The Rise of ‘Like Water for Chocolate' Producer Endemol Shine Boomdog
Interactive and sports-related unscripted shows will be trending next, predicts Alejandro Rincón, CEO of Endemol Shine Boomdog, the largest indie production company in Latin America. Several interactive shows are in the pipeline at the Mexico City-based company while a prototype for a sports-related unscripted program is the upcoming 'Copa Combate' series which Endemol Shine Boomdog is developing with La Jaula Studios. The six-episode series covers 'Copa Combate,' the apex of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighting and the only one-night, eight-fighter, single-elimination tournament in the sport.
In an exclusive interview with Variety, Rincón traced the rise of his company that began in his home country, Venezuela, under the name Cinema Concept, where he, armed with a degree in Social Communication and Graphic Design, started creating graphic packages for burgeoning cable companies in 1997.
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'We started to build a very good relationship with the cable companies – Sony, Warner, Disney, HBO – and we began creating small interstitial programs for them that involved branding, brand mentions and things like that,' he relates.
When the political and economic situation grew more unstable in Venezuela and the cable companies moved out, Rincón and his founding partner Carlos Perna set up shop in Mexico City in 2007, changing the company name to Boomdog.
'That's where we started working more extensively with the cable companies, producing shows – our first formats, since we hadn't done formats before. We created a late-night show called 'Ya es mediodía en China' for Sony, 'Mexico's Next Top Model' for Sony, 'Fashion Police' for E! Entertainment and 'The Soup,' also for E! Entertainment,' he recalls.
Endemol began commissioning the company to provide production services for some of its shows in Mexico, which marked the beginning of a strong and successful relationship. Over time, this collaboration evolved into a joint venture, and in 2017 – 10 years later – the company officially entered into a joint venture agreement with Endemol.
The company began representing Endemol's catalog in Mexico and the U.S. Hispanic market just as networks started opening up to working with third-party companies. As the cable business declined, the company expanded into network and emerging streaming platform productions. This shift led to steady growth across new platforms. In 2020, following Banijay's acquisition of Endemol, the company became part of Banijay Group – the world's largest independent production company.
'That synergy has allowed us to grow, and to this day, we've established ourselves as the largest production company in Latin America, producing over 1,000 hours of independent content per year,' says Rincón. Endemol Shine Boomdog is behind top-rated series for Telemundo, TelevisaUnivision, Azteca, Imagen and streamers like Amazon Prime and MAX, including huge hits 'La Casa de los Famosos,' 'La Casa de los Famosos Mexico,' 'MasterChef Celebrity' and '¿Quién es la máscara?'
Endemol Shine Boomdog Group is now made up of three different production companies in Mexico City: Endemol Shine Boomdog, which focuses on producing unscripted shows, scripted content label Á Fábrica Mexico & U.S. Hispanic and the unscripted label led by Marie Leguizamo, Banijay Mexico and U.S. Hispanic, which launched in 2021.
As CEO of Endemol Shine Boomdog Group, Rincón oversees the three labels and sprawling post-production facility Wide Angle alongside Banijay Americas CEO Ben Samek and Laurens Drillich, president of Shine Latino. The latter was instrumental in joining Brazil's Á Fabrica with Boomdog for the new scripted label, Á Fábrica Mexico & U.S. Hispanic.
'Laurens Drillich has been a key pillar in the company's consolidation and growth. His unwavering support, deep understanding of the region and strategic vision have made a lasting impact,' says Rincón, adding: 'With previous experience in the Mexican market, Laurens brings a unique combination of local insight and global perspective, which has been instrumental in driving our business forward.'
'I knew from experience it was never going to be easy to break into the Mexican and U.S. Hispanic markets as an independent producer. We were not competing with other independent companies, like in other parts of the world. We had to change a culture. So, we really needed the right partner,' Drillich relates.
'When I first started talking with Alejandro, I realized that he had the determination, the talent and the ambition to build a big business in both Mexico and the U.S. Hispanic marketplace with us, especially since he loves TV. It makes me proud to see that all we asked for has now actually happened, with three labels across these two territories leading in the region in every way. That's in a very large part because of Alejandro,' he adds.
Boomdog Studios span approximately 96,875 square feet (9,000 m²) and include two studios, each over 10,750 square feet (1,000 m²) with a height of approximately 39 feet (12 meters). In addition to this, there's a dedicated post-production facility in Huixquilucan, operating 24/7 to support continuous productions. Wide Angle opened in 2022 and operates out of an eight-story building in the tony neighborhood of Polanco.
Also located in Polanco, Banijay Mexico & US Hispanic is behind such popular shows as 'LOL: Last One Laughing' (various iterations in Latam including Mexico and Colombia) and 'Temptation Island' for Amazon Prime. Leguizamo will be attending the LA Screenings.
The group's permanent staff consists of 120 people, while its rotating personnel averages around 1,000 people per month.
The scripted team from Endemol Shine Boomdog – behind the breakout HBO Max series 'Like Water for Chocolate,' is now in production on its second season.
'Without a doubt, it is the most important show we have produced. It has the highest budget and is the largest and most successful production we've ever done,' says Rincón.
'No other series has established the same emotional connection with the country as 'Like Water for Chocolate,'' he adds, noting that this is the last scripted program under the Endemol Shine Boomdog label as A Fábrica Mexico & U.S. Hispanic, led by Luiz Noronha (A Fábrica, Brazil) and Jerry Rodriguez (Endemol Shine Boomdog) will lead the new scripted venture and are currently assembling its first development slate.
'We're a company that strives to be as in tune with the market as possible – listening to the market, listening to our partners, connecting with them, and delivering content that makes sense for them,' Rincón stresses, adding: 'That's why we've never set goals based on hours or number of series. Our goals are creative: to find the right projects and to listen to our clients, which is a very important part of what we do.'
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