NATPE 2010: Trifecta to Give Soaps a Try

Will distribute open-ended Hispanic drama to English-, Spanish-language stations

By Paige Albiniak -- Broadcasting & Cable, 1/27/2010 11:00:00 AM

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Hank Cohen's Trifecta Entertainment has acquired distribution rights for Hacienda Heights, an original soap opera featuring an all-Hispanic cast. Trifecta hopes to launch it this fall as a weekend block of two half-hours on both English- and Spanish-language TV stations, as well as secure a cable run for it if possible.

Hacienda Heights is not a telenovela in that it doesn't have close-ended story arcs. It is aimed at both English- and Spanish-speaking Hispanic audiences, and will be produced in both languages.

"The power of this show is that it features relatable characters living with the same problems and challenges as our audiences," said the show's executive producer, San Francisco-based Desmond Gumbs.

The show stars Resurrection Blvd.'s Mauricio Mendoza, and will be shot in San Francisco, where Gumbs owns a sound stage and production facility.

Gumbs financed the production of the first 11 episodes himself. Those episodes were test-marketed in four Western markets with strong Hispanic demographics: San Francisco; Los Angeles; Yuma, Ariz.; and Santa Rosa, Calif. New York-based Sahara Media has agreed to finance the production's next 89 episodes, bringing the show to 100. Once the companies get enough episodes, they hope to turn the show into a daytime strip, said Cohen.

Soap operas would seem to be a risky business these days with the broadcast networks cancelling shows and Fox-owned MyNetwork TV failing to gain traction two-and-a-half years ago with primetime telenovelas featuring American casts. But Cohen feels that the business of daytime dramas became too mature for the broadcast networks to support: the soaps' costs kept growing while audiences were shrinking. And telenovelas on MyNetTV didn't work, says Cohen, because they weren't aimed at the correct audience.

Gumbs is producing the show inexpensively so that it can turn a profit with reasonable ratings expectations. Selling the show on multiple platforms--English- and Spanish-language TV stations, cable and internationally --also will provide the show with a financial assist.