Nani Freitas of Endemol Shine Brasil talks about the prodco’s road ahead, including its first docuseries, its move into fiction through the purchase of A Fábrica and the construction of an impressive new studio near São Paulo.
Nani Freitas
Endemol Shine Brasil is committed to consolidating its position as the main provider of entertainment formats in the country, but is also eyeing areas for expansion.
This year it will release its first documentary, Xuxa o Documentário, which, according to CEO Nani Freitas, heralds a new line of production focused on factual stories.
In addition to marking its 15th anniversary, 2022 brought two key milestones for the Banijay-owned firm. The first was work starting on what will become Banijay Studios, one of the largest independent production complexes in Latin America. The second was the incorporation into the group of Rio de Janeiro-based prodco A Fábrica, dedicated to Brazilian independent fiction.
“We are getting stronger as a production house. In 2022, we produced 20 projects for different players, such as streamers, free TV and pay TV. We are in one of our best moments as Endemol Shine Brasil, not only in terms of positioning but in production capacity, since we have the differential of being able to produce many projects simultaneously,” Freitas says.
When Freitas says “produce” she refers not only to the international formats that Banijay brings to Brazil for local adaptation, or to those that Endemol itself creates in the country, but especially to production services, one of the producer’s main businesses.
“Today we adapt many formats for players who want us to make versions in Brazil, as in the case of Casamento a Blind [Love is Blind] for Netflix. On other occasions, clients give us a briefing and we take care of the rest. Another of our businesses is branded content, since we develop totally original content created in Brazil for brands,” she adds.
In this sense, Freitas says the expansion of Banijay in the country is part of a strategy of “covering the needs of the Brazilian market” and promoting local productions so that they have greater reach internationally.
Endemol Shine Brasil produces the local version of Netflix’s Love is Blind
Part of this plan includes the construction of Banijay Studios, which covers 70,000 square metres and is located in Guarulhos, a few kilometers from São Paulo.
The complex, which will open this year, will offer the local market a variety of options for productions of all sizes, with internal and external facilities, state-of-the-art technology, set-design sheds and offices.
“What we most want is for Endemol Brasil to be recognised as a creative power and as a creator of formats. On the one hand, we bring locally developed formats to pitch with other countries, as was the case with the Cabelo Pantene branded content, a format created here for Procter & Gamble that has already been internationalised and produced in Portugal,” she explains.
“On the other hand, streamers manage to bring more and more visibility, so that this content can become more and more global. Casamento a Cegas, for example, is a Netflix format produced by us that was in the global top 10 for a while,” adds Freitas.
From now on, Endemol Shine Brasil will aim to maintain the production level of its entertainment formats, such as gastronomic series MasterChef (Band), musical show Canta Comigo (Record), talent show The Masked Singer (Globo) and gameshow The Wall (Globo).
“Reality shows are a national passion. It is a product that in Brazil has a lot of impact and possibilities. Today, out of every 10 people, six watch and comment on reality shows in Brazil,” says the executive.
Xuxa o Documentário will be Endemol Shine Brasil’s first documentary
The company’s slate of formats released recently or shortly to premiere includes Rio Shore (MTV Brasil/Paramount+), MasterChef Profissionais, MasterChef Amadores, the third season of The Masked Singer, the completion of The Wall, whose host is the popular Luciano Huck, as well as the premiere of Casamento a Cegas on Netflix at the end of last year.
“Today we work with all the platforms and we will repeat the number of 20 projects in 2023. From 2021 to 2022 we grew 10% and this year we hope to reach 20%,” says Freitas.
In addition, the company aims to expand into other genres, particularly docuseries and factual. A self-made series dedicated to the life of Brazilian superstar Xuxa Meneghel has already been produced and will be seen locally on streamer Globoplay.
“We want to maintain what we already do with great excellence: continue licensing, producing and adapting formats in the same volumes. But we are increasingly entering documentaries and factual. Xuxa is the first. We have already filmed it but it still doesn’t have a release date. We are also very focused on creating original Brazilian projects that have the possibility of travelling,” Freitas says.
When it comes to fiction, parent company Banijay has just acquired Brazilian production company A Fábrica, based in Rio de Janeiro and dedicated to scripted.
“We will share this space with A Fábrica and we have a great opportunity to combine the expertise and capabilities of both production companies, even though they are still in fiction and we continue to focus on non-fiction,” Freitas says.
