Mar Vila Barceló of WEBTOON Productions: “We Will Continue To Invest In Creating Spanish-Language Content”

Recently, Mar Vila Barceló, Director of International Development and Production at WEBTOON Productions, said they have many projects in development, and one of their upcoming releases is the film Sigue Mi Voz by Ariana Godoy, which premieres on September 12 in Spain.

Vila Barceló, who oversees developments in Europe and Latin America, was looking at Conecta Fiction for IPs that can connect with fanbases around the world. She highlighted that Wattpad has a global community of over 160 million active users.

She mentioned that in the U.S., in Los Angeles, there’s the WEBTOON animation unit, and there are many ongoing conversations about a project in Europe. In the podcast space, they have done one in the U.S. and are open to all possibilities, “always open to the opportunity.”

RECENT AND UPCOMING PROJECTS

According to the executive, the following is a list of recent and upcoming Wattpad webnovel adaptations:

Mala Influencia

Author: TeensSpirit (52 million reads on Wattpad)

Production: In collaboration with Nadie es Perfecto

Platform: Available exclusively on Netflix

Performance:

Premiered on May 9

#1 in 40 countries, including Spain, Mexico, and major European markets

#3 in the U.S. and Canada

Currently #2 on Netflix’s global list of non-English language films

Approximately 37 million views since its release

Sigue Mi Voz

Author: Ariana Godoy (36 million reads)

Theatrical release: September 12 in Spain

Platform: Coming soon to Amazon Spain

Boulevard

Author: Flor M. Salvador (105 million reads)

Status: In development for screen adaptation

Projects in Italy

Love Me, Love Me

Author: Stefania S. (22 million reads)

Production: Filming recently wrapped with Leone Film Group

Game of Gods

Author: Hazel Riley (7 million reads)

In development: Screen adaptation in collaboration with Rainbow Group

NARRATIVE AND DATA-DRIVEN SUPPORT

Vila Barceló notes that Wattpad and WEBTOON combined have more than 150 million monthly active users and around 26 million creators. “We have a very large and diverse content library across every genre. What sets us apart is that we develop stories from a fan-first perspective. With that unique approach, we’re able to create great screen stories that already have a huge fanbase,” she explained.

She added that they determine which stories to adapt using a combination of narrative evaluation and data. “For example, through data science we can see how popular a story is online before bringing it to the screen. We know what audiences enjoy the most and can identify the parts of the story where engagement peaks. All that information helps us. But we also need the creative side, because at the end of the day, we’re here to tell stories. And we need those stories to have original characters that our fans can connect with in the adaptations. These are the two key elements that guide the adaptation potential of a story.”

She mentioned growing interest in webnovels and webcomics in Latin America and Europe. “We’re also seeing, for example, that young women are strongly connecting with our content. They’re currently driving the highest numbers, so they’re very engaged. In terms of genres and demographics, we’re seeing strong demand for romance. There’s also rising interest in sports romance, for example,” she noted.

Vila Barceló emphasized that they have very active Spanish-speaking communities. “We have a very engaged community in Spanish-speaking markets. And we’ve seen the success of our movies and series, like Mala Influencia on Netflix and others. That’s why we’re going to continue investing in creating Spanish-language content. As I mentioned, we have several projects in development that will launch in the coming months. So yes, we’re going to keep creating content in Spanish,” she concluded.