EXCLUSIVE: Spanish indie production powerhouse Mediapro is at San Sebastian Film Festival this year screening two of the buzziest local features in the program: the Antonio Banderas, Penelope Cruz …
, says the festival feels like a “celebration” for the company after a tumultuous 18 months. At the beginning of the pandemic, the prolific outfit had to pause a total of 52 productions, but everything is now back on track, she adds.FilmSharks Inks Korea Deals On Fantasia Pic 'Ghosting Gloria' & Mexican Box Office Hit 'Come Play With Me' - San Sebastian
The company has a distribution arm through which it often handles its own sales, allowing it to retain IP while putting together finance through individual territory rights deals. For example, the company’s debut English-language serieswas sold to partners including HBO U.S., Hulu Japan, Starzplay and Canal Plus, racking up deals in 60 territories in total.
Those kinds of financing frameworks allow producers such as Mediapro to match the deep-pocketed American giants, which continue to make great strides into European production space, in terms of the scope and quantity of their shows. Also here in San Sebastian,to discuss their rapid expansion in the territory, which is seeing them double their dedicated studio space this year.
That positive relationship doesn’t change the fact that the likes of Netflix are wrapping up local talent in countries such as Spain, not just with lengthy time commitments on big shows but also sometimes with exclusive deals.Espeso affirms that Mediapro’s embedded relationships with top local talent often give the company an edge. She also notes that working with Mediapro allows creators to find various avenues for their content, not solely tying them into one distribution stream.