Karen Barroeta de Telemundo Global Studios
Karen Barroeta, Executive VP of Production and Development of Telemundo Global Studios, said in #PRODUprimetime with Ríchard Izarra, that they are not surprise for the decline of audience of linear TV in the US in favor of digital platforms. They saw it coming five years ago and they had prepared themselves.
“We are ensuring to develop compelling stories that are memorable and enjoyable for people no matter the platform they are on. The stories must be relevant with great actors who go beyond the screen and make you feel that you are living a story with them. That is the formula we have sought to stay relevant and for our brand to continue up to date no matter what happens at the technology level,” she said.
“This is one of the moments where there is more disruption, because although the audience has been changing and adapting to digital platforms, the issue of covid greatly accelerated that process. In the US we are seeing that linear TV has lost a significant percentage of audience that has migrated to platforms. This has not been a surprised for us because we had been preparing for five years and that is the reason of our strategy of creating content for any platform.”
Regarding her mission to generate long content, she noted: “Perhaps one can think that it is difficult to sit at home and watch 100-episode content on the computer or on the phone or tablet. However, we see how in 100 días para enamorarnos, with its genre of hyperrealism, it is a delicious dramedy, where you find drama that could be a mirror of your life. It has moments of humor and very memorable characters, and people don’t care about the number of episodes, rather they enjoy them without counting them, and when they run out, they want a second season.”
They are developing about 20 stories in-house and by the end of the year they could reach 30. They are open to the entire industry that wants to present projects to them.
“We have taken very important steps to produce long format with that look and feel of the series, with that cinematic appeal and feel, with directors who go further, with photographers who seek to contrast, to give a much more reality appearance to the scenes. For example, in Malverde we are making a very beautiful light of that epoch, of 1910. We are not going to go backwards in terms of quality.”
About Marcos Santana, her boss, with whom she has worked and has been his right hand since the time of Tepuy Films, since the 90’s, she said: “Marcos Santana is a mentor for life; today he is my boss, my teacher, my personal friend. I have relied on him in all the highs and lows of my life, personally and professionally. I will always appreciate that. But as he says: ‘Karen, you have built a career, you have shone with your own light and you are moving forward yourself’. I believe that the important thing in life is to do what you like, to really want to fight for it, and that is why I am where I am. If your passion never runs out, you will always shine. This is how I see it. In my house they taught me that you have to fight to achieve your dreams, and in my case, they don’t end because they keep turning into more dreams. So, I continue on this path, with a lot of enthusiasm with a lot of desire to do things, growing and learning, and doing my bit.”
