Raindance Executive Director David Martínez and his producer Jacky Orozco have launched Casa Leo PR, a boutique publicity and strategy agency and much-anticipated addition to the European and Latin American indie scenes.
London-based Casa Leo PR provides a select number of films, filmmakers and their partners with specialized “end-to-end bespoke PR, strategic guidance and in-house production” to help them navigate film festivals and awards season, from initial submission to final screening, Martinez told Variety.
“While we continue our work with London Flair PR as awards consultants, we are also excited to be able to provide film festival consulting to other film festivals such as the UK branch of HollyShorts. We are here to collaborate in a truly symbiotic way,” Martinez added.
“These are exciting times to support films and filmmakers across the truly global festival landscape,” he said.
The launch of Casa Leo PR comes at a time when festival participation has become essential for cineastes caught in a paradox. According to the European Audiovisual Observatory Focus Report, the number of films produced globally has increased rather than decreased since the coronavirus outbreak, from an average of 7,677 between 2017 and 2019 to 7,707 in 2025.
However, worldwide box office revenue fell 18% to 29.6 billion euros ($34 billion). However, 2026 looks like it’s going to be a better year, thanks in part to the low-budget genre hit “Obsession.” Ampere Analysis reports that first-run TV commissions continue to decline by 25% on peak TV.
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Martinez joined Raindance in 2012 as part of the Latin American regional programming team, then became the festival’s producer and was named executive director in 2021.
Orozco worked in the cultural department of the Mexican Embassy in London, where his passion for cultural events and diplomacy blossomed, helping bring filmmakers, organizations, and audiences together. She has been the festival producer for Raindance since summer 2023.
Both Martinez and Orozco are bilingual and bicultural. “We opened Casa Leo PR because we saw independent filmmakers struggling to connect the dots. I have been immersed and built trusting relationships with programmers, press and industry players across major film festivals locally and globally, including Europe as well as Latin America. We have amassed a wealth of knowledge that we want to share and leverage, which is extremely helpful to filmmakers,” Martinez said. He told Variety.
“For independent filmmakers, just thinking about the cost of an awards campaign can be quite scary,” he added. A Casa Leo spokesperson can explain what you need to do during that time, where you need to file, what programs you need to know about, and what coverage you need. ”
Casa Leo PR’s main customer base is independent filmmakers from all over the world, as well as Latin American filmmakers looking to participate in European film festivals.
Martínez and Orozco, both Mexicans, have begun working with Humberto Busto, who broke out as an actor in “Amores Perros” with Gael García Bernal, and are currently seeking local support for the upcoming Venice Festival for “Tijuana Todavia,” a title he produced for the Venice Biennale University.
Casa Leo PR also recently collaborated with Netflix for a special London screening of director Maite Alberdi’s new Mexican documentary A Child of My Own.
In-house production and events oversees the concept, production and on-site management of film galas, premieres, special events and industry activations.
Martinez and Orozco said Casa Leo PR aims to create a bespoke strategy to ensure the film reaches the right people at the right time and in the right way. Starting with just 5 customers and a select selection of Netflix.
“At Casa Leo PR, we view every film as a unique story with its own path to reach an audience,” said Orozco. “Our role is to walk that path with our filmmakers and partners, coordinating strategy and execution on the ground to ensure the festival journey feels intentional, impactful and creatively true to the work.
“‘Casa’ means ‘house’ or ‘home’ in Spanish,” she added. “We are both Latinx but have lived in the UK for a long time, so we are able to offer a homely welcome not only to Latin American filmmakers, but also to independent filmmakers from the UK and other countries.”
