Ben DeJesus of Casa NoHo Studios: “The DNA Of Microdramas Is 100% Latin American Telenovelas”

For producer and director Ben DeJesus, the DNA of vertical content and microdramas comes 100% from Latin American telenovelas. For that reason, they launched a division within Casa NoHo Studios (North Hollywood, California) called Fuego Shorts, dedicated to this genre.

DeJesus noted that what he finds most interesting about current trends is vertical content, “which are telenovelas optimized for the phone. So we also have to be in that space, otherwise we are once again fighting for representation in something that was born from our culture. We don’t want to be left behind. With that in mind, we created a division as part of Casa NoHo Studios called Fuego Shorts,” he told PRODU.

DeJesus is the founder and creative force behind Casa NoHo Studios, a rapidly growing production and culture hub that has become a space for bold storytelling, creative collaboration, live events, and emerging media innovation.

DeJesus has long collaborated with John Leguizamo. His credits include Leguizamo Does America (MSNBC/Peacock/Casa NoHo), American Historia: The Untold History of Latinos (PBS), several episodes of the Disney series Bunk’d, and the Broadway production Latin History for Morons.

The executive said that since Casa NoHo Studios produces films, documentaries, and television programs, they wanted a dedicated division—Fuego Shorts—focused solely on vertical content. “Fuego Shorts is open and ready to work with all platforms we can. From China, Ukraine, Paris, Israel. We are in a moment where we have to get involved, because, as I said, it is part of our heritage,” he noted.

He added again that Casa NoHo Studios produces films, documentaries, and TV shows, and therefore they created a division—Fuego Shorts—dedicated to verticals. “Fuego Shorts is open and ready to work with all platforms we can. From China, Ukraine, Paris, Israel. We are in a moment where we have to get involved, because, as I said, it is part of our heritage,” he reiterated.

He noted that there is a lot of Latino talent working in vertical content, “as producers, designers, directors. Several of the best directors in vertical content are Latino. So we have a roster of several directors, people like Venezuelan Miguel Ferrer, very well known within independent filmmakers. He has done more than 20. Also Mexican-American Matt Macedo. They are working with platforms in China and the U.S. When we spoke to them about the idea of Fuego Shorts, they were very excited: ‘Yes, of course we are going to do it!’ And we are at that stage now.”

CASA NOHO STUDIOS

DeJesus said that Casa NoHo Studios, which began as a production house, now has a space in North Hollywood with infrastructure that is very production-friendly. “We have done very well, thank God. More than 25 productions have already been filmed there, in addition to what we produce ourselves,” he said.

He explained that they have four houses in that space with different looks, styles, and aesthetics. “We are open for everyone to come. But we also created an ecosystem around the events we host. We have a series of events called Sessions at Casa NoHo Studios,” he said.

He noted that the location services they offer are very open in scope. “We have hosted workshops here, short films, and also many verticals. More than 12 verticals have already been filmed here,” he said.

He added that the events held at Casa NoHo Studios serve as a way to bring the community together and invite them into the space. “It has helped us a lot, because from there come projects that want to film here, that want to collaborate. It has been very organic, very beautiful, and now every week we have a premiere, an event, a talk, a fireside chat. It is something very beautiful and necessary for the Latino community,” he said.

Asked about the state of Latino cinema in the U.S., DeJesus said access is still “somewhat complicated.”

Milly, Queen of Merengue

He noted that as an audience, Latinos “are the ones supporting Hollywood, about 25% of the box office. But access is still not where it should be, because the talent is there. But the access to tell these stories is not at the level it deserves. As my longtime creative partner John Leguizamo says, if we are 20% of the American audience, we should have 20% of the stories.”

He mentioned that three Casa NoHo Studios productions were recently presented at the 2026 Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF): the musical biopic Milly, Queen of Merengue; the Sundance-winning documentary TheyDream; and the historical short They Killed Pedro.

These projects reflect Casa NoHo’s commitment to supporting independent filmmakers through collaboration, creative infrastructure, and artist-driven storytelling that goes beyond traditional institutional models.

They Killed Pedro and TheyDream