Disney: Nowadays local production can’t be neglected

Fernando Barbosa, general manager of Media Acquisition, Distribution & Productions of Disney Latin America, told in an interview with Ríchard Izarra in the framework of Iberseries & Platino Industria, that among the great productions that they presented is El Centauro del Norte, a series about the life of Pancho Villa, filmed in the State of Jalisco, Mexico, and produced by BTF Media; and Nada, by Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat, starring Luis Brandoni and with a special performance by Robert De Niro. But also by 2023, they must continue to feed quality content to Star+ and Disney+.

“Not only both platforms feed on our local product, but also of everything that our studio produces in the US such as big brands like Marvel, Lucas Films, Walt Disney Pictures, The Simpsons, everything that produces ABC, and all that is produced for the Disney Channel, and for Freeform. It’s a wagon of content,” he explained.

He particularly highlighted local production. “It is a very important and strategic condiment for our platforms and all OTTs, such as Netflix, Amazon, HBO Max. Nowadays I don’t think that local production can be neglected. I believe that it is of great importance. If you don’t have local production, then something is missing from the menu. The consumer wants to have local production and they want to watch relevant local stories.”

Likewise, he stressed that in the case of Ringo, a story that takes place in New York and Reno, Nevada (USA), all was filmed in Argentina. “There aren’t many visual effects,” he said. “Our entire production team, the production companies (Pampa Films, Primo Content, EO, and StoryLab), and all the creatives worked very synchronously and very much in tune.”

He explains that his philosophy when casting actors is believing that “there are always actors out there, there’s always incredible talent, you have to go out and find it,” he said.

“Personally, I love the great challenge of finding a certain character that is difficult to discover and, above all, when there are no big names, then that is when things get beautiful and that is also when new talents and new phenomena emerge,” said Barbosa, referring in particular to Jerónimo Giocondo Bosia, star of Ringo, one of the products he presented at Iberseries and which deals with the life of Argentine boxer Óscar Bonavena, beloved in that country. For Barbosa, the actor physically even resembles the boxer.

When Barbosa goes casting-hunting, the first thing he looks for is that the talent is able to match the character he is looking for. “That’s the main thing, it doesn’t matter if he’s a big name or not.” In addition to believing that there is the talent of all kinds, there are also great stories for everyone. “There’s always a good story out there.”

Barbosa revealed that he was in Iberseries at the request of his work team, which he holds in the highest esteem and consideration. “I have four production lines and they are all really top talents, they do a great job and I am very proud,” he said. And added his role is the easiest, but sometimes the most difficult too. “Because you have to ensure that they always have an ecosystem or a favorable work environment. Especially in production, because there is no production without problems, and the most successful productions are those in which everything really flows. So one of my main jobs is to make sure everything flows.”

View Fernando Barbosa, The Walt Disney Company Latin America, on EN VIVO