Fast-growing Caribbean-based Lantica Media has appointed Joaquin Blaya as Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors, and Fred Medina as Chief Operating Officer. Lantica, which is the majority owner of Pinewood Dominican Republic Studios, offers production and financing services for films and TV programs under its Lantica Pictures. That division recently set Gael Garcia Bernal as Zorro in Jonas Cuaron’s Z which it’s co-producing with Sobini Films. Lantica Media is financing the project.
Blaya, who is currently a Lantica board member, is a former President and CEO of both Univision and Telemundo. He also served for eight years as Chairman of the Middle East and Asia Committees for the United States Broadcasting Board of Governors, overseeing the renewed brand positioning of various BBG entities, including Voice of America and Radio Free Europe.
Medina has held senior roles with MTV Latino, HBO Latin American Group, E! Entertainment, A&E Olé Networks, Univision and Ericsson Telecommunications. Prior to joining Lantica Media, he was EVP and Managing Director for BBC Worldwide, overseeing all commercial activities across Latin America and the U.S. Hispanic market. The newly-created Lantica COO role will see him manage day-to-day studio operations and production services.
Z starts production in the Dominican Republic this year, taking advantage of lucrative tax incentives which were established in 2010 to attract foreign productions. Pinewood Dominican Republic has recently hosted such upcoming titles as xXx: The Return Of Xander Cage and 47 Meters Down.
Your Editor Opines:
The return of Joaquín Blaya to the playing fields of Hispanic creativity and marketing -this time in films- is a welcome move for those of us who recognize his outstanding contribution to the growth of Spanish-language television, perhaps the main support of bilingualism in our society. You may or not agree with the enrichment value of Hispanic TV in the past 30 years. But it’s there as a testament of the foresight and tenacity of thought leaders like him. On top of this, we recognize the high value of Blaya’s personal elegance throughout his career. It has always been a positive experience to engage him in our conversations…
