U.S. HISPANIC
Secuoya Studios: International co-productions like Montecristo are the future of this industry
Maribel Ramos-Weiner| 19 de abril de 2023
Sergio Pizzolante de Secuoya Studios
Montecristo (6×60′), co-produced by Secuoya Studios and ViX, marks a “before and after” in the opinion of Sergio Pizzolante, executive producer of the series and president of the studio.
“It is a co-production with ViX that premieres almost worldwide within a week (in LatAm and the US it debuted last Friday the 14th and in Spain this week). It is a co-production, it is not typical work for hire. This for me is a before and after in my career, without a doubt. For the industry, the future is international co-productions”, said Pizzolante.
Pizzolante, without undermining the importance of premieres such as Las Pelotaris, María Félix, and Travesuras de la Niña Mala; pointed out that Montecristo “is going to be the platform’s most important premiere to date. Since William Levy plays the leading role, we hope it will bring many viewers to the platform.”
Secuoya Studios and ViX’s version of Montecristo was described by Pizzolante as “very modern, very tense, with many twists through the story and with production values of another level.”
He said that it is a very premium series, “but beyond the cost of the episode, the objective was to make a very aspirational series. It’s a thriller, the idea is to surprise people with the tone and the twists of the story. Almost everyone knows the story of Monte Cristo, and we played a little with that idea. This is not the Montecristo you imagine. Its central axis is revenge, which is a character’s most important driver. Revenge is perhaps the most powerful engine of many stories we’ve seen over the years.”
“It is not a traditional love story. People are going to be surprised.”
Montecristo was filmed in Madrid and Tenerife, between August and October 2022.
“The shooting was very effective, with many challenges because there were locations where it had never been shot in Spain. There were no sets or decorations, everything was on the location: palaces, helicopters, motor boats. I have been doing this for many years, I am proud to be the executive producer of this series because it is totally different. I am not saying this only as a seller, but as a producer who has acquired products. This is a product that I would have bought immediately,” he pointed out.
The filming had some impacts due to the pandemic, but they managed with the protocols. “A good production, with disasters in between, is part of what makes it so magical,” he said.
TelevisaUnivision will be responsible for the distribution of Montecristo worldwide with some territories such as Portugal being managed by Secuoya. Pizzolante announced that there is already interest in Russia, Brazil, and Portugal, among other markets, to acquire the series.
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