The next edition of Content Americas is making its North American strategy harder to miss. The Miami market has confirmed three executives for its North American Hitmakers strand, set for January 18-21 at the Hilton Miami Downtown.
Katie Isaacson, senior director of programme development at CNN Original Series; Lawrence Szabo, executive VP of content distribution for North America and Latin America at BBC Studios; and Barry Poznick, founder and CEO of Idea Maze Entertainment, will discuss content strategies and routes to coproduction with Latin American and international buyers.
Coproduction is the throughline
The speaker choices map onto three models that keep recurring in international TV: non-fiction development, distribution and acquisition, and unscripted IP. Isaacson has worked across CNN’s non-fiction slate, including the three-time Emmy-winning Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy and Space Shuttle Columbia: The Final Flight, CNN’s first coproduction with the BBC.
Szabo leads BBC Studios teams in Los Angeles, New York, Toronto and São Paulo. He has recently placed titles such as Doctor Who, Deano and Wild Cherry with platform partners, and arrives with more than 25 years across MGM, Lionsgate and Paramount Global.
Poznick’s credits are a reminder of how far unscripted formats can travel: The Voice, Shark Tank, Survivor, Beat Shazam and 007: Road to a Million. At Idea Maze, he has a first-look deal with Amazon MGM Studios and consults for Vice Studios on unscripted development and its library.
Why the Miami agenda matters
Content Americas is positioning the strand as a bridge between US producers and Latin American partners. The wider agenda includes a D2C Entertainment Summit focused on audience-first direct-to-consumer businesses, the third Vertical and Shortform Summit, and Content Strategies sessions where Latin American and US Hispanic buyers outline upcoming priorities.
For media planners and distribution teams, that structure is the signal: financing and format rights are now being discussed alongside commissioning. The early-bird delegate rate is US$750, a 42% saving on the full rate, which may push smaller producers and regional teams into the room.
What to watch in the room
If the three speaker briefs are a guide, three questions will shape conversations. First, can CNN-style non-fiction find local life in Latin America without losing its global edit? The BBC tie-up on Space Shuttle Columbia suggests the model is already being tested. Second, are streamers willing to pay for proven drama through regional distribution deals like the ones Szabo has been closing? Third, how quickly can Poznick’s Amazon MGM-backed unscripted IP be turned into local format franchises?
- The market runs January 18-21 at the Hilton Miami Downtown.
- North American Hitmakers will showcase US producers, commissioners, buyers and financiers.
- The fourth Rose d’Or Latinos Awards gala is scheduled for January 19.
More speakers are still to be announced. For content teams looking at Latin America, the useful work is less about who is on stage than about which formats and coproduction structures they are there to sell, license or fund.
Source: C21media
