first market was a Natpe in New Orleans. I was fascinated: it was the era of the big booths.
