Mipcom: Endemol Shine Latino Co-produces Drama Series on Latin Boy Band, Menudo
It prompted as much hysteria as the Beatles in its heyday and launched the careers of Ricky Martin among others. Now Latino boy band Menudo is the subject of a scripted drama series from Endemol Shine Latino in tandem with Somos Prods, Boomdog TV and Pi?olywood Studios.
The first season of “Subete a Mi Moto—The History of Menudo” will focus on the origins of the band and its meteoric rise to global fame.
Founded in Puerto Rico in the 1970s by Edgardo Diaz, Menudo spanned four decades and captivated millions of loyal fans around the world. The producers hope that the series will resonate with viewers of all ages and generate interest in a wealth of territories.
Somos Distribution and Endemol Shine Latino are currently in talks with potential networks/platforms for the series. Discussions are underway with some of the former band members for some form of collaboration in the series.
“There’s never been anything like Menudo in Latin music history,” said Laurens Drillich, President of Endemol Shine Latino, a division of Endemol Shine North America.
“There are musical phenomena that become well-known landmarks because of their impact both with their songs and stage presence, as well as for the richness of their personal experiences” said Luis Villanueva, president and CEO of Somos Prods., adding: “Menudo is one of such phenomena and its history, as told by the creator and manager of the band, guarantees the excitement and appeal of each of this series’ episodes.”
Menudo racked up numerous hit songs, including: “Súbete A Mi Moto,” “Quiero Ser,” “Rock En La TV,” “Claridad,” and “Mi Banda Toca Rock” and released two feature films: “Una Aventura Llamada Menudo” and “Menudo: La Pelicula.”
Unlike most bands, Menudo had a long list of members, including Martin and Draco Rosa, as Diaz changed out most members after they turned 16 years old. The band disbanded in 2009, after 39 different male singers had participated in Menudo’s worldwide success.
“Menudo” is the third music-themed bio-scripted series co-produced by Endemol Shine Latino and Boomdog, a collaboration which began with a bio-series about popular Mexican singer El Dasa, “El Vato,” which is in its second season and continues to meet ratings expectations on NBC Universo, followed by “El Ganador,” about Puerto Rican reggaeton icon Nicky Jam, airing soon on Telemundo.
Endemol Shine Latino has three upcoming series with Telemundo, including the first-ever Spanish-language version of “MasterChef” in the U.S. (“MasterChef Latino”), and is also producing “Strictly Dancing” (“Mira Quién Baila”) and “Your Face Sounds Familiar” (“Tu Cara Me Suena”) for Univision.
Boomdog TV has produced some of Mexico’s top unscripted and scripted series including “Chumel,” “La Sopa,” “Mexico’s Next Top Model,” “Impractical Jokers,” “Fashion Police Mexico” among others.
Puerto Rican-based indie Pi?olywood Studios has among its movie credits: “Sanky Panky 3,” “Pepo Pal Senado” and “Los Domirrique?os.”
Somos Prods. produced Emmy-nominated Juan Gabriel bio-series “Until I Met You,” “The Latin American Music Awards” and “The Billboards Mexican Music Awards,” telenovelas, and “Vicky RPM” for Nickelodeon.
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