Advertisement

Exile Content Appoints Paz Lazaro as Content Director and Head of Spain (EXCLUSIVE)

Exile Content Studio, the Los Angeles and Miami-based production house founded by former Univision chief content officer Isaac Lee, has appointed the highly regarded Berlinale programmer Paz Lázaro as content director and head of Spain.

At Exile, which Lázaro joined at the beginning of January, Lázaro is overseeing development processes, relationships with talent and buyers, intellectual property searches, and packaging in Spain. She reports to Daniel Eilemberg, Exile Content Studios president of content.

More from Variety

Exile Content Studio launching in 2018 with a focus on acquiring and developing premium original content for audiences across the U.S. and Latin America. Given that, with Lázaro Exile has landed an executive with near unparalleled talent relations in Spain and Latin America, accumulated over 15 years of work at the Berlin Film Festival, where she has served as a senior advisor and selection committee member. Lázaro won special fame for directing and curating the Berlinale’s Panorama section, its biggest sidebar, which she grew into a bastion of movies from first-time, emerging and established directors from Latin America and Spain, as well as other parts of the world. Many of these young film directors have now moved into the creation of TV series.

“Paz brings to Exile an incredible experience curating, selecting and working with the top creators in our world, an incredible taste and ability to find winners and place bets, a wealth of relationships with the best people in the industry and a reputation value that is highly valuable as we look to establish ourselves in Spain,” Eilemberg told Variety.

“This is a perfect match. For a long time, I have been exposed to new, on-the rise and established talent, as well as big big names,” she said. “At Exile, the artistic thirst is exactly the same. I was very, very happy to see that they are already working with most of the people that I have been following closely for a long time, even the lesser names that aren’t out there yet,” she added.

Though based out of Spain, Lázaro will also work on the development and acquisition of projects in Latin America.

“There is a big, big amount of water between the countries but culturally it’s always been one,” she said.

Lázaro’s appointment also comes as Spain, more than any other country outside the U.S., other than the U.K., has emerged as a powerhouse for drama series, which are able to break out to global platform audiences around the world.

Exile has already produced in Spain “Un Sueño Real,” now available for streaming on HBO España, and is advancing on “Una Familia Real,” both in partnership with Spanish media company Newtral.

“With the rise of streaming we have seen a boom in content from Spain, I am looking forward to working with Paz to solidify Exile’s presence abroad,” Eilemberg added.

Lázaro also served on the selection committee of Berlinale Series, the festival’s drama series strand, since its launch. Working for Exile, Lázaro will continue her role as a member of the selection committee for the artistic direction of the Berlinale.

Best of Variety

Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.