Eva Longoria announces at Cannes the launch of her production studio “Hyphenate,” funded by the company Banijay.
“I have always been interested and curious about being behind the camera,” explained the star of the series “Desperate Housewives.” To do this, the actress announced the launch of her production studio “Hyphenate,” financed by the company Banijay and intended as a talent incubator. “It’s the creators who drive our industry,” emphasized actress Eva Longoria. This new company, Hyphenate Media Group, is co-founded by Cris Abrego, the president of Banijay in the United States and Latin America.
The term “hyphenate” refers to artists who wear multiple hats, as is the case for Eva Longoria: actress, producer, and director, who directed her first film, “Flamin’ Hot,” released this year on Disney+. She was already an entrepreneur, launching her production company UnbeliEVAble Entertainment in 2005, a company now absorbed by Hyphenate.
Content with “high cultural impact”
“But wanting to do more doesn’t work in Hollywood, because it’s an industry that really wants you to stay in your lane, especially if you’re a person of color or a woman,” she added, lamenting that talented creators are “suffocated by the system.” “With Hyphenate, we want to provide an alternative model, with a modern approach to creating visionary content with high cultural impact,” said Eva Longoria.
Banijay, the world’s leading independent producer of audiovisual programs, specified in a statement that Hyphenate’s mission would be to invest in media companies and produce original content in the United States, without quantifying its participation.
A new infrastructure for the company
“We’re not just going to create great content; we’re going to create the infrastructure to cultivate them, and that’s something missing in Hollywood,” she assured. “It’s a key first strategic investment for us in the American scripted production market, which we have been looking to integrate for some time,” said group CEO Marco Bassetti. Hyphenate already has the catalog of Eva Longoria’s previous company, including her new series “Land of Women,” expected on Apple TV+ in 2024.