Chilean executive Iñaki Vicente has joined Turkish producer Ay Yapım as chief content & strategy officer for Spanish- and Portuguese-language markets, from where he will lead the company’s expansion in Spain and Latin America.
The announcement was made today by Ay Yapım, which detailed that Vicente will be in charge of content strategy, development and production for Spain and Latin America, including Brazil, with the aim of consolidating the group’s presence in the region.
As Vicente explained to C21’s Spanish-language sister publication Cveintiuno, the plan is to leverage Ay Yapım’s content library to drive adaptations, while also developing original local content.
“Ay Yapım’s library is extremely attractive and dozens of adaptations have been made all over the world, including in Latin America. The idea is certainly to add those formats”, he said.
“But our main focus will be on creating new content, especially local”, he added.
In that sense, the executive highlighted that the plan is to produce dramas and telenovelas, but also films and series. “The project is conceived from the idea of creating content that is mass-market and has the ability to travel”, he stressed.
As for priority markets, Vicente said the focus will be on Spain alongside Mexico, Brazil and Colombia.
In Spain, in fact, Ay Yapım has already opened a local subsidiary that will be used to drive its projects. In the rest of the markets, the company will work “on a case-by-case basis” in search of the best partnerships for each project.
“In some markets it makes much more sense to sit down at the table with the big production houses and join forces than to set up with a production company directly”, he explained.
On working models, Vicente said he is open to everything, from producing originals to co-producing and investing in productions.
“The idea is to make use of all the know-how the producer has behind it and that includes its internal talent”, he said. In addition, the company will work with local talent and creators, he added.
“We are delighted to welcome Iñaki Vicente to Ay Yapım as chief content & strategy officer for Spanish- and Portuguese-language markets. His strategic vision and international experience have been instrumental to the success of Turkish drama in Latin America”, said Kerem Çatay, CEO of Ay Yapım.
“Ay Yapım’s formats continue to generate strong international interest, with successful remakes produced or currently in development all over the world. As we expand our footprint and produce original projects in Spanish- and Portuguese-language territories, Iñaki’s leadership will be key to strengthening Ay Yapım’s position as a global producer”, he added.
Vicente has more than 25 years of experience in the television industry and most recently served as general director of Chilevisión, a role he left following the sale of the channel by Paramount.
His career also includes stints at Chile’s Canal 13 and Mega, where he was one of the key figures, 12 years ago, behind the launch of the first Turkish series in the country and in Latin America.
At Ay Yapım, the executive will be based between Chile and Turkey and will work directly with creative teams, broadcasters and streaming platforms to identify opportunities for the development, adaptation and production of premium content across Ibero-America.