Interviews | Events | Conventions | Micro-dramas | Vertical Content
Gustavo Nieto Roa, Founder of EGEDA Colombia and President of Centauro Comunicaciones.
- “This is a unique event because it brings together leaders from the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking markets. There is no other event like it in the world,” he told TVMAS director Amanda Ospina during the sixth edition of this vibrant event held at Matadero Madrid from September 29 to October 2.
- “Micro-dramas are part of the evolution of technology and new forms of storytelling,” explains the filmmaker and entrepreneur who founded CENTAURO COMUNICACIONES.
We crossed paths on September 29 the event’s opening day at the Sala Plató (Cineteca) in Matadero Madrid. We were attending the “K-DRAMA Spotlight: From Korea to the World” session featuring keynote speaker and director Hong Jong-Chan, best known for directing the hit Netflix series ‘Teach You a Lesson’. It was the perfect moment following a fascinating discussion by a distinguished panel to interview the founder of EGEDA Colombia, a man with whom I had the honor of working for nearly six years.
Why, and in what year, did you found EGEDA Colombia?
As you know, EGEDA is a non-profit collective management organization that represents, administers, and defends the intellectual property rights of audiovisual producers. It was established in Spain in 1990 and now has a presence in many countries. Colombia has boasted a significant output of films, series, and short films since the early days of television and cinema, so it was crucial for EGEDA to have an active presence there. That is why I decided to found EGEDA Colombia 20 years ago; I served as president for 12 years and currently sit on the board of directors.
Let’s talk about micro-dramas; the central message of this panel is that productions don’t need to lose their cultural identity to succeed abroad. How do you view this boom one that clearly has the staying power to keep surprising audiences?
Cinema overcame the cultural and physical barriers of classical theater through budgets and intellectual properties that later advanced into television. Radio paved the way for television, which itself evolved through the rise of telenovelas and, subsequently, prestigious streaming platforms featuring series and programs that hook viewers episode by episode. Micro-dramas are repeating this same evolutionary cycle. They aren’t replacing cinema or TV, just as television didn’t replace theater. They are agile formats designed for audiences that live on mobile devices.
As a filmmaker of your stature someone who has dedicated practically your entire life to film and television since the black and white era. Would you take the plunge into the world of vertical content?
Absolutely. In fact, at this event, I am having conversations with major investors and creators who are bringing funding to the producers participating here, enabling them to keep telling stories. That is what I am: a storyteller keeping pace with technological changes and innovations.
CENTAURO COMUNICACIONES is a dubbing and localization company based in Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, and Miami.
Gustavo Nieto Roa with Chilean producer Pablo Avila, founder of MAZAL SERIES, alongside Andrea Undurraga, Executive Producer at Mazal Series, and Ronald Heim, Content Director at Mazal Series.
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