MiTú is on the hunt for Latin-flavored content with mass appeal. But big numbers on YouTube or Twitter aren’t going to open the door, according to Doug Greiff, MiTú’s chief creative officer.
“When we started, we were very obsessed about numbers and who had the most subscribers, who had the most views,” said Greiff, who co-founded the digital media company in 2012 with his wife, Beatriz Acevedo.
“I think the currency has changed. It’s really about also the ability to think from a digitally native standpoint. We’re looking for people who are automatically accustomed to sharing their content and cross-promoting themselves.”
Moreover, he said, videos don’t have to be a certain length to find mass appeal. It used to be that episodes needed to be five to seven minutes long, he said. “I think the rules have changed a little bit. There are different viewing habits” across the various social media platforms.
MiTú launched with content centered on beauty, fashion, and food. Now it wants to develop English-language scripted programming. “If you look at the last decade or so, a lot of the Latin-flavored, narrative-driven stories are all about the hardship struggle or what it means to be Latino in this country,” said Greiff, a former Nickelodeon development executive.
“That’s certainly a reality on one level, but we don’t believe that’s the only story to be told. We’re trying to show the aspirational, we’re trying to show the original cross-cultural stories. I myself happen to be married to a Latina. My kids are bicultural, bilingual children. Their experience is very different from the experience of a Latino 10 years ago.”
Greiff said the company gets pitched by agents and managers and also scouts talent itself.
“We also have a small but powerful development and production team who are out at film festivals, who are out at comedy festivals, conferences, trying to find these storytellers,” he said. “We also work closely with our own partners—our social influencers who have friends who are aspiring directors-producers-actors themselves.”
Submitted projects range from “Blair Witch”–type low-budget productions to Marvel-style action series. “Those that have smart production models are probably going to be the ones we can move faster on,” he said, adding the network will try to develop two scripted series a year.
There are multiple benefits to being featured, even for established creators with large followings. “By partnering with MiTú, you’re exposed to 1,400-plus influencers who wear the MiTú badge as a badge of honor and really see us as a community,” he said.
The company also helps its creators improve their production values. “We’re helping to professionalize their content in certain circumstances. In others, we’re just supporting what they’re doing from their own bedrooms or backyards.”
Meanwhile, Greiff advised performers to expand their presence beyond the usual channels such as Twitter and Facebook, and branch into social media such as Instagram and Snapchat and Vine. “All these different feeds are essential,” he said. “The more places that people can find you, the better.”
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