Netflix & IDB report: The future of the Latin American audiovisual industry depends on developing behind the scenes talent

The future of the entertainment industry depends on the skills, training of creative talent, and the diversity of voices in the region, highlights the report Behind the scenes: Creativity and investment for Latin America and the Caribbean. The study was produced by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) with the support of Netflix.

The study is based on interviews from nearly 100 emerging creators, producers, entertainment company executives, institutional and film association workers, who helped identify opportunities and challenges of the industry. In addition, more than 400 producers were surveyed.

Marcelo Cabrol, IDB Social Sector Manager, and Francisco Ramos, Netflix VP of Latin America Content, presented the report during a virtual webinar.

Cabrol explained it all was inspired by Vision 2025, whose objective is the economic recovery of the region “and what better way to recover the economy than through job creation?” He said that in 2020, 14 million jobs were lost due to covid. “Only the audiovisual industry has the capacity to recover 10% of those jobs if we do it well.”

They highlighted that we are witnessing a new audiovisual boom in Latin America and the Caribbean. “It is estimated that only in 2019, about US$5.7 billion were invested in audiovisual productions, promoting the creation of more than 1.6 million direct and indirect jobs in Latin America, according to a study by Olsberg SPI,” they quoted.

“In addition to Vision 2025, with Netflix, we have agreed that the public policies of the creative industries must be changed. If we think about talent and technology we can make a difference,” Cabrol said. He added that audiovisual is one of the industries with the greatest future. The study foresees an increase in demand from almost all professions related to audiovisual production. “We need to tell our stories: those of women, indigenous people, Afro-descendants, of all the diverse Latin America’s population.”

Ramos thanked the IDB for the report and highlighted that since 2011 when they arrived in Latin America, they realized the audiovisual potential of the continent. “We quickly engaged with the creative community to provide a global platform for their stories. We are witnessing the enormous potential of the region as an engine of the economy,” he said.

He pointed out that this project with the IDB, as well as that of the 21st Century Skills Coalition, is very rewarding. “We share with the IDB the vision that the development of talent behind the scenes is essential: education, training, and employment.”

“Our stories prove over and over that they can travel, not only within their borders but all over the world. Working hand in hand with the best directors, producers, technicians, artisans, scriptwriters, and a player as important as the IDB, we want to continue promoting this sector: Latin American TV and cinema and multiply both points of view and jobs,” Ramos said.