Roku is expanding its original Spanish content by partnering up with the likes of such celebrity creators as Jennifer Lopez, Juanpa Zurita and Jaime Camil.
As part of its maneuvering, the streamer-turned-content hub has added six unscripted original series that includes: Carpe DM with Juanpa, Desde la Raíz, Serenata De Las Estrellas, La Divina Comida, Batalla en Abuela’s Kitchen and Un Millón de Gracias.
‘The deep engagement we have seen within the Spanish-language content category on The Roku Channel in the U.S., as well as the exceptional growth of the service in Mexico, are all signs of the strong appetite for free ad-supported streaming amongst Spanish-speaking and bilingual audiences,’ said David Eilenberg, head of content, Roku Media, as reported by Variety.
‘We’re committed to delivering high-quality, culturally relevant original programming to tens of millions of viewers, and we are thrilled to welcome such an exceptional new group of on-camera and off-camera creative voices to our Roku Originals lineup.’
While Lopez. 53, has been a major force as a triple-threat entertainer since the 1990s, she has also continued to expand her reach from behind the camera as a creator and producer.
Now in its third season, and executive produced by Lopez, among others, Thanks A Million is back as Un Millón de Gracias, only now it will be shot entirely in Spanish for the first time.
The show returns with 10 new celebrities who give away $100,000 to someone that has inspired them.
The catch: each of the recipients must give away half of the money to an unsuspecting individual who must then continue the chain of kindness and pay it forward.
The celebrity guests include the likes of Chiquis, Gina Torres, Jaime Camil, Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernández, Lauren Jauregui, Michael Peña, Michelle Rodriguez, Pau Gasol, Sofia Reyes and Wilmer Valderrama.
Alex Davies serves as executive producer and showrunner.
Season three of the 10-episode series will air on August 11 on The Roku Channel in the U.S. and in Mexico at a later date.
Mexican actor Juanpa Zurita will soon be pushing his mind and body to the limit in each of the six episodes of the bilingual series Carpe DM with Juanpa.
The show will place Zurita, who also serves as executive producer, in situations that are typically out of his normal comfort zone, in an effort to show viewers the transformative power of embracing your inner adventurer.
Those situations, which vary for each individual, can be things like skydiving, riding a bull, or flying a plane.
The goal is to show viewers what humans are capable of when faced with seemingly insurmountable tasks.
The Mexican adventurer and social media star is out to change the perception of human limitations, which he has already accomplished with his career that has seem his star rise from comedy videos on the Vice app to work as a model and actor, along with his online presence with his YouTube channel.
With Jennifer Lopez as an producer, Thanks A Million is back for a third season Un Millón de Gracias, only this time it will be shot entirely in Spanish, which is a first for the series that
No limitations: Zurita, who also serves as executive producer, will be placed in situations that are typically out of his comfort zone, in an effort to show the transformative power of embracing your inner adventurer in Carpe DM with Juanpa
In Desde La Raíz, which translates to From The Root, actor Jaime Camil will take a deep dive and explore the origins and meaning of quintessential Mexican products such as coffee, chile, corn, and mezcal in season one.
As narrator and executive producer the Mexican-born star will visit a number of iconic places throughout the gorgeous Mexican landscape and Los Angeles for the show.
Camil (born Jaime Federico Said Camil de Saldanha da Gama), 49, describes the four part docu-series, which is being produced and directed by Paulina Gamiz and Gus Sánchez, as ‘a love letter to México and some of the country’s richest heritage and legendary commodities.’
Camil is best known to most fans for his roles in the soap opera series La Fea Más Bella and the romantic-comedy Jane The Virgin.
Some of the biggest names in Latin music will be taking part in the feel-good series Serenata De Las Estrellas.
Those musical artists will be used as a vehicle to surprise deserving participants with a life-altering gift and performance, in an effort to show how the universal language of music can lift the human spirit to enormous heights.
Hosted by Julissa Bermudez, some of the musical artists slated to lend their names and music to the cause in the four-episode series include singer Chiquis, rapper and singer Snow Tha Product, and rock bands Los Lobos and Ozomatli.
La Divina Comida will feature Latin celebrities who open their homes to other high-profile people in a competition over who can be the best dinner party host.
Each dinner party competition will feature four celebrities, the host, and three attendees, according to Deadline.
The participants will be judged on their culinary skills, as well as their people skills as a host and server.
The 16-episode series will feature such stars as Alex Lora, Belinda, Carlos Gatica, Dulce María, Emmanuel, Erik Rubín, Faisy, Itatí Cantoral, José Ángel Bichir, Karol Sevilla, Manu Nna, Margarita The Cumbia Goddess, María León, Michelle Rodríguez, Rafa Márquez and Verónica Toussaint.
La Divina Comida will only be available on The Roku Channel in the U.S.
Jaime describes the four part docu-series Desde La Raíz as ‘a love letter to México and some of the country’s richest heritage and legendary commodities.’
Universal language: The feel-good series Serenata De Las Estrellas, which uses music as a vehicle to surprise deserving people with life-changing gifts, will be hosted by Julissa Bermudez
Host with the most: La Divina Comida will feature such Latin celebrities as Michelle Rodriguez, who will open their homes to other high-profile people in a competition over who can be the best dinner party host
Updating classic dishes: Abuela’s Kitchen will bring together Gen-Z chefs for a competition on who can bring new twists to traditional Latin dishes
And lastly, the show Batalla en Abuela’s Kitchen will bring together Gen-Z chefs for a competition on who can bring new twists to traditional Latin dishes.
In each of the six-episodes, three young chefs face off against each other before the final two contestants compete against an experienced Abuela chef.
Hosted by Colombian influencer Mario Ruiz, the featured Abuela chefs include Carla Dawkins (Panama), Eneida Mascetti, (Puerto Rico), Patty Lavalle (Mexico). Chef Margarita Bernal (Colombia), Chef Adolfo Cavalie (Peru), and Chef Octavio Ortega (Mexican) serve as judges.
The series will air on June 9 on The Roku Channel in both the U.S. and Mexico.
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