‘Spanish Affair’ Diego San José Joins Mediapro Creative Content Team
By Emiliano De Pablos
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – MADRID — Mediapro, one of Europe’s biggest independent film-TV groups, has tapped Spanish writer-showrunner Diego San José, co-scribe of the smash-hit “Spanish Affair” movie franchise, to develop exclusive new TV fiction contents.
San José has previously been involved in two projects, as co-writer and co-creator of political comedy “Vota Juan,” a co-production with Turner España aired on TNT, and co-writer of Borja Cobeaga’s “Fe de Etarras,” Netflix’s second original Spanish film, released in 2017.
He joins an already large list of content creatives tapped by Mediapro in recent years with the aim of strengthening its growing role as a key TV fiction powerhouse in Spain and the international market. That team takes in Emmy-winning Ran Tellem (“Homeland”), Iván Escobar (“Vis a vis”), Javier Olivares (“The Department of Time”), Marc Vigil (“Red Eagle”), Fernando González Molina (“The Boat”) and Daniel Burman (“Edha”), among dozens of other screenwriters and directors.
“The incorporation of Diego, right now the most important comedy creator on the audiovisual scene, reinforces our commitment to count on the best talent for the development of quality content,” Javier Méndez, Mediapro’s Global Content Director, said in a statement.
“Our previous experiences with Diego have been highly positive and we are convinced that we will develop interesting projects,” he added.
San José said: “With Mediapro I have done two of my favorite works, ‘Fe de Etarras’ and ‘Vota Juan,’ and I don’t think it’s a coincidence. It has to do with the way we have worked together, so I am very curious to see what new projects may arise from this relationship.”
San José and Cobeaga wrote Telecinco Cinema and Universal’s 2014 Spanish-language hit “Spanish Affair” and its 2015 sequel, respectively ranked as the most and third-most successful local productions of all-time at the Spanish box office.
As a scriptwriter of entertainment formats, San José has also worked on Basque regional network ETB’s flagship program “Vaya Semanita,” TVE’s “La Hora de José Mota” and LaSexta’s “Qué vida más triste!” and “El Intermedio.”
