Lex Borrero, Co-Founder Of NEON16, Strives For A Universal Expansion In Latin Content

Statistically, you might assume there is a notable increase in programming content featuring the Latin community. The rise in streaming services and online content, after all, ushered in the era of “Peak TV” (which, in 2022, reached its zenith with a whopping 599 original series). Then, and over the past two decades, Latinos in the United States are credited as the largest contributor to the population growth (accounting for 54 percent of the gain). By 2060, the Latino population is projected to increase to 111.2 million, or 28 percent of the U.S. population, according to Census Bureau projections.

Yet, Latins continue to be significantly underrepresented in U.S. television and film, despite the group representing almost one-fifth of the total U.S. population (and $2.8 trillion in total economic output, according to the Latino Donor Collaborative’s 2022 Latino GDP report). According to the findings, Latinos in 2022 represented only 3.1 percent of the lead actors in TV shows and 2.1 percent of the supporting actors (and more often than not in a negative stereotypical capacity). Behind the scenes, only 1.5 percent of TV showrunners and 1.3 percent of directors were Latin.

In film, the stats both on and off camera are equally subpar. In the same time frame, just 5.2 percent of lead actors and 5.1 percent of the supporting actors were Latin. Screenwriters and directors in film were just 3.5 percent and 2.6 percent, respectively.

“Other communities and groups have advanced tremendously, but Latinos keep lagging behind. We don’t understand it,” said Ana Valdez, president and CEO of the Latino Donor Collaborative (LDC) in a statement. “We don’t see the business premise happening as it should.”

Addressing the Lack of Latin Representation in Media

“Certainly, this is not a new issue, but that is not to say that change is not imminent,” noted record producer and music industry executive Lex Borrero, the former 1916 Management and Roc Nation executive who co-founded music company NEON16 with record producer and songwriter Tainy and has expanded into the original television production space via multimedia entertainment company NTERTAIN. “We have two goals in this business; to create impactful moments via the stories we tell, and to narrate those to the world, with both adequately representative of the Latin market.

“Fortunately, there has been a Renaissance of cultural change elsewhere, allowing those stories to expand and evolve. Now we must necessitate that change as well for Latinos,” he said. “We are rooted in Latino, with an expansion into multi-cultural, and we want to tell the stories that have the nuances of our culture but for a global audience. We are not just trying to make content for Latin consumers; we want to make these stories accessible to everyone. Non-scripted was the entry for us given our music resources, but our plan is to expand into scripted across all genres.”

NEON16 and NTERTAIN

Launched in 2019 and based in Miami, NEON16 is described as a multi-level hub for talent representation and management, and live musical events and TV and film production. In 2021, Lex Borrero, record executive Tommy Mottola and representation firm Range Media Partners partnered to form the production arm NTERTAIN.

“We are so proud to put our collective experience together to support exceptional Latin talent in creating and shaping culture through music and storytelling,” said Peter Micelli, CEO of Range Media Partners at the announcement of the company’s formation. “The NTERTAIN partnership speaks right to the essential mission and vision of Range Media Partners, and the kind of industry change we hope to help facilitate.”

At present, NTERTAIN has two series streaming on two different digital platforms: docuseries Los Montaner (The Montaners) on Disney+ and the singing competition La Firma (The Signing) on Netflix. A third series featuring Latin actress and artist Thalía titled Thalía Mixtape Soundtrack de mi vida (Thalía Mixtape Soundtrack to My Life) debuts on Paramount+ on May 2.

NTERTAIN has launched its YouTube channel, meanwhile, with El Plan, a Spanish-language web series hosted by Venezuelan entertainment reporter Eliane Gallero that showcases Latin culture through candid conventions with notable talent.

“We are straying away from doing any stereotypical scripted stories like moving drugs or killing unless they are character driven and there is a story behind the characters that is really powerful,” said Borrero. “They must contain the overtones and those touches of culture that really resonate with our consumer base; the stories that are of great human interest across scripted, documentaries and non-scripted.”

“For us, the content must be aspirational and with some sort of positive impact. It is about the soul and the essence of the human nature behind some of the struggles and things that we deal with as a Latino or multi-cultural demo group,” he added. “We are rooted in music, so our initial projects are music driven.”

Los Montaner (The Montaners)

Debuting with five initial episodes last November, Los Montaner (The Montaners) offers an exclusive look into the daily lives of the musical Latin America family the Montaners, both personally and professionally, behind the scenes of their careers and live musical performances. Featured are the Montaners: Ricardo, Marlene Rodriguez, Mau, Ricky, and Evaluna, as well as their significant others Camilo Echeverry, Sara Escobar, and Stefi Roitman.

“I know the family; we did music with them during the quarantine,” noted Borrero. “And I thought they were exactly the right people to resonate in the non-scripted area; individuals you could relate to and a family you want to be a part of. Instead of sensationalizing them, we offer a glimpse into their daily lives.”

Five additional episodes, to-date, have dropped of Los Montaner on Disney+.

La Firma

Naturally, La Firma joins the long list of on-air singing competitions, past and present. Think American Idol, The Voice, America’s Got Talent, Sing On!, Lip Sync Battle, Pitch Battle, The X Factor, Rising Star, and Nashville Star, to name a few. But, as the first-ever Latin-themed music competition, The Firma (The Signing), hosted by AJ Kallejero, goes one step further, putting the participating artists from Mexico, Chile, Columbia, the Dominican Republic, Argentina, Peru, Puerto Rico and the United States under one roof in Miami (shades of CBS’ veteran Big Brother) as they compete for a deal with NEON16 and converse directly with the judges. They are Reggaeton stars Tainy, Yandel, Rauw Alejandro, rapper-singer Nicki Nicole, and Lex Borrero.

La Firma has also partnered with Spotify, which following each episode offers the opportunity to download the music being performed along with a playlist featuring all the songs from all guests, judges and the four finalists of the series.

The aforementioned third series from NTERTAIN with Thalía is a three-part self-described docu-musical. “We follow Thalía as she revisits some of the most influential songs in her life growing up and the artists behind, which transition from regular conversations into a musical,” noted Borrero. “This is a new twist of the docuseries concept, and it is something we can do as an ongoing series with different artists.”

“Basically, we are hungry for the talented writers that can speak what we want our message to be,” explained Borrero. “We are willing to finance that and push it forward. We are comfortable to be the pioneers and the flight carriers for this adequate representation of Latinos. And we are willing to put in the time and effort.”

“Growing up in Miami, I had this ambition to be an architect. I love the concept of designing something, seeing something through, and building it to 100 percent,” he said.” I can see people’s ideas, their potential, and I know how to build it and structure a plan around it so they can reach their goals. Now I have this very same architectural mindset for producing original content featuring an adequate representation of the Latino community. The time to evolve is right now.”