Banijay Americas’ A Fábrica Mexico & U.S. Hispanic has tapped award-winning producer, writer, exec Santiago Zapata for the position of Scripted VP. The new label, a partnership formed between Endemol Shine Boomdog and Brazil’s A Fábrica was founded in January in a bid to focus on producing more scripted content for the Mexican, Latin American and U.S. Hispanic markets.
Zapata, who will oversee all scripted development and production for the Mexico City-based label, joins from Ntertain Studios/Neon16, founded by former Sony Music Entertainment CEO Tommy Mottola and Lex Borrero, where he led the film & TV division out of Miami.
At Ntertain Studios/Neon16, he developed a slate of films, original series, documentaries and brand alliances for the U.S. and Latin American markets. These included collaborations with such luminaries as Will Smith, Thalia and Big Sean.
He recently served as showrunner on the Disney+ series “Los Montaner” for two seasons, wrote and executive produced Netflix’s “La Firma” and Paramount+’s “Thalia’s Mixtape,” and is currently directing and producing a feature documentary on Mottola, the legendary music producer who signed and promoted such major talents as Mariah Carey, Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Celine Dion and Michael Jackson, among others.
“Santiago is a storyteller at heart and brings deep creative experience as an executive, along with a forward-thinking enthusiasm as a producer,” said Luiz Noronha, president of A Fábrica Mexico & U.S. Hispanic. “He’s truly a breath of fresh air, with a strong foundation in both scripted and talent-driven projects. His collaborative spirit and instinctive understanding of client needs will keep us closely aligned with our partners and the stories they want to tell the world.”
Zapata, who was born in Colombia, takes over the responsibilities of Jerry Rodriguez who has recently ankled. As a writer and producer, his most notable credits include “The Boy” (2015), with Elijah Wood’s SpectreVision, “City of Dead Men” (2016), distributed by Gravitas Ventures and “Monos” (2019), shortlisted for the 2020 Academy Awards and Goya-nominated.
“I’m very grateful for this opportunity to join A Fábrica at such an exciting moment. Not only for what it represents for my career, but also on a personal level, as it allows me to grow alongside a team I truly admire for their talent, experience and above all, their integrity,” said Zapata, adding: “I’m incredibly excited about this new chapter, especially for the challenge of taking my work to the next level: trusting my instincts and creating stories that genuinely resonate with audiences.”
Zapata’s appointment comes on the heels of news last month about EndemolShine Boomdog, led by CEO Alejandro Rincón who oversees the new label, and Banijay Entertainment who jointly struck a new deal with writer and producer Leonardo Padrón to launch Leonardo Padrón Productions.
The new venture will focus on premium content and partner with A Fábrica Mexico & U.S. Hispanic to deliver a slate of projects defined by distinctive storytelling. Several Spanish-language scripted drama series are already in development for audiences across the U.S., Mexico and Latin America, with the first titles expected to debut later this year.
