Fremantle has acquired a 25% stake in the production company led by Camila Jimenez and Silvana Aguirre, known for their work in Netflix’s El Chapo, to further increase its investments in Hispanic content.
Fremantle announced plans to further expand into the scripted space with a global agreement and an equity investment deal in the production company The Immigrant.
The deal marks Fremantle’s first major equity investment in the Latin American and Hispanic scripted market.
BRON Ventures, the venture arm of BRON Media Corp., will also invest in The Immigrant acquiring a minority stake in the company.
Established in 2019, The Immigrant co-founded by Camila Jimenez and Silvana Aguirre, produces premium dramas that focus on Hispanic and Latin American content in the US and abroad.
They have secured a new full commission, with further details to be announced, and have multiple projects in active development including a co-production with Fremantle’s Wildside (My Brilliant Friend, The New Pope) with Lucia Puenzo (La Jauria, The German Doctor) attached as the showrunner.
The Immigrant is based in Los Angeles, with offices in Mexico and Spain. A new office is opening in Colombia in 2020 with further Latin America expansion planned.
Fremantle has acquired a 25% stake of the company, with a plan to grow equity participation in the next years.
Prior to setting up the new production company, Camila Jimenez, CEO of The Immigrant acted as the Content Officer for Fusion Media Group heading the premium content studio Story House and executive-producing projects such as Netflix’s El Chapo and Murder Mountain.
Silvana Aguirre was the creator and showrunner of El Chapo and previously held the role of Creative Director at Story House. Aguirre is the co-founder and Head of Development for The Immigrant.
“Over the past several years Silvana and I have been working to change the paradigm around Latinx television focusing on creative talent, both established and emerging, and stories that connect with the audience, regardless of where they take place,” said Camila Jimenez.
“We are very excited about this partnership: Fremantle’s established brand, international footprint and strong network of creative outlets, coupled with BRON’s bold support of creators, perfectly align with our strategic vision. Together we will build on our initial success and transform The Immigrant into an IP and international production powerhouse.”
Andrea Scrosati, COO, Fremantle added: “Camila and Silvana are exactly the type of talent that Fremantle was born to be home to. Their unique multicultural approach to storytelling is very impressive, and it is an approach we believe is incredibly relevant in the times that we are living in. Our partnership with The Immigrant marks our first equity investment in Latin America, a vibrant region in terms of creativity, culture, and commercial potential, and confirms our commitment to continue to invest in this area. We welcome The Immigrant to the Fremantle family.”
“We’re delighted to have The Immigrant join the BRON Ventures group of companies and to expand our reach to an ever-growing global audience,” said Ashley Levinson, BRON’s Chief Strategy Officer.
This is the latest acquisition for Fremantle and its growing drama business. Previous investments include acquiring Italian based Wildside (My Brilliant Friend, The New Pope) and Scandi label Miso Film (The Rain), majority stakes in French label Kwai (The Last Wave, Baron Noir), Israeli creative powerhouse Abot Hameiri and Australian Easy Tiger (Rake, Jack Irish), as well as a minority stakes in the UK indies Dancing Ledge and Gurinder Chadha fronted Bend It TV.
