Marie Leguizamo: ‘I started as an opera singer’

LOS ANGELES — Few know that Marie Leguizamo, before being the producer of several of the most popular Hispanic programs such as “La Voz Kids”, “Mira Quien Baila” or “Last One Laughing” (LOL), was an opera singer and that is why she herself He says he loves being both behind and in front of the cameras.

“I started as an opera singer, I loved musicals and opera when I was little and I studied that and I wanted to be in front of the camera and there was a moment when I decided to go behind the camera,” Leguizamo recalls in a recent interview. with Notistarz via Zoom.

“I started at MTV in New York and since then I have done production, high production and production in the last 20 years with three Emmy nominations, which I have not won yet, but I hope to win one soon and continue in this career of unscripted (without script) that I love so much,” added the experienced producer born in New York to a Colombian father and Ecuadorian mother and half-sister of Hollywood actor John Leguizamo.

The vast experience acquired in production for television in Latin America and the Hispanic market in the United States, in programs such as the musical reality show “Viva El Sueño”, “Pequeños Gigantes USA” and the special programming of “Premios Juventud” and “Billboard All Access” , among others, have served Marie Leguizamo, to be today the general director of Banijay México & US Hispanic.

This division of the Banijay Group is the largest independent television producer and distributor in the world, focused on developing and producing original content in English and Spanish for Mexico and the Hispanic audience in the United States.

As head of Banijay Mexico and US, Hispanic, Marie leads the efforts to develop the Latin American-focused production hub for the Last One Laughing (LOL) comedy format after several successful seasons of the show in Mexico.

“LOL was a hit for the last four seasons and we just recorded the fifth season of Mexico, which makes me very excited that it’s about to come out,” said the executive also in charge of producing LOL Colombia and LOL Argentina for Prime Video.

“There are no longer just the conventional channels like Telemundo and Univision, now with all the platforms that are growing like Amazon, Netflix and VIX there are many more opportunities to have our Hispanic stories… I have the opportunity not only to produce in Mexico and Latin America, but also in the United States for Hispanics who we know are different cultures in a big house… It is a pride that he has the opportunity to do so”, he stressed.

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Under Marie’s supervision, Banijay Mexico & US Hispanic is also developing an unscripted documentary series with music superstar Becky G, offering a comprehensive look at an all-female group of emerging Latin music artists.

“The Becky G team contacted us and they were looking for a platform and a place to co-produce the series “Becoming Angel 22″. It is a band of 4 women who represent Colombia, Brazil, Puerto Rico and Cuba. She (Becky G) is like a mentor,” she pointed out.

On the other hand, Leguizamo spoke about whether at some point streaming platforms will end up erasing traditional channels from open television.

“The industry is changing a lot in these years and I think it will continue to evolve, but conventional channels have their purpose and are also important, I think they will continue, but there will be a balance of power,” concluded the resident producer of Los Angeles California.