“What is the attractiveness of the Ibero-American market for the US: being a growth market, lower costs, partnering with local talent or financing opportunities? Are there co-production opportunities between the United States and the Ibero-American territories?” These were some of the questions addressed during Thursday's panel at Iberseries & Platino Industria in Madrid, Spain. Furthermore, Spain's progress in becoming “the Hollywood of Europe”.
Participants were Georgina Gonzalez, vice president, global scripted series at Universal International Studios, Jacobo Aparicio, director of international content at Anonymous Content, and James Costos, president of Secuoya Studios in Los Angeles, former HBO executive and former U.S. ambassador in Spain.
Asked about Spain's goal of becoming “the Hollywood of Europe”, expressed a few years ago by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Costos said he sees himself as “a conduit between Hollywood and Spain”, among other things. “It was really expected to fly in the middle and it got a lot of attention,” he said of the outlined ambition. “And the government has created a truly all-encompassing approach to making Spain that destination.”
The good news is that Spain has “many natural beauties, places and weather conditions,” he stressed. “People really want to come and shoot here.” However, “the tax incentives really needed to be changed,” Costos explained. “It's an economic engine, it creates jobs, and not just for Spain but for the United States, for us companies that are looking to invest in Spain. It helps them expand their business. So this approach has really taken off. The government has also worked to reduce red tape and paperwork and to speed up the issuing of filming permits.
At Secuoya “we spend a lot of time talking first and foremost about Spain as a destination,” Costos also shared. “We want to attract as much business as possible to Spain.” He emphasized that the studio offers itself as a place with great infrastructure and various lines of business, from premium scripted films and series to unscripted and ongoing series.
“I always like to quote President Kennedy at this point, when we talk about a rising tide that lifts all boats,” Costos concluded. “So we want to attract as much business as possible, whether it's Sequoia or our competitors, we want that business to come here. And over the last four years it has continued to grow. And as we're here today on the fourth installment of Iberseries, and today we have US day aimed at US businesses, I think it's a testament to how far she's come.
Praising the country's vast talent and expertise, he said: “Spain is truly a gold mine for people who want to develop localized stories.” But he noted that the pre-existing relationships Hollywood actors have with people from other parts of the world sometimes lead people to take “shortcuts,” even if they recognize Spain's richness in terms of skills, locations and more.
Gonzalez summed up NBCU's interest in Spain this way: “It is essential for us to create content that touches Spain from the beginning,” adding that “we are better suited to serving global projects” given the company's assets and resources . He mentioned, for example, that the company has in mind The Day of the Jackal with Eddie Redmayne, Lashana Lynch and Theft of money protagonist Ursula Corberó.
“It all starts with a great story,” whether it comes through film festivals, television events, video games, fan fiction or other platforms, he also stressed.
Arguing that it is expensive and difficult to “engineer” Spain's global successes by trying to throw in “everything but the kitchen sink,” Costos explained how Theft of money he achieved this by taking root in Spain and organically finding a global audience. The Secuoya manager explained: “It resonated because it had themes that resonated outside Spain,” while the public also appreciated “a culture different from theirs.”