Ramón Salomón de The Sitcom Factory
The producer and co-founder of The Sitcom Factory, Ramón Salomón, talked about the relevance that the sitcom is gaining in Mexico and the work they have done in this regard, as well as some projects they have with TelevisaUnivision for new content, and of their attendance at Filmarket Hub where they are part of the jury and sponsor of three awards in the new category, focused on a sitcom.
“We are working on a new sitcom project for TelevisaUnivision as a team of writers led by Óscar Ortiz de Pinedo, but not as The Sitcom Factory. It’s interesting because we are reviving an iconic character in Mexico, which will be joined by a renowned cast. We started last Monday the 10th in a forum and it is an example that the sitcom is still important simply because it is effective,” he commented.
Salomón announced that there are also more projects such as the recent premiere of the fifth season of Renta Congelada, the production of the second season of ¿Tú Crees?, and two more seasons of Una Familia de Diez to be produced in July.
He highlighted that even though the US is the master of the sitcom, in Mexico, companies like The Sitcom Factory seek to promote this format internationally. In fact, for 2024 they are preparing a world situation comedy event that will be announced soon; and they are sponsors and jury of Filmaket Hub, awarding three prizes in the recently created sitcom category: “We are going to review the projects of the three winners, give them notes and try to help them, with the possibility of including them in a co-production. With this new category, we want to approach new creators, offer opportunities, and let them know the importance of professionalizing what they are doing.”
Sitcom adapted to new forms of consumption
“Making comedy for open TV has a great challenge because you have to cover all possible targets, where there is a responsibility of reach. Currently, audiences have become sophisticated, and since the pandemic, they have had the opportunity to explore other platforms and realize that they can no longer settle quietly with what they used to see. The public knows what they want and we, the decision-makers, have an obligation to ask them.”
He highlighted that one of the benefits offered by this format is efficiency because it’s better to use and leveraging of resources: “Making a sitcom currently costs less than making a fiction, between 20 and 30% less. It’s really effective regarding investing because you’re in control of a lot of things. But in Latin America, they are afraid of doing sitcoms. In Mexico, TelevisaUnivision has been betting on it, but in other countries, they do not know how to do it and we want them to turn to us, so we have approached Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia, to tell them that if they want to do it, let’s do it with local talent because comedy can be extrapolated.”
To conclude, he said that the sitcom is a successful format because it is memorable. “Most like it because it changes, mutates, and adapts despite the changes that are taking place in the industry. The platforms are doing it and we are learning from its evolution to produce on different screens. Doing these programs right now is quite interesting, but we have to find a way to get people’s attention and have successes like La CQ, which was released for the entire region in alliance with Turner and Televisa, and is available now on HBO Max and ViX.”
