Netflix Confirms Ana María Londoño as Head of Content, Colombia (EXCLUSIVE)

Netflix has appointed Ana María Londoño as head of content, Colombia, tapping one of the country’s most seasoned TV writers and content executives whose 30-year career takes in her breakout telenovela “Juegos Prohibidos” through to RCN’s 2024 “Rojo Carmesí.”  

Londoño’s brief takes in fostering national talent and expanding local narratives with global impact, as well as consolidating consolidate Netflix as a strategic partner of the Colombian audiovisual communit

“Ana María’s arrival confirms that our commitment to Colombia is only gaining momentum. Her strategic vision and deep understanding of the country will be essential to advancing audiovisual creativity in Colombia and giving a voice to the country’s extraordinary talent,” said Francisco Ramos, Netflix VP of Content for Latin America.

Londoño’s appointment comes in a significant year for Netflix in Colombia, the U.S streaming service noted Tuesday when confirming Londoño’s appointment. Major production milestones that underscore the potential of the local industry, it argued, take in “One Hundred Years of Solitude: Part 2,” which bows Aug. 5; “Medusa,” Season 2,” “Palacio”; “En diciembre llegaban las brisas”and “Cómo perderlo todo.” 

Upcoming shows also underscore how Netflix, in Colombia as elsewhere, is aiming to attract large audiences in an outside Colombia in an ever more fragmented markets. 

This matters for Netflix. Londoño’s appointment is being announced by Netflix at the Bogota Audiovisual Market (BAM) where Netflix’s full program of events is a sign of how much it values Colombia. The country was not the first where the U.S. streaming service plowed into local language production: That honor was won by Mexico and “Club of Crows.” 

With “Narcos,” however, and now “One Hundred Years of Solitude,” Colombia has demonstrated the large production capacity of its industry whose creativity has helped turned Colombia into a major Spanish language export power. 

According to research firm Omdia, in just the second half of 2024, Spanish-language content on Netflix recorded an estimated 2.59 billion hours viewed worldwide, with Colombia leading the Latin American national production powers with 24.6% of that total, second after Spain which contributed 38.7%.

One strategy to score audiences in and outside Colombia is of course to tap an executive such as Londoño whose career has been largely focused on writing or working for Colombian linear TV networks, such as RCN. 

Others are a broad breadth of production and a scale of ambition not limited to just the Gabriel García Márquez mega adaptation. 

Upcoming releases, for instance, take in “Palace” (“Palacio”) starring “Terminator: Dark Fate’s” Natalia Reyes and led by showrunner Natalia Santa, who was a head writer on “One Hundred Years of Solitude.” Revolving around the storming of Colombia’s Palace of Justice by the armed group M-19 in November 1985, the series’ is “a huge undertaking, even by our own standards,” production involved building a replica of the Palace, Netflix’s Ramos has told Variety.

Netflix is also exploring more regional shoots in Colombia such as “En diciembre llegaban las brisas,” set in 1950s Barranquilla and a return to a literary prestige series adapting the celebrated novel by Marvel Moreno and like “Narcos” and “One Hundred Years of Solitude,” teaming Netflix with top Colombian production house Dynamo.

At BAM, Netflix is staging a Bammers Masterclass, Myths and Truths, where Valentina Montero, Netflix Business and Legal Affairs, will hold a conversation with producer Harold Jiménez and 40 selected young talents.

On July 9, Netflix’s Daniel Ucrós, who heads up Netflix production in Colombia, will analyze best-case production services. A BAM Talk on July 10 will break down the economic impact of creative industries in Colombia, moderated by Juan José Méndez, Netflix Global Affairs.

Speaking to the group of young Bammers at Tuesday’s Masterclass, half of whom hailed from other Latin American countries, Jiménez talked about his journey to striking a deal with the streaming giant. 

He spoke about how his career began in making music videos for some 12 years before he started making promotional spots for Netflix, among them on the latest season of “Bridgerton” and an institutional promo on Netflix dramas. “Above all, one must be patient and persistent to achieve your goals,” he told the group. He is now developing his first feature, the adaptation of a book, for Netflix. Details are still under wraps.

Carlos Sánchez, global affairs manager for Latin America at Netflix, told the group that Netflix was getting more involved in training programs in Colombia, which includes Bammers for the first time this year. It is also involved in Lab Macondo, the Opera Prima program at the Cartagena Film Festival and with the indie producers association Asocinde.