Actress, director and producer Eva Longoria and entertainment executive and producer Cris Abrego said they formed Hyphenate Media Group, a new company backed with a strategic investment from Banijay.

Hyphenate Media Group plans to invest in creator-led production companies and develop its own slate of original content.

Abrego, who will be CEO, and Longoria, who will be chief creative officer, announced their venture at Mipcom Monday.

Abrego will continue as chairman of the Americas for Banijay, a position he’s held since 2020. Banijay’s investment is designed to accelerate Hyphenate’s growth, the companies said.

“With Hyphenate Media Group, Cris and I are leveraging the power of the creative industry’s greatest resource, the multi-hyphenate, to help meet audiences and the industry where they are,” said Longoria, who became famous starring in Desperate Housewives.

“We are answering the industry’s call for premium inclusive content with broad appeal and an undeniable point of view. Our intention is to provide greater financial participation for makers, creators, talent, and entrepreneurs – the Hyphenates. Given the multiple transformations that our business is undergoing, I cannot think of a better time to lean into makers, who are the essential drivers of the creative enterprise,” she said.

Longoria founded the production company UnbeliEVAble Entertainment in 2005, which recently produced Eva Longoria: Searching for Mexico for CNN. Longoria aldo directed Flamin’ Hot and directed and produced the documentary La Guerra Civil.

Hyphenate has acquired UnliEVAble’s full slate of projects.

“With Hyphenate Media Group, Eva and I are building an engine for culture-defining content by investing in visionary multi-hyphenate artists and providing these extraordinary creative leaders with the resources and infrastructure they need to scale their businesses,” Abrego said. “Through capital, brand development, and the leadership provided by Hyphenate, we will drive their creative output, enhance their deal-making capacity, and grow their brands, building franchises driven by original IP. Over the course of my career, I have scaled multiple production studios, starting with my own and, more recently, on behalf of Banijay. I have known Stéphane [Courbit, Banijay chairman] and Marco [Bassetti, Banijay CEO] for many years, and I am grateful to count on their support and investment in this next chapter.”

Before his current post at Banijay, Abrego was CEO of Endemol Shine Holdings. . He co-founded 51 Minds Entertainment in 20023 and was a pioneer of celeb-reality with unscripted shows including The Surreal Life.

“Hyphenate Media Group is a studio with a truly unique perspective. Combining Cris’ standout creative leadership with Eva’s reputation as a celebrated producer, director, and activist, this is a powerful home where multi-hyphenate voices can truly tell inclusive mainstream stories. And, with an ambitious vision, unrivaled credentials, and an impressive growth trajectory, this marks the perfect first strategic investment for us in the U.S. scripted market; a space we’d explored for some time but never, until now, found the right fit to cut through,” said Bassetti.”

Apple TV Plus has tapped veteran actress Eva Longoria to star in a new original dramedy series Land of Women, the streaming service said Tuesday.

The six-episode series, based on Sandra Barneda's best selling novel of the same name, stars Longoria as a New York empty nester whose life is turned upside down when her husband implicates the family in financial improprieties, forcing her to flee to Spain alongside her aging mother and college-age daughter, said Apple TV Plus. Also starring in Land of Women is Carmen Maura.

Land Of Women will be shot in both English and Spanish and made available to watch in each language, according to the streaming service. The series is executive produced by Longoria, Ramón Campos, Teresa Fernández-Valdés and Ben Spector.■

CNN Plus, the upcoming streaming service from WarnerMedia, said that Eva Longoria will appear in an original series Eva Longoria: Searching for Mexico.

The six-part series will be produced by RAW, the company behind CNN’s Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy.

In her show, Longoria will travel across Mexico telling stories about its food and culture.

"Partnering with CNN on a culinary driven expedition throughout Mexico is a dream come true. I am so proud of my Mexican-American roots and can't wait to bring the hidden gems of Mexico to the world through Searching for Mexico," said Longoria. "I am a huge fan of Stanley's journey throughout Italy; he set the bar high, and I can't wait for everyone to fall in love with the magic of Mexico."

Searching for Mexico will debut exclusively on CNN Plus, which is expected to launch in the first quarter of 2022.

CNN Plus made a big splash this week hiring former Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace.

“Eva’s passion for Mexico and its culture and cuisine are a natural follow up to Stanley’s trip through Italy,” said Amy Entelis, executive VP for talent & content development, CNN Worldwide. “We are thrilled she will take her journey on CNN Plus.”

CNN Plus made a big splash this week hiring former Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace.

Executive Producers for Searching for Mexico are Eva Longoria, Ben Spector and Stanley Tucci with RAW’s Tom Barry, Eve Kay and Jess Orr; Kate Leonard-Morgan is head of production, U.S. Amy Entelis and Lyle Gamm are the executive producers for CNN Original Series. Jon Adler is supervising producer for CNN Original Series.

Season two of Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy is expected to air on CNN in the spring of 2022. ■

NATPE on Tuesday unveiled the recipients of the 14th annual Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award.

The honorees are Dana Walden and Gary Newman, chairmen and CEOs of Fox Television Group; Susanne Daniels, global head of original content at YouTube; Randy Falco, president and CEO of Univision; Josh Sapan, president and CEO of AMC Networks; and actress, director and producer Eva Longoria.

The honorees will receive their awards at a reception on Jan. 18 at Fontainebleau Miami Beach during NATPE Miami 2017.

Read more at broadcastingcable.com.

Pasadena – ESPN will tap actress Eva Longoria and Marvel Entertainment to help boost its short films output, the sports network announced Wednesday during its Television Critics Association press tour presentation.

The Longoria-produced series, Versus, explores moments of inspiration when the world of sports transcended the action on the field, said network executives. Longoria will direct the series’ first short Go, Sebastian, Go!, which will profile nine year old singer Sebastian de la Cruz, who was the target of hateful comments after singing the national anthem in a mariachi charro suit during Game 3 of the 2013 NBA Finals.

A second short, Queen Vee, will profile Violet ‘Vee’ Palmer, the first female referee in the NBA.

ESPN Films has also partnered with Marvel Entertainment to create a short film series and a full-length documentary that connects super heroes with great athletes, said network officials.

The 1 of 1 – Origins short film series will launch this summer on SportsCenter and across ESPN’s digital platforms simultaneously and will focus on a single athlete who has a defining story of the origin of their powers in the sports world, said network officials.

A full length documentary, 1 of 1 – Genesis currently available on Digital HD through select digital retailers, explores the connections between Marvel Super Heroes and today’s athletes.

Finally, ESPN announced it will launch in February a Friday Night Movie Night segment within its 6 p.m. SportsCenter telecast featuring a short film from one of ESPN Films’ popular documentary series. The first short will debut Feb. 6 with the Spike Lee-produced film Ray Allen/AKA-Jesus Shuttlesworth, said network officials.

The series is the first of several movies from Spike Lee’s Lil’ Joints, which showcases narratives revolving around African-American stories that are not widely known.

"We’re thrilled to provide a showcase for these fantastic films, and we’re confident that fans will be dazzled by the ingenuity and insight in every story," said Rob King, Senior VP, SportsCenter and News.