Sounding dramatic

Estefan, Prisa form Latin TV prod'n banner

By EMILIANO DE PABLOS, JOHN HOPEWELL

Estefan

MADRID -- Composer and music entrepreneur Emilio Estefan, one of the architects of the U.S. Latino music boom, is taking his first large steps in TV drama production, creating a new production company with Spain's biggest media company, Prisa.

Plural Luna will be a 50/50 joint venture between Miami-based Estefan Television Prods. and Prisa's film/TV production subsid Plural Entertainment. It will produce TV drama series, sitcoms, docus and light entertainment for the U.S. Hispanic market.

Plural Luna is a couple of months off production on two fully financed drama series, "La calle del ritmo," which turns on life at a new record label, and "Al filo de la ley," about partners at an Hispanic law firm. Plural Luna is also prepping a talkshow.

Estefan declared that he was "proud to have been given the opportunity to continue stimulating the growth of the vibrant Hispanic market."

"Creating a successful company requires strong alliances with those at the top of their sector and, without a doubt, Emilio Estefan has confirmed his reputation as a pioneer in the thriving and vital Hispanic market," Plural CEO Luis Merino added.

"Calle" will benefit from synergies with both Estefan's record label Crescent Moon Records and Prisa's Muxxic Latina, a Miami-based Latino music label created with the Universal Music Group.

Working out of Crescent Moon Film and Television, Estefan has produced many music specs and musicvideos over the last decade.

The step up into fiction production is a logical diversification as record sales fall in the U.S. and record piracy climbs in Latin America.

Prisa last year inked a long-term film co-production pact with Televisa Cine, the film arm of Mexican TV giant Televisa.

(Mary Sutter in Miami contributed to this report.)