Sonia Martínez, an executive who represents Spain’s contemporary television scene with films such as “Money Heist” and “Locked Up,” has joined Pablo Cruz’s El Estudio, which aims to strengthen its growth in Spain, making a high-profile appointment.
Founded in 2020, El Estudio has offices in Madrid and Mexico City. Mr. Martínez is El Estudio’s content director in Spain. Her oversight includes creative strategy, development and production of film and television projects, and the corporate integration of El Estudio in Spain.
El Estudio’s launch coincides with the build-out of Peak TV as Hollywood studios and local carriers scramble to catch up to Netflix and gain market share in a global SVOD subscription market that seems to grow endlessly.
Spearheaded by Mr. Cruz, El Estudio has produced a wide range of projects including Netflix (The Dance of the 41, James Beard Award winners Las Crónicas del Taco, Deseo), TelevisaUnivision streamer ViX (Pena Arena, Al Chili), Amazon Prime Video (underrated Spanish films Voy a Pasalmelo Bian and Voy a Pasalmelo Major), The 2026 action film Vengeance, the first Mexican original from Amazon MGM Studios, was produced on a grand scale, reaching No. 1 in multiple territories and validating the homegrown genre.
But since Netflix’s shocking financial results in early 2022, the global streaming industry has prioritized revenue over market share, making it more difficult than ever to earn commissions from streamers. Producers are looking more than ever to experimenting with international co-productions combined with licensing deals with major broadcasters.
“The addition of Martinez is an important step in El Estudio’s growth strategy in Spain,” El Estudio said in a statement. “After building film and TV in the Spanish-language market on platforms such as Netflix, Amazon and ViX, the company is now strengthening its local structure. The aim is to increase its presence in the Spanish market and develop new projects with international reach.”
Mr. Martínez is a former high-profile executive at El Estudio in Spain, where he served as Deputy Head of Fiction and Head of Fiction at Mediaset Espana from 2001 to 2006. He becomes one of the company’s television executives with the most experience in creating successful programs in the rapidly evolving world of television, including the success of prime-time free-to-air bread-and-butter shows (“Hospital Central,” “Los Serranos,” and “Aida”). or, an ambitious series made for the Spanish and international market, the latter opening to Spanish originals (“Gran Hotel,” “The Time in Between”) and executive produced by Atremedia TV from 2006 to 2017.
As peak television begins to explode, Martinez championed series with a bigger cable edge than ever before, whether it’s “Lock Up” or “Money Heist.” The series was recut by Netflix for international audiences, becoming the company’s first non-English-speaking global hit. From 2017 to 2000, Martinez championed a new generation of creators, especially Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo (“Black Ball”) at Atresmedia Studios (merged into Buendía Estudios from 2020), supporting the U.S. HBO hit “Veneno.”
Martinez announced in early February that he would be leaving Estudio Buendia to pursue independent production.
“I am facing this new stage with great dreams and a sense of responsibility,” Martinez said. “I join a company with a very clear identity, great creative ambitions and a strong international mission. I am very motivated to contribute to the growth of El Estudio in Spain and support projects that connect around the world.”
“It is an honor to count on Sonia at El Estudio. I have followed and admired her work for many years,” Cruz added. “Her experience, creative vision and deep industry knowledge will be key to this new phase. Her incorporation strengthens our goal to create a benchmark company creating Spanish-language content from Spain and Mexico to the world.”
