Chiara Cardoso
International production company BlackBox Multimedia specialises in producing high-end contemporary scripted content based on award-winning IP, developing and producing both returnable and limited content in multiple languages alongside A-list talent and partners. Chiara Cardoso, Head of Development at company comments the production strategy behind BlackBox projects and highlight the titles launched this year.
What are your main achievements this year, and what were the most difficult challenges you had to face?
"This year was absolutely extraordinary for us. We got to make two TV shows and two films that are on their way to be released by the end of the year. We are very proud of this achievement, as we think all those projects represent perfectly what creativity at Blackbox is about: entertainment-led content with a twist. It goes without saying that production is never easy, especially having to juggle four different productions at once while also thinking about the future. However, it is a challenge which we were excited to have and that will lead to more thrilling projects in the years to come."
Have Hollywood's strikes influenced your production plans?
"Thankfully, three out of four of our productions had wrapped by the time the strikes began, and ultimately we were able to complete all of them without much disruption. We are happy that agreements were reached and we believe that everyone in the industry will now go forward with even greater enthusiasm."
What are your main titles launched this year?
"This year we produced two Paramount+ shows with our co-producers at Clapperboard: 'The Castaways', starring Sheridan Smith and Celine Buckens, is based on Lucy Clarke’s bestselling novel. The show was created by Ben Harris and directed by Andy and Ryan Tohill, with BBC studios handling international distribution. The second series is 'The Serial Killer's Wife', starring Annabel Scholey, Jack Farthing and Luke Treadaway and is directed by Laura Way. It is distributed internationally by Newen Connect. We also produced two films: 'Home Education', written and directed by Andrea Niada and starring Julia Ormond and Lydia Page. It was co-produced with Indiana Production and distributed by Warner Brothers and Square One. Our second film is 'This Time Next Year', based on the bestselling novel by Sophie Cousens and starring Sophie Cookson, Lucien Laviscount, John Hannah and Monica Dolan. It is directed by Nick Moore and distributed by Night Train Media, with Protagonist Pictures handling worldwide rights, currently on the market.”
What other projects do you have in the pipeline?
"We have a variety of films and TV series with a strong focus on adaptations. For example, on the film side, we are very thrilled to work on Sophie Cousens’ second book adaptation of her bestselling novel, 'Just Haven’t Met You Yet.' On the TV side, we have some exciting news on the horizon that would see us working again with trusted collaborators, as well as a number of new limited and returnable series for the UK and European markets."
BlackBox always expressed its desire to expand in the Spanish-speaking territories with vast proposals. Could you tell me more about the Spanish projects you have in your development slate?
"Our Spanish development slate is highly selected and curated. We are working with established and emerging Spanish voices on both originals and adaptations across film and TV, such as Curro Royo, Daniel Corpas and Nagore Suarez. All of our projects are made with trusted co-producers such as Izen, EO Media and J64. Moreover, our Spanish collaborations are not limited to Spanish-speaking projects only. We’re also working on a cross-territory British-Spanish project with Dopamine, which is a genre-blending crime thriller written by the two incredible British writers Gaby Chiappe and Alexander Perrin."