Baptized Banijay Mexico & US Hispanic, the new studio will be led by Emmy-nominated producer Marie Leguizamo, and focus on original content in both English and Spanish for broadcast, cable and streamers in both markets.
Banijay Americas is launching new production studio Banijay Mexico and US Hispanic, which will be led by multiple-Emmy nominated producer Marie Leguizamo, it was announced today by Cris Abrego, Chairman of the Americas, Banijay and President and CEO, Endemol Shine Holdings.
The studio will be based in both Mexico City and at Banijay America’s Los Angeles offices and focus on original content in both English and Spanish for broadcast, cable and streamers in the Mexican and U.S. Hispanic markets. Leguizamo, who has served as an executive producer for top unscripted series for the company over the last decade, will serve as the studio’s Managing Director.
Leguizamo has produced unscripted television for nearly two decades, and her vision and concepts have led to record-breaking ratings and successes. In 2019, Leguizamo signed an overall development and executive producer deal with the company’s sister Mexico City-based studio Endemol Shine Boomdog.
Endemol Shine Boomdog, which is led by CEO Alejandro Rincon, continues to be the leading independent producer in the region, behind such unscripted and scripted hits as ¿Quién Es La Mascara (Televisa/Univision), La Casa de los Famosos (Telemundo), Mira Quien Baila (Univision), Subete a Mi Moto (Amazon Prime), Nicky Jam: El Ganador (Netflix) and much more.
Leguizamo just wrapped executive producing the third and fourth seasons of Boomdog and Amazon Prime’s Last One Laughing (LOL) with Eugenio Derbez and has served as the showrunner/EP on such Spanish-language hit series as La Voz Kids for Telemundo, Pequeños Gigantes USA and Mira Quien Baila.
“We are truly excited to be launching a new studio that’s focused on developing and producing original content for the Mexican and U.S. Hispanic marketplaces and to have someone like Marie at the helm,” said Abrego. “Marie is perfectly suited for this role—she’s one of the most respected producers in this space, she has deep roots in both nations and is entrepreneurial at heart.”
“I am honored to be given this unique opportunity to lead a new label focused on creating fresh and innovative content for both Mexican and U.S. Hispanic audiences,” says Leguizamo. “It’s an incredibly exciting time in this space right now, with so many networks and emerging platforms looking to acquire premium programming. I thank Cris Abrego and our team for trusting me with this new role and I can’t wait to further establish Banijay as a leader in this territory.”
Most recently, Leguizamo served as Executive Producer/Showrunner on Amazon Prime and Endemol Shine Boomdog’s LOL, a series that she has helmed for three of its four seasons.
She has been recognized twice by the International Emmy association with nominations for her work on La Voz Kids and she also garnered a Daytime Emmy nomination for LOL.
Leguizamo served as Executive Producer/Showrunner on Univision’s Pequeños Gigantes and she’s produced a variety of network performance/competition-centric shows including two seasons of Carnival Corporations’ La Gran Sorpresa and Endemol Shine Boomdog’s top-rated series Mira Quien Baila. Additionally, she has produced various shows such as Nuestra Belleza Latina, Viva El Sueño, Premios Juventud, El Juego de Oro and Billboard All Access.
