Writer Chris Brancato of Hotel Cocaine: The production level in the Dominican Republic is on par with Los Angeles

Chris Brancato, writer and producer of the series Hotel Cocaine (8×60’) from MGM Amazon Studios, which debuts on June 16 on MGM+ in the US and is negotiating its distribution in the region, told PRODU that the idea for the project came about when he was making Narcos in Colombia, through an actor named Maurice Compte who told him the story of his father, Román, who was the manager of the Mutiny Hotel in Miami in the late 70s. “And he described it as a sort of Casablanca on cocaine: an environment with a lot of energy, and the war on drugs was happening outside the hotel walls,” Brancato noted.

BASED ON REAL EVENTS AT MIAMI’S MUTINY HOTEL
Brancato recounts that he asked Maurice to write something about his father and send it to him. “It took him three or four years, but he did it. And I called him and said I’d like to make a TV show about his father. I’ll have to fictionalize certain aspects because Maurice’s father didn’t have an older brother who was a drug trafficker, which is part of the purpose of this show. This is based on a true story, but it’s fictionalized. I love that this is the story of a real man. You know, if a person had to deal with this particular time in Miami when cocaine was coming in large quantities,” he emphasized.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
For Brancato, working in Latin America has been “wonderful.” “First of all, because the crews are spectacular. The level of experience in film production right now means that there’s no difference for me in filming this in the Dominican Republic or Los Angeles. The quality of the department heads was great. The facilities were wonderful. And so, we finished filming in early March. We’re editing now, and we’ll be out in June. It’s been a great experience,” he expressed.

Brancato emphasized the interesting aspects of producing the series in the Dominican Republic. “First of all, we had to find, obviously easy to find, beautiful and pristine beaches. But we needed to find a hotel that looked like it was from the 70s. We needed to build parts of the club on a soundstage. There are many things that the Dominican Republic provides. There are the Pinewood Studios we used for our sets. That’s wonderful. Again, the crew was experienced and helpful. So, I couldn’t have had a better time making the show,” he said.

BROADCAST TV VS STREAMING
Asked about the differences in producing a show for broadcast TV, where Brancato started much of his career, versus streaming platforms, he said it’s not that different. “What I have to do is tell a story that has a beginning, middle, and end, and that makes you want to watch the next episode. So, if it’s on Netflix, MGM+, or Amazon, it doesn’t matter. It just has to make you want to keep watching. So, I haven’t had to change my writing style much due to the shift to streaming. We have a bit more freedom to tell stories that are darker and more interesting than on network TV,” he pointed out.

A UNIVERSAL STORY
Brancato highlights that the story of Hotel Cocaine is universal. “What we’re exploring in this show is that in the late 70s, cocaine wasn’t seen as it is today, as a very dangerous and powerful drug. The show tries to tell us that every pleasure has a price, of course. And we see how that unfolds. I think it’s important to mention that we have actors from all over the world in the show: from England, Australia, and all Latin countries. They are very interesting actors from all over the world,” he mentioned.