Juan Pablo Ybarra of El Mall: The challenge for us making TV is not just knowing how to do adaptations, but also knowing how to produce

El Mall executive producer Juan Pablo Ybarra, who is currently co-producing Gossip Girl Acapulco with Pedro Torres and Andrés Tovar, spoke to PRODU about the challenge of creating local formats that are successful abroad, such as Homeland or the Mexican version of Mujeres Asesinas.“There will always be formats because that is how TV is sold. The point is to be able to have successful formats, such as Homeland in the U.S. Why not create an original series that is successful there, spoken in a different language. We must be able to do adaptations but she should also be buyers,” said Ybarra. He added that, due to the penetration of digital platforms, Mexico needs to leap out and create different formats without abandoning telenovelas, which “will never cease to exist because it’s a habit we have; something we grew up with.”These multiple platforms open the door to developing projects or series that are not only consumed weekly, “but rather on demand; being able to log on and forget the programming schedule of TV. We are close to taking this leap because there is a natural tendency for young people to watch their programs on non-traditional platforms and we are ready for that,” he added.