Érica Sánchez de Lemon Studios
Erica Sánchez Su, partner and VP of Production at Lemon Studios, shared with Ríchard Izarra on #PRODUprimetime her story as a producer in Mexico, and also details of the latest productions her company is developing for ViX+ and other platforms.
She has 22 years of experience in the industry and also is a finance and strategy specialist, graduated from the Universidad Iberoamericana in CDMX. Her worksheet also includes Televisa and 11:11 Films & TV, owned by the Cardona brothers (Manolo, Juancho, and Frank).
CRAZY FOR DOGS
One of the projects which Sánchez is working on now is the reality show La Loca de Los Perros one of the four productions of Lemon Studios for ViX+. “It is a show that the world needs because it has a lot of heart, it gives hope, and is very positive, and for the family,” she said. The idea came after she met Érika Fernández, the show’s host, since both rescue homeless dogs. “I realized that Fernández, on her own, is a show. We made the demo together, obviously based on Erika’s life, on her experiences.”
She explained that sometimes she has to work on up to three productions at the same time, but thanks to her team, she only supervises and delegates. “You have to know to trust others,” she explained. While she is in charge of production, the development of the projects is in hands of the Lemon Studios’ founders, the Rovzar brothers (Billy, CEO, and Fernando, Creative Director) and Alejandro Lozano (Head Director) “We are in love with the people, with the talent. And right now that there is so much work for everyone, we are surrounding ourselves with the best. We are growing,” she said.
HER STORY WITH LEMON
Sánchez joined Lemon Studios 17 years ago (in 2005), after being on Televisa. She said that, above all, she is a close friend of the brothers Rovzar and of Lozano. The four of them usually go out for dinner together and have parties, or they gather on Sundays.
She said that they’re very fond of each other. “This has to do with the fact that we are in love with what we do and also with the trust they place in me, the great communication we have because the truth is that when it comes to important decisions, we make them together,” she said. “They are my family. It’s a relationship of many years, so there is complicity, admiration, and a desire to grow.”
However, they are actually a small team, she said that “always one of the four of us is responsible for a project in development, so any client is neglected.”
She confessed that they also argue and fight. “I think I’m the one who fights the most, they don’t, they get along very well, but I am the one who bursts into tears and throws tantrums. It’s very funny, really, the patience they’re towards me. But there is always a lot of love, we know each other perfectly. There are times that I am going to overreact in some way and Billy gives me one of his stares, and I immediately know that I have to calm down,” she said.
A BREAK WITH 11:11 FILMS & TV
Sánchez pointed out that she has been very lucky, and when she decided to take a break from Lemon, she had the opportunity of working with the Cardonas brothers (Manolo, Juancho, and Frank), who arrived in Mexico with the idea of creating their own production company 11:11.
“I knew Manolo because we worked on the production of El Cartel de Los Sapos, the movie. He offered me: ‘Why don’t you come with me to open 11:11 in Mexico? I thought it was a good idea,” she said. Sanchez worked with them on La Hermandad and La Fiscal de Hierro for TV Azteca. “It was there where I learned to develop long-standing series. But I missed the Lemons a lot. I talked to Manolo and the truth was he had a very solid team, and above all we are friends. Juancho, Manolo, and Frank are great guys. So I return to Lemon and ask them if they will accept me back. They agreed and told me: ‘but now it will be different, you will return as our partner’”.
A GREAT MOMENT
She described as “beautiful” the moment that the industry is going through. She said to Richard: “You also have a very nice community: the PRODU community. For many years we have been able to meet other executives from many companies, thanks to PRODU. Now it’s a great time for everyone. I love the moment we are living in.”
For her, thanks to the boom of different platforms there is a lot of movement in the industry, and when she goes to a meeting, usually she finds friends she hasn’t seen for many years. “I think it is a good time to tell beautiful stories, that fill our hearts with good feelings, that inspire us. It can sound kind of hippie, but I think we have to saturate the world with love and we have that opportunity now,” she said.
