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Andrés Vargas

COLOMBIA - Tourism

Andrés Vargas

Chief Operating Officer, Dynamo

Bio

Andrés Vargas is a business administration graduate of Javeriana University with a specialization in strategic marketing from CESA and an MBA from the Egade Business School of Tecnológico de Monterrey. He previously served as vice president and country manager of FOX/Estudios Telemexico in Mexico executing operation, sales, service and product strategies, and generating growth within the audiovisual industry and production services. In 2020, he joined Dynamo as Chief Operating Officer.

Dynamo's mission is to entertain its audience in a different way and produce the best content possible in terms of quality, talent, and story.

What factors allowed Dynamo to become a leading producer in Colombia’s film industry?

The main factor contributing to Dynamo’s leadership position is the entrepreneurial vision of the founders who began the company in 2006. We were leaders in the development of local regulations and incentives to bring the AV industry to another level. In 2012, we had the opportunity to work with Netflix on Narcos, the largest production ever shot in Latin America at the time. Netflix selected Colombia not only because of the story but also the incentives, local talent, and experience that we could bring. That was an important milestone for Dynamo, and once we completed that large production, we were able to start working with Netflix closely in the region and even develop our first original title in Latin America, which was also the first series produced and written by Colombians for Netflix: Distrito Salvaje. It was another great moment for our company and saw us open doors in the streaming space. That also established Dynamo as a pioneer in the industry and the market. We always make a difference because of our mindset and engagement with the government, clients and peers. We opened offices abroad in Spain and Mexico to develop and produce new series in those markets and expand our customer base.

Which of Dynamo’s products and services have been most in demand recently?

Our main business unit is focused on the development and production of original content within the different geographies where we operate. This is our strategic bet for the near future; constantly generating relevant content for customers such as Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Warner Media/ HBO MAX, Disney+ and Movistar consolidate Dynamo’s strategic position as a key player in the AV industry. For every single one of our projects, we partner up with the best talent around the world, from top writers, directors, and showrunners. When it comes to production services, that is to say, when a foreign producer (network, platform or studio) comes to us to do the local production of their product, we are experienced in shooting both movies and TV series. When we are hired, we take care of the entire production process in Colombia, from hiring the whole crew, to location management, as well as logistics, payroll, legal and admin services, amongst many more. By hiring us, in addition to our portfolio of services, foreign producers benefit from the incentives that shooting in Colombia brings to the table. The 2019 regulation for the CINAS incentive added important new options to foreign producers. On top of tax rebates and incentives, Colombia can give you experienced crews, creative and technical talent, cost efficiency, and beautiful locations and landscapes that make it the perfect place to produce a huge international production.

How do you evaluate the support for the arts from the government?

The government has played a key role in recent developments that occurred in Colombia in terms of regulations and the growth in business we have experienced. The local economy has brought in a large amount of employment, opportunities, and money to the local economy as well as entrepreneurship and the creation of new industries and companies. The 2019 CINAS regulations brought many new opportunities, which is why many producers from the US have started looking at Colombia as a destination for production. Part of what we have done is assure them that the country is safe and that it is possible to work on productions without any issues or security risks. We will continue to offer them and bring in more industries like ours to continue to create incentives. The creative and IP industries are vital for development and attracting talent, experience, building knowledge, and creating new industries. It is good for the whole country when you bring huge productions because we activate many different industries around it.

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