Manuel Claro: "Maintain and strengthen SPi's growth trajectory”
Manuel Claro took over the direction of SPi one month ago. His professional background is linked to audiovisual media and, above all, to the knowledge of international markets and the financial structuring of projects.
Until September this year, he was Film Comissioner of the Portugal Film Commission, created in 2019, with the goal of set up synergies between the creative industries and tourism, affirm Portugal as an international filming destination and support the film and audiovisual sector to provide contacts and boost partnerships to film in Portugal.
For 12 years, in Portugal, he was responsible for the Creative Europe Media, a European Union program of exclusive support to the cultural and creative sectors.
By the end of September, he joined the SPi team, taking on the position of Head of Business and Co-Productions, a crucial area of the SP Television Group, created in 2018.
Manuel Claro, by virtue of his past duties, knew SPi:
"I have always followed with special interest and proximity the path of SPi. The pioneer in international co-production, with a relatively close relationship in terms of monitoring with the funding programs in which it was involved. I watched the company grow and I have always followed its evolution.”
This is how he received the invitation "with joy, motivation, energy, and a great sense of responsibility, considering the path the company has taken so far, which has lead it to a high level."
Manuel Claro, who defines as a goal, "to bet on a strong and sustained growth, with regards to the internationalization of the national audiovisual and international co-production, with projects that reveals the best of what is done in Portugal" looks to the future from two perspectives:
First of all, "there is a path that makes us proud", but second of all, "it is necessary to strengthen and continue the work done so far. Enhance the connections and partnerships already developed and that have been successful, and now, open up to new opportunities and conquer new markets.”
"SPi is integrated in a very competitive global market, in which the quality of the projects is the essential and initial point. Our bet is to have good projects, to cherish the authors that present them, so that they can see in SPi a reliable, stable, and sustainable company to develop and project them internationally", he adds.
Manuel Claro reveals that SPi has "many high quality projects in its journey, in which we have high hopes", remembering that "Gloria opened many doors and it is an unquestionable milestone in the company, but the market is very competitive, since we are always known by the last project we present. What I mean is, the focus now is the next project, of course that we are proud of projects such as Gloria, Dry Water, Motel Valkirias (RTP, TV Galicia, HBO, and Globoplay), which will premiere at the beginning of the year, and CODEX 632, which is in post-production, and all the other projects, but, anyways, the focus has to be on the next one.”
Manuel Claro looks forward at SPi´s future with a lot of optimism.