Brendan Fitzgerald has left his role as CEO of Secuoya Studios, which is at the same time handing complete independence to its Latin American arm.
There’s been no formal confirmation of Fitzgerald’s exit from Secuoya Content Group, the parent of the studio division but we understand he is segueing to a role working on content sales. A spokesperson told us “further updates related to the studio and next steps will be communicated in due course.”
The U.S.-born Fitzgerald has been with Secuoya Studios since January 2024, hired as CEO to develop and structure new projects and partnerships. He has previously been Senior Vice President of English Language Co-Productions at Sony Pictures Television, and was also the founder of indie Pomodoro Stories. C21Media was first with the news of his exit.
Secuoya is known for Spanish-language shows such as Zorro and El Homenajes, but Fitzgerald used his time as CEO to establish Secuoya Studios in non-Spanish-language content as part of a strategic plan to internationalize. As such was a regular at international co-production markets, and struck numerous pacts with the likes of Act4 in Iceland, the UK’s BlackBox Multimedia and U.S. doc maker Chris Moukarbel’s Permanent Wave Productions.
Act4 in Iceland, BlackBox Multimedia in the UK, producer and creative Sydney Gallonde in France, Permanent Wave Productions of US documentary filmmaker Chris Moukarbel and 3Pas Studios in Mexico, as well as partnerships with Argentine screenwriter Juan Carballo, Black Sheep Productions founder Mónica Aguirre and producer and director Sergio Cánovas, leader of Stellarmedia.
His exit comes as Secuoya Studios grants its Latin American arm “full operational independence in the region.” This will see development, production and business affairs being integrated, with execs having full autonomy to make decisions on projects, talent and content. It will maintain coordination with the wider group on other functions.
The Latin American arm is focused on markets such as Mexico, Colombia and the Hispanic U.S., and there are plans to make creative pods that are led by exec producers and local creatives.
Daniel Hernández Bocanegra, Secuoya’s senior executive in the region, will lead the Latin American operation. Former Paramount exec Pierluigi Gazzolo will advise on the push through his Farniente Media imprint. Already a Secuoya Studios advisory board member, Gazzolo will provide analysis and decision support for development and content projects, while also bringing in talent and strengthening commercial connections in the region.
“This model reflects a clear strategic vision: to be closer to stories, talent and local audiences,” said Raúl Berdonés, Executive Chairman of Secuoya Content Group. “We are committed to an operation in Latin America with full operational independence, where decision-making, development and production take place within the territory itself – rooted in a local perspective with a global ambition.”
“Latin America is now one of the studio’s main growth engines and one of the most dynamic regions in the audiovisual industry,” added Bocanegra, General Manager for Lat Am. “This model allows us to consolidate a truly local way of working, with teams that operate independently and with end-to-end capabilities on the ground – strengthening our competitiveness and our ability to generate relevant, exportable content aligned with international demand.”
Source: Read Full Article
