U.S. HISPANIC
Sarnoff Media Co. collaborates with Carlos Ponce on the projects Vacaciones, the reality show Star Crush, and two seasons of Juntos en Acción
Maribel Ramos-Weiner| 4 de julio de 2025
Cristina D. Sarnoff of Sarnoff Media Co. with actor, singer, and entrepreneur Carlos Ponce
Cristina D. Sarnoff, with her young company Sarnoff Media Co., is working closely on several projects with actor, singer, and entrepreneur Carlos Ponce. These projects include the reality show Star Crush in partnership with Banijay; the film Vacaciones; and the second and third seasons of Juntos en Acción.
Overall, Sarnoff Media Co. has a portfolio of about 60 projects in what they call their marketplace. “Many of them are already underway and being formalized through contracts. Most of what I do is focused on the multicultural market, specifically the Hispanic market, and that’s where Carlos Ponce comes in with projects like Star Crush, a co-production with Banijay,” Sarnoff told PRODU.
Sarnoff highlighted that they are very excited about the opportunity with Star Crush and Banijay. “We have a very good relationship with Warner Bros. Discovery U.S. Hispanic. We present all these project opportunities to them to see which ones they want to distribute. We begin our strategic partnerships from the early stages of project development,” she explained.
Sarnoff said the main reason they approached Banijay with Star Crush was its global potential. “It’s a project that can be done locally in every country in the world, with different hosts, different public figures, artists—some local—and all of it for a mass audience. And we wanted to partner with a powerhouse in international distribution, and they’re the biggest. We spent about nine months negotiating everyone’s participation. We connected with Marie Leguizamo, who oversees the U.S. Hispanic and Mexico market. It might be produced through Mexico or the U.S. in Spanish—or simultaneously—depending on who we close the deal with,” she said.
Regarding Vacaciones, Sarnoff Media Co. is seeking distribution. “Carlos is producing, acting, and doing the same as with Star Crush. He’s an executive producer and is involved in development on all fronts. Negotiations have already started with all the brands. Nothing has been finalized yet, so I can’t share details,” she said.
Ponce noted that the two new seasons of Juntos en Acción will focus on the Altadena area, where the California wildfires occurred.
ENTERTAINMENT
Sarnoff clarified that all the projects they’re involved in aim to invite brand partnerships. “It’s not branded entertainment. This is entertainment. We are the producers and the talent from the beginning,” she emphasized.
“What Cristina has is an exceptional, long-lasting, and very strong relationship with brands. Everyone wants to do business when the brands have already said, ‘I’m in.’ That’s basically her perspective and her know-how. These things are closing very quickly. There are many NDAs involved, but deals are getting done much faster because of that. You show one, it’s successful, it works, and — I say this very humbly — everyone wants to get on board because they say: ‘I want the magic sauce!’” added Ponce.
For example, Ponce said Star Crush “is open to many things, lots of surprises, beautiful elements. It’s also a dream for a brand, for a sponsor. It’s a great opportunity for brands to connect with culture. There’s nothing more exciting, captivating, or powerful for a brand than entering a show like this and aligning and integrating with the Hispanic community and audience through fun, entertainment, laughter, family values, and all the questions that will be raised. This is the perfect opportunity for brands to integrate holistically into a show,” he noted.
He added that there’s the reality aspect that people love, “the live connection with the audience, especially with a vertical audience, but without the risk of being a controversial show where you don’t know what might happen and the brand could be harmed. So it’s win-win.”
“We have partnerships with a tech company that will help us generate data. There are metrics for the clients. We’ve found ways to meet KPIs in that area. There’s no risk of negative media backlash because of the show’s light and fun tone, so it covers all fronts. It’s a production that’s easy to get off the ground. We’re exploring opportunities with AR and VR to integrate clients so that the product becomes part of the project,” Sarnoff added.
MINIVELAS
Ponce is also very involved in minivelas. “It’s content that Hispanics are used to, that older generations know well, but we’re bringing it with a more modern, more acculturated approach for young Latinos,” Ponce explained.
He mentioned that they’re producing minivelas daily in Mexico and Los Angeles. They are partnered with Brilla Media, Numatec, and Chicano Hollywood on this project. “We have a lot. They’re already on our YouTube channel. We’re launching other very important partnerships. The term minivelas is also ours—it’s literally the one everyone is now using to refer to this format,” he said.
“They’re growing constantly. We also acquired some early on for the launch. The idea is to produce most of them in-house, give a lot of people jobs, and—God willing—discover the next talents. Because when you look at the budget and the stories they tell, you realize the wonders that can be achieved. And the beautiful part is that since COVID, everything can be done in-house,” Ponce concluded.
