Crossover Entertainment Transcends Borders by Repackaging Latinamerican TV Content into American Programming

By Jose Jara

Crossover Entertainment, under the guidance of CEO George Salinas,
President Jaime Aymerich and account executive Carolina Aymerich,
carefully studies and dissects each of the selected programs for repackaging.

HOLLYWOOD, CA, JUNE 14, 2016 – In 2012, Hollywood talent agent, George Salinas and Mexican actor, Jaime Aymerich, co-founded Crossover Entertainment, a production company that specializes in identifying and reformatting Latinamerican TV programs that are a perfect fit for the U.S. market-not just mainstream American TV viewers but also the 55 million Latinos, of which 62% are English-speaking or bilingual, including the coveted “Generation M” (multicultural, millennial and mobile).

Crossover Entertainment now joins the handful of leading companies that handle creation and sales of programming format, which includes ITV Studios, Talpa (Netherlands), Endemol (UK/Netherlands) and FremantleMedia (U.K.)-companies who brought us hits like: Sweden’s Survivor, UK’s Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, American Idol, The Office, Netherlands’ Master Chef, Deal or No Deal, Big Brother or on Netflix, UK’s House of Cards, among many others-but none like Crossover Entertainment who specialize exclusively on Mexican TV programs to recreate into world class content for all U.S. platforms.

In the same vein that Ben Silverman (Colombia’s Jane The Virgin, Venezuela’s Ugly Betty) and Silvio Horta (Ugly Betty) successfully repackaged these two foreign properties to great success for the ABC and the CW networks, Crossover Entertainment is specifically targeting Mexican TV properties to convert into American programming.

In its four years, Crossover Entertainment has become a leading, sought-after company by major networks seeking content. In 2015, the company repackaged and sold “La Hipocondriaca,” a popular Colombian telenovela to FOX Broadcasting Company (20th Century TV). They partnered with Executive Producers Julie Bowen (Modern Family) to also star, and Robin Shorr (The Middle) to write the pilot Hypochondriac, a single-camera comedy. To date, Crossover has sold two properties to FOX and one to CBS, with several others in development.

Crossover Entertainment, under the guidance of CEO Salinas, President Jaime Aymerich and account executive Carolina Aymerich, carefully studies and dissects each of the selected programs for repackaging.

“We keep the basic premise but add original features to enhance its commercial appeal and reinvent the original humor and/or drama in a sensitive way that fits American audiences,” said Salinas.

Carolina Aymerich states that the key divergence between the original Mexican show and the U.S. adaptation lies in Crossover’s principals’ extensive knowledge of both markets. “And, because we are both Mexican and American,” added Salinas, “we are keenly aware of both cultures because we are deeply immersed in both.”

With all of its TV content, Crossover Entertainment makes sure that the original premise and adapted components both complement its predecessor while still managing to standout in its own unique way.

The company has studied many of the foreign TV properties sold into the U.S. market that have failed. “No doubt about it,” said Salinas, “the low-cost factor of reformatting foreign shows is appealing to networks and while they have become the new norm, if the reformat version is not sensitive to the cultural nuances of Americans and not just English-speaking Latinos, but mainstream, it will fail.”

“The relationship we are building with FOX and CBS so far,” added Jaime Aymerich, “gives rise to several innovative reformat programs we have in place to add all genres aside from sitcoms-dramas, game and reality shows.”

While, the U.K. and the U.S. have become two of the largest global exporters of television programs and each other’s biggest customers and most frequent co-production partners, Crossover Entertainment is the number one and premier Mexico content provider to U.S. networks.

Crossover Entertainment is a production company but operates more like a studio. Aside from the reformatting of Mexican shows, in the future they will add original programing of all genres and films. The company also has a talent management division and produces live events like the recent Hollywood Walk of Fame Star event for Mexican superstar Eugenio Derbez.

Crossover Entertainment is tapping into the sweet spot of each program they select and developing it to attract an audience of adoring American viewers.