LISA PERRIN: "WITH PLANO A PLANO, WE HAVE ONE OF THE BEST DRAMA COMPANIES IN SPAIN"

Last July, ITV Studios acquired a majority stake in Spain's production company Plano a Plano, which has gained national and international recognition for titles such as Netflix's "Valeria," Mediaset's "El Príncipe," and TVE's "Servir y Proteger". Founder César Benítez, along with CEO Emilio Amaré and Executive Producer Álvaro Benítez, will continue to lead the company, which operates from Madrid and Bilbao. That management team will report to Lisa Perrin, Managing Director of International Production at ITV Studios. Señal News spoke with Perrin to gain an understanding of the strategy behind the acquisition.

What is ITV Studios' business strategy behind Plano a Plano's stake acquisition?

"We're always looking for great talent to invest in, and César and his team are fantastically talented producers and storytellers. Our strategy at ITV Studios is to work with the best, and with Plano a Plano, I think we have one of the best drama companies in Spain. That was the strategy. We had been discussing with Emilio and César for a very long time the possibility of Plano a Plano joining the Group, and we were thrilled when they decided to come on board."

What specific features and milestones did you observe in Plano a Plano and its production pipeline?

"Plano a Plano has some huge successes under its belt, including four series of 'Valeria' for Netflix and more recently, Ladrones: La Tiara de Santa Águeda' for Disney+. 'El Principe', produced for Mediaset, has been sold to more than 60 international markets, and the team creates the high-volume daily telenovela 'Servir y Proteger' for TVE. There is a diverse body of work, and they collaborate with all the streamers and broadcasters in Spain, which is incredibly important to us. They also have incredible relationships with writers and actors. Naturally, there are several upcoming projects we are all very excited about too, but we can't talk about them yet!"

César Benítez, Emilio Amaré, and Álvaro Benítez will continue to lead the label. What do they add to ITV Studios' scripted strategy?

"They are all super talented individuals, César alone is the producer of more than 50 films & TV series, Emilio is brilliant commercially, and Alvaro is another fantastic producer. One of the great benefits of joining ITV Studios is that you become part of this club of other brilliant producers who are at the top of their game and are open to collaboration. Some of the ITV Studios UK producers have already been in touch with them to explore potential collaboration opportunities, and I'm sure Plano a Plano would also like to discuss their projects with some of our producers in other territories."

How will you blend Plano a Plano with all ITV Studios' production labels?

"Plano a Plano will continue to operate in the same way it always has. Clearly, they are now plugged into the larger ITV Studios infrastructure, but we want them to continue doing what they have always done: making great shows that people want to watch. So for the foreseeable future, they will be exactly as they are today."