The Spanish fashion producer signs the Obama ambassador to our country

• Residence. James Costs does not leave Spain
• Projects: From ambassador to advisor to a heart magazine

The day that James Costos (57) had to pack and leave his residence as the United States ambassador to Spain was a sad day. For those who were "lucky" to work with him, according to numerous collaborators of that time (2013-2017), also for her husband (interior designer Michael S. Smith , responsible for the redesign of the spaces of the White House during the mandate of Barack Obama ), but also for the costs itself. After returning to his residence in Palm Springs, nostalgia overcame him and he ended up settling in an apartment on Ortega y Gasset Street, where he spent about two months a year, which will now be more. The Secuoya production company, the one with the greatest international projection of all Spanish audiovisuals, has just announced his transfer as CEO of his film and television production division, Secuoya Studios.

Raúl Berdonés, president of Secuoya , assures LOC that Costos is "very excited" about the project and that "there is not a day that we don't talk for an hour on the phone." A happiness that both share and that, indicates Berdonés, shows the good state of the audiovisual sector in our country.

"Right now, in Spain and especially in fiction production, we are in the crosshairs of the major producing countries, especially the United States . And we believe that it is time to take a step forward," he explains. "We are at the highest that we have ever been due to the success that the different productions are having. We always take the example of 'La casa de papel', but there are many others that are working well on all platforms."

In this scenario, Costos "is a person who knows the environment perfectly. He is highly recognized in Hollywood. It should not be forgotten that he came from HBO before being a diplomat . He is a very important strategic value and also knows a lot about Spanish territory." In Secuoya they always insist that "it is one thing to speak English and another thing to have the same culture when it comes to doing business that goes beyond the purely economic. We have to impregnate each other with culture: we from the American and they from ours, which he knows so well. " For Berdonés, "it is good that James is there, not only for us, but for the entire industry, because it will help build bridges and make people focus on Spain." In addition, the "resounding successes" that accompany the products make the Cost decision not an adventure, but rather "you are getting on a safe boat."

And it is explained: "All content is working on all platforms. There has been a turnaround in what has been produced in Spain, which is not only successful in the Spanish-speaking world, but also in the English-speaking world . And there Secuoya is playing an extremely important role. We are one of the few Spanish audiovisual production groups that are present in several countries (Spain, Mexico, Colombia, Peru and Chile) offering services. "

Its objective, emphasizes the president of the company, "is to launch a great studio, with a Hispano-American vision to make great productions, not only thought and created for Spain, but fictions that have both parts of 'Charco': Spanish screenwriters with American directors and vice versa. But always promoting Spain as a hub of international production . "

For this, the study that Costos will direct is based on three pillars. "One is film production, where we already have between three and six films a year, " explains Berdonés. "Another is the creation of original fiction. And then a leap in the co-production part. More than ever, this is about coming together, looking for local and international platforms and 'players' that finish making great productions.

In the absence of any regulatory reform on tax issues, all this is "a condiment for Spain to position itself as the second most important country in the world in fiction production ", predicts Berdonés. And that's where the signing of Costs or projects such as Madrid Content City is included.

Berdonés also points out that the audiovisual business is "one of those that will recover in V after this drama" of the coronavirus and its economic consequences. "Because there is a lot of demand, because people have made a lot of consumption in recent times and because everyone is asking for content."

"We are very clear that we will continue to push," stresses the president. "Until now, the toilets and the security forces and bodies have put a grain of sand and now it is up to us entrepreneurs. Because I believe in this country, in the Spanish, in the industry and the people who make this industry."

Raúl Berdonés: from humble boy to self-made businessman

Raún Berdonés (Granada, 1978), is an example of a self-made man, from his humble origins in the LA Chana neighborhood. His case, he says, "demonstrates once again that with effort and passion for what you do, things are achieved. That they are the ingredients of my career. If I look back and see where I am going, it would be unthinkable even for me" .

"The tenacity and the illusion lead you to a good port," he insists. "And even more when you also do it from simplicity and being the same 15 years ago as today. But this is not a thing of mine alone, but of many people. I believe in people and people are the ones who do the projects. One of my virtues is to surround myself with the best, it is to detect my shortcomings and try to cover them with those people. And that is what is allowing us to grow so fast and be present in so many places with the success we are achieving. "

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