Propagate snags Colombian formats for the US

Formats-logo-460_2another level caracolBen Silverman and Howard T. Owens indie Propagate will take Colombian shows into the US after inking a deal with Caracol, TBI has learned.

Silverman has a pedigree of getting Latin American formats away in the US and internationally, having brought Ugly Betty from Colombia to English-language TV.

The new deal will see him and the Propagate team bring Caracol’s hit drama series La Niña (The Girl) to the States, as well as its music completion format A Otro Nivel (On Another Level, pictured).

“Caracol has a track record of developing innovative and successful formats that we believe are ripe for the US market,” Silverman and Owens said in a statement issued to TBI.

“This partnership with Caracol is the first of its kind for Propagate, and represents how we are looking to redefine the global content business by taking the model for our successful US production platform to the international market.”

“We are very proud to announce this partnership with Propagate,” said Lisette Osorio, VP, international sales for Caracol TV. “It is a great opportunity for Caracol and we are convinced that this is the first step of many that we are going to take together in this new journey in the US market.”

Propagate’s new international boss, Cyrus Farrokh, brokered the deal alongside the indie’s Jay Weisleder, who will manage the partnership day-to-day.

Caracol’s La Niña tells the story of a young girl readjusting to normal life after years as a child soldier.

A Otro Nivel is a shiny-floor talent competition in which contestants progress up different levels in an elevator style set Caracol’s international division has, TBI understands, optioned the show to a major formats company in Europe, outside of the Propagate deal.

Silverman and Owens have set ambitious international ambitions for their A+E Networks-backed indie producer and distributor, which they discussed in a recent TBI interview.

Propagate already has several shows greenlit, including Planet of the Apps with Apple and Animal ER for National Geographic, the cable net Howard Owens ran before setting up the new prodco.

The firm’s international approach to projects can be seen in several other new projects, including a US remakes of Korean drama My Lawyer, Mr. Jo and Turkish series My Partner Knows Best, which is with Lifetime.

Most Recent