Luis Torres-Bohl of Mexicanal: “Original Productions are the Company’s Future Success”

The original productions that Demian Torres-Bohl has been developing for 12 years as President of Mexicanal are, for Luis Torres-Bohl, the Founder and his father, the company’s future success.

Luis, Demian and Nikolai Torres-Bohl—Founder, President, and Affiliate Relations of Mexicanal, respectively—as well as other members of the team, spoke with Ríchard Izarra in #PRODUprimetime on the occasion of Mexicanal’s 20th anniversary.

“In 2024 we produced 149 original hours, covering Jaripeo, reality documentaries, talk shows and news. And I think our current list for 2025 includes 198 hours, but it could be many more,” noted Demian. Of those nearly 200 hours, a high percentage will be acquired by platforms and channels.

HUMAN TALENT

“I’ve been going in and out of Mexico for more than 40 years. Twenty-five years ago, I got to know San Luis Potosí. I didn’t know what it was, and truly, beyond its geographic, historical and cultural richness, what has most pleasantly surprised me is the human quality — the great professionals in this part of the world,” said Luis Torres-Bohl, referring to Mexicanal’s human team and the city where the channel is based: San Luis Potosí.

Another member of the Torres-Bohl family recently joined Mexicanal: Mauricio Torres-Bohl, a Peruvian filmmaker and producer who worked for about 10 years at América Televisión in Peru. He is the son of Miguel Torres, Luis’s brother, who heads the Lima office. Mauricio joins as Original Production Manager.

“I like telling stories that can touch someone’s life — that’s important to me. In other places where I’ve worked, you’re obviously in advertising, which is more about sales. Here, storytelling is more human. That’s what excites me the most. Plus, the team we’ve built is very creative and patient. We’re a small team, but we give it our all. I’m proud of the team we’ve built here,” said Mauricio Torres-Bohl.

NEW AREAS OF DEVELOPMENT

The company’s Third-Party Services unit was created a few years ago. “We handle the operation of Clan, a children’s channel from Radio Televisión Española (RTVE). This year we launched two FAST channels: one of our own, El Ritmo del Jaripeo, featuring regional Mexican music content, and another with content from ZDF called Crimen ZDF, dubbed into Spanish. All operations and content curation are handled here — both channels are programmed and operated from here,” explained Tony González, Director of Production and Operations.

“As for my role as company director, it’s to seek out new development areas. We’ve established a partnership with ZDF and launched the channel Crimen ZDF in June this year, which is doing very well on various platforms. We launched it with Samsung, and it’s been a great success,” added Luis.

THE MEXICANAL FAMILY

Izarra also spoke with Rocío López — lawyer, journalist, and host of Notas al Migrante — which she records entirely using Filmic Pro, “which provides practically everything a camera requires.” Israel Reyero, Content Director of Mexicanal, expressed pride in having a loyal audience for the channel.

Betti Ortega, Director of Marketing and Public Relations, spoke about distribution: “Mexicanal’s distribution is strong. Today we’re on many new services. It’s a channel people request and want to watch. Our ratings prove it month after month. Al Ritmo del Jaripeo is currently distributed in the U.S., Mexico, and Argentina. It’s a new baby we’re developing and strengthening. We’ve seen very good audience numbers and are in talks with other distributors to expand that reach,” Ortega said.

Dora Robledo, Director of Administration, Finance and Human Resources, noted that “being 20 years old says a lot — it means solidity. They say a good administration is one that flows smoothly and quietly, without crises. That’s what we always strive for.”

Miguel Ángel “Canelo” Fajardo, Director of Promotion and Image, added that it’s a personal challenge “to follow the same vision of the channel and continually reinvent and express that vision in our work.”

Érik Lara, Director of Promotion, said he feels like family after 20 years: “It’s been my home — a place where I’ve grown so much as a person.”

Rosa María Cárdenas, Traffic Manager, expressed pride in maintaining excellent relationships with clients. “They’re very happy with our work — they’ve told us so, and that gives us great satisfaction.” She also recognized her colleague Marta Alicia Blanco, with whom she shares Traffic responsibilities.

Leonardo Cano, Quality Control Coordinator, highlighted that it’s a “very noble” company. “Working with Luis, an idealistic person who seeks to reach and share dreams, is something truly beautiful and inspiring,” he said.

Francisco “Paquito” González, editor and performer of the character “La Tunita,” also spoke briefly: “We wanted a character that connects with our countrymen — a truly Mexican fruit. What’s the most Mexican fruit? The one right in the middle of our national flag: the prickly pear (tuna). It’s the most Mexican fruit by nature. This was an idea from Demian and Luis.”

Another member of the Mexicanal team who spoke with Ríchard Izarra was Arantxa Santillán, multimedia designer, who has been with the company for six months.

MARUCHI URQUIAGA FROM THE FOUNDING TEAM

Reyero mentioned Maruchi Urquiaga, “the project leader I worked closely with. On August 23, 2005, when the channel went on air, she looked me in the eye and said, ‘Israel, this channel begins today, but your job will be to feed this monster. This monster consumes content like you wouldn’t believe, and it’s your task to feed it. If you never forget that, you’ll do a good job.’”

“It was a pleasure to be with them, to bring them together and build an excellent team. They’ve done an extraordinary job. I knew Luis from before — from Travel Channel, where we worked together. That’s another channel I helped launch. Luis gave me the opportunity to lead the launch, and I stayed with them because I feel like Mexicanal is another one of my children,” said Urquiaga.

AGREEMENT WITH SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY

Luis Torres-Bohl signed an agreement with Syracuse University so that students from Mexico’s Anáhuac University can go to the U.S., and U.S. students can come to Mexico “to work on a specific project during next year’s World Cup, which will take place in the U.S., Mexico and Canada,” he said.

Torres-Bohl also mentioned his wife, Joanna Kadam, a Scottish-American with whom he has been married for 40 years. They have two sons: Demian, president of the channel, and Nikolai, the youngest, who works in distribution, marketing, and U.S./Canada affiliate relations. “He also coordinates the joint venture with Radio Televisión Española in the production and distribution of the children’s channel Clan, including the Americas production of Llamada Peluche, which Mexicanal produces. Joanne has built Castalia together with me — she’s the controller and the one who signs the checks,” he concluded.