Isabel Montenegro, VP of Production at 200% Media:
Batalla en Abuela´s Kitchen, produced by Dhana Media (now 200% Media) for Roku in Colombia in collaboration with Miracol (owned by Pedro Dávila), was a great learning experience for 200% Media on how to make an American production with Hollywood standards, taking advantage of the tax incentives that Colombia offers, its local talent and infrastructure.
Isabel Montenegro, VP of Production at 200% Media, was the intermediary throughout the process and developed the knowledge to apply it to other company’s productions and for its clients.
“Batalla was a super experience. Each platform wants specific things. We did the casting in the US to make it very US Hispanic and included some contestants from Colombia. We spent several months looking for the right people and talking to Roku. The American client was on set. It was a magnificent and incredible experience working in Colombia. We did some productions in Colombia before, but small projects,” said Montenegro.
She mentioned they tried to do the project in Miami, but the budget was insufficient. “It was a great idea from Mary Urdaneta and Liliana Moyano to take the show to Colombia,” she pointed out.
ADVANTAGEOUS INCENTIVES
Montenegro liked working in Colombia. “It seemed like a wonderful market to me. Sometimes, you think the Latin market will not have the same standards as the American market, but I was very impressed. The funds are enough for everything. In Florida, we had incentives until 2015; wonderful things were done here in Miami, but suddenly, the incentives were gone, and there was nothing more. Incentives are very attractive for the client; it means getting the money back with the advantage to have a better production quality,” she said.
She mentioned that part of the Colombian incentives means that the producer gets back 20% of VAT (the tax) and between 30 and 40% of everything invested in production if they use Colombian talent, food, production, and studios. “You do not see that level of incentives in Florida.”
She said that Miracol has a lot of knowledge in managing the incentives, applying, and proving to the Colombian government that you have all the requirements. It takes about two or three months of prior work to apply.
“We thought it was a wonderful idea, whether to provide services or for our productions, it is worth it. The talent is wonderful, and as a Latino, you feel proud that your people are as good as Hollywood can be,” she emphasized.
She said it took a week for the production of the series. “We recorded every day in a row, only with a one-day break. It was a hard week. It took us 90 days to set it up for rehearsals, get there, and do it while having the Covid in the way. Only the casting was done in the US, the set and everything else was set up in Colombia. Only the showrunner, the director, and I were from the US, the rest were from Colombia.”
Montenegro considers that production is “more flexible and more resourceful” in these countries.
Within what they learned with the production of Batalla en Abuela´s Kitchen, Montenegro mentioned the need to have a little more time to submit the requirements for the Colombian incentives.
“It is great to have the possibility to make this type of production in our countries, to be able to go to Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, since the funds will be enough and you will have a crew that can do it,” she said and added she is considering to take some of upcoming 200% Media productions to Latin America. “I think 2024 will be a decisive year and a great opportunity to take productions to Latin America.”
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