Banijay announced the appointment of a new Managing Director at Zeppelin, a Banijay Iberia company. Shifting from within Banijay’s existing Spanish footprint, Amparo Castellano will lead Zeppelin, with a remit to further build the business’ portfolio of hits for the local and global market, reporting to Banijay Iberia CEO, Pilar Blasco.
Her responsibilities include the creation of new international IP, such as The Bridge, which was adapted this year in the UK for Channel 4 following two successful runs on Movistar’s #0. Zeppelin is a pioneer in anime and youth scripted productions with "The Idhun Chronicles" (Netflix), "Virtual Hero" (Movistar+) and the Spanish version of "SKAM". The company is also behind the local version of "Big Brother", which has aired in Spain for two decades.
Amparo Castellano joins from Banijay Iberia’s DLO/ Magnolia where she has been Managing Director of Entertainment since 2014. Castellano began her career at Banijay Iberia label, Gestmusic, spending 15 years producing successful formats including "Operación Triunfo: Los Castings" and "Your Big Day" (Tu Si que Vales). As part of the move, non-scripted series from DLO/ Magnolia will become part of the Zeppelin portfolio. Award-winning current affairs series, Radio Gaga, documentary series such as "Pioneras" and entertainment show such as "Pop Up Chef and Sing on!", along with other non-scripted shows will now come under the Zeppelin umbrella.
DLO/ Magnolia’s scripted projects will continue to run within the label, under the direction of José Manuel Lorenzo. Pilar Blasco, Chief Executive Officer of Banijay Iberia comments: “Amparo is uniquely skilled in recognising and creating original ideas and driving innovative productions. Her commitment to creativity, along with a flair for leadership and management make her ideally placed to oversee Zeppelin, a company with exceptional professional talent.”
Amparo Castellano, Managing Director of Zeppelin added: “Zeppelin has a long-held position at the forefront of television, with a fantastic team in place who is well-known for creating programmes that become social phenomenons and captivate audiences. This is set to be an exciting new phase of my career, leading a company that pushes the boundaries to explore exciting new genres, with a team developing original IP for global and local audiences which is true to the essence that make us unique. It’s great to be making the move across.”