Veteran producers Koby Gal Raday (The Band’s Visit, On the Spectrum) and Ilda Santiago (Concrete Jungle) are teaming up with Brazil‘s Mymama Entertainment and Germany’s Beta Film to launch a new international production company, Janeiro Studios, that aims to produce high-end TV and indie feature films out of the Latin America and beyond. Koby Gal-Raday will serve as CEO, and Santiago will be managing director.
The company has the backing of Beta Film, one of Europe’s leading indie outfits, producers of Babylon Berlin and period romancer Sisi. Mayra Faour Auad’s Mymama Entertainment, a leading Brazil production group, and International Emmy winner for 2018 documentary series Hack The City and doc feature Our Blood, Our Body.
“Brazil is ready to expand its creative and commercial boundaries, and the international market expects it from us now,” said Faour Auad.
With offices in Brazil and Europe, Janeiro Studios aims to pursue collaborations and co-productions in Brazil and internationally and aims to leverage its founders’ extensive international networks and experience to produce auteur-driven content for the world.
Gal-Raday was chief content officer at Israeli leading streaming platform Yes, where he oversaw the production of such series as Fauda, Your Honor and On the Spectrum. In 2020, he took over as chief content officer at Beta, where he helped shepherd high-end TV productions such as Italian-French-German co-production La Storia and the Hungarian period epic Rise of the Raven.
Santiago is a powerhouse in the Brazilian cinema market, as co-founder of art-house distributor and exhibition company Estação Group and co-founder, CEO and artistic director at Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival. Her credits as a producer include Vicente Amorim’s action-thriller Concrete Jungle and Andrucha Waddington’s upcoming crime drama Vitória.
“With over 20 years on the broadcaster, sales and co-production side, I’m ready to return to my ‘roots’ as an independent producer and focus on my everlasting passion: facilitating and enabling the creation of untold stories for film and cinema, delivered in bold and unique ways,” Gal-Raday said.
Added Santiago: “I’ve been ‘preaching’ for co-productions and alliances between Brazil and other countries for many years. It’s exciting to dive into this new chapter, which allows my passion to work with talent across new borders.”
