Univision announces new Entertainment Leadership

Univision Communications Inc. (UCI) announced the appointments of Lourdes Diaz as President, Entertainment and Adrian Santucho as Executive Vice President, Univision Studios.  Effective November 1, 2016, Diaz will be based in Los Angeles and will report to Isaac Lee, Chief News, Entertainment & Digital Officer. Santucho will be based in Miami and report to Diaz.

As President of Entertainment, Diaz will be responsible for identifying and executing on strategic acquisitions and developing new content formats. Santucho will be responsible for overseeing Univision Studios productions and will work closely with Televisa on production-related initiatives.

“With over 20 years of experience, Lourdes has a proven track record of curating fresh and exciting new programming that attracts diverse audiences,” said Lee.  “At the same time, Adrian’s extensive experience in development, direction and production will be extremely valuable as we look to further strengthen our in-house production capabilities and develop new multi-genre content and original productions through Univision Studios. Together, the two have deep industry insights and are the ideal executives for these critical roles. We’re pleased to have Lourdes and Adrian as part of the team.”

“Univision’s ability to deliver unprecedented content to its evolving consumer base is what makes this company a multimedia industry leader and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to join the Univision organization,” said Diaz.  “I’m committed to bolstering UCI’s position as an innovator in entertainment and to further building upon the extensive suite of Univision’s multicultural offerings.”

“I am honored to have the opportunity to join one of the nation’s leading media companies.  Univision has a tremendous opportunity to build on both its own compelling original content and its strategic relationship with Televisa,” said Santucho. “I am looking forward to leveraging my past experiences to ensure Univision continues to deliver the best variety of telenovelas, reality shows, dramatic series and entertainment specials across all of its platforms.”

Diaz joins UCI from Comedy Central International, where she most recently served in Global Production and Development.  She was responsible for commissioning all scripted and non-scripted productions and was the Executive Producer of multiple international scripted series, including “I Live with Models,” “Brotherhood,” “Medics” and “Wasteman.” Prior to Comedy Central, Diaz served as the network and studio executive of multiple hit series for NBC and Universal Media Studios. She founded Agua Entertainment Group, specializing in film, television and new media projects.
 
Santucho most recently served as CEO of FremantleMedia Latino America, a global content company that creates, produces and distributes some of the best-known and most-loved content in the world across traditional TV and digital platforms.  During his time at FremantleMedia, Santucho oversaw the production of several series that were popular with Hispanic audiences, including “La Banda,” “Sí Se Puede,” “100 Latinos Dijeron” and “México Tiene Talento.”  Prior to joining FremantleMedia in 2013, Santucho spent more than a decade with Endemol, serving in various senior production and development roles for Endemol USA Latino, Endemol Mexico and Endemol Argentina producing popular hit series, such as “Mira Quién Baila,” as well as “Deal or no Deal” for Argentina, Mexico and U.S. Hispanic audiences, and “Wipeout” for Televisa in Mexico.