The Help. This week: Ed Rivero, film producer.

By Gonzalo López Martí – LMMIAMI.COM

In the ad business we rarely ask the opinion of the artists-for-hire who help us bring to life our lofty, world-changing, award-winning ideas. Namely film directors, photographers, web developers and so on. These folks turn our PowerPoint® psychobabble into real, tangible executions yet we expect them to hit the ground running, give us exactly want we want, when we want it, at the price we set, no questions asked. This series of articles will humbly attempt to right this wrong.

Few film producers have a resumé as impressive as Ed Rivero’s. He’s as crossover as it gets. He worked years with the most powerful players in Hollywood (Ridley & Tony Scott ring a bell? Quentin f*****g Tarantino?) yet he saw a business opportunity in the Hispanic market and jumped in with both feet. These days he runs one of the coolest production companies in our industry, LA-based Cortez Brothers. His roster of directors reads like the wet dream of a creative with Cannes ambitions.

Q: When and how did you start in the business? Did anyone mentor you or give you your break?

ER: I started in 1986 working for a small general market production company called Troika in NYC. Then I worked on several feature films and TV shows until about 1989, when I met Ridley Scott in Miami on a shoot. He started hiring me from as a free-lancer. I worked for him and other production companies until about 1996 when I joined A Band Apart (a filmmaking juggernaut founded by Quentin Tarantino and spearheaded by Hollywood heavyweights such as Robert Rodríguez, John Woo, Tim Burton, Darren Aronofsky and John Landis which eventually and unfortunately closed its doors in 2006). In 1997 I opened my own firm, South Beach Productions. In 2001 I closed it and moved to LA to go work for Ridley and Tony Scott at RSA until 2007, when I opened Cortez Brothers. I always wanted to learn from the best and there was no better place for me to learn about all aspects of film making then working there with two giants like the Scott brothers.

Q: What do you love about our business? What do you hate?

ER: I love finding and developing new talent, seeing them take off and do amazing work. What I hate is the politics and triple bidding process for jobs.

Q: Mention the best campaigns you have seen recently.

ER: I still love “The most interesting man in the world” for Dos Equis. Funny & effective. I like the fact that the character has to be Latino to make sense.

Q: Mention the worst campaigns you have seen recently.

ER: Too many to choose from. I’d rather not say.

Q: What is the future of the advertising film industry?

ER: It is changing and we are all going to have to adapt. We don’t work for just one screen anymore. We need to think beyond the 30-second spot.

Q: What is the future of the TV landscape?

ER: TV is going to grow big time, especially when content and TV merge into one thing. We must take this into account from a creative standpoint.

Q: What’ is your take on social media?

ER: It’s changing the landscape because it can be measured instantly. Unlike other media, you can find out immediately if it’s working or not and make changes.   

Q: How are Latinas portrayed in the media today? Are we progressing?

ER: In one way, yes. In another, no. Latinas are still being subject to sexism and overwhelmingly portrayed as maids, housekeepers or sexpots.

Q: How’s the acting talent pool these days?

ER: It is getting better, just not in Spanish which is another topic altogether. In any case, as numbers grow we will see more Hispanics working in English, which is a good thing for all of us.

Q: What about the image of Hispanic men in the media?

ER: Latinos are still typecast as drug dealers, thugs or gigolos. I blame it on the lack of Latino writers, who are the only ones who could really change this perception. Unfortunately, you can’t expect the predominantly white group of writers in Hollywood to really know any real, normal Latinos. Remember that only 3% for WGA members (Writers Guild of America) is Latino.

Q: What are the advantages & disadvantages of shooting in LA, NY, Miami, DF, Bogotá or Buenos Aires?

ER: LA is the best place to work in the world but it’s very expensive. Miami is my second favorite place to shoot, mainly because there’s a good pool of Hispanic talent and crews to work with. I love working in Mexico but, unfortunately, with the current violence & political issues, it has become too volatile. Some clients think it is too risky to shoot in Mexico. In my 15 years working there I have never had a problem, it’s more of a perception but it certainly doesn’t help. Argentina used to be a great option but it demands a lot of travel and with the current financial crisis it has lost some of its luster. Chile and Uruguay have picked up the slack but prices went up so many clients prefer to shoot in the US.  

Q: Do you see increasing crossover potential for Hispanic professionals? For example, are Hispanic directors being hired by mainstream agencies?

ER: There is crossover potential if you can really make an effort to understand the bi-cultural aspect of living in the States. Plus, you must speak fluent English. The biggest challenge besides the language is understanding what US culture is all about. This is one of the reasons I have been concentrating on finding US-born talent or talent that grew up here. You really have to understand the American mentality, especially when everyone is buying more and more into a total market logic. A director from another country who hasn’t spent a considerable period of time in America and doesn’t speak fluent English will have a disadvantage understanding the nuances in dialogue and humor of the American public.