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My Cultura, iHeartMedia’s new podcast network dedicated to elevating Latinx voices and creators, releases “Princess of South Beach,” a 36-part modern audio telenovela series in English and Spanish.
The bilingual audio telenovela’s first three episodes will debut on Monday, October 4th, with new episodes dropping every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday following the launch.
“Princess of South Beach” offers a first-of-its-kind audio experience. As a particularity, the telenovela is written, directed and sound engineered in both English and Spanish, with two different casts. The project also promises that its characters will keep listeners on the edge of their seats.
As informed by the companies, the new series tells the dramatic story of twin sisters, María del Carmen and Gloria Calderón, who are separated at birth and raised in remarkably different ways.
One sister is a naive orphan in a convent, while the other is a privileged supermodel and socialite living in the lap of luxury on Miami Beach.
Writers also suggest that, unlike classic telenovelas, “Princess of South Beach” features nontraditional main characters facing storylines inspired by current socio-cultural issues and unexpected plot twists.
The voices behind the English-language series include:
- Rachel Zegler (West Side Story, Snow White) as twins María and Gloria
- Gina Torres (Suits, Pearson) as Luisa Calderón
- Raul Esparza (Law & Order: SVU) as Esteban Calderón
- Danny Pino (Law & Order: SVU, Mayans M.C.) as Nacho Santana
- Andy Bustillos (Wedding Season, Most likely to Murder) as Raul Santana
- Ivonne Coll (Jane the Virgin, Switched at Birth, Teen Wolf) as Hermana Claudia
- X Mayo (comedian and Emmy-nominated writer for The Daily Show with Trevor Noah) as Estrella
Sheryl Rubio (La Casa De Las Flores) will portray twins María del Carmen and Gloria Calderón in the Spanish-language cast.
The project is part of global entertainment company Sonoro and iHeartMedia’s new deal. “At Sonoro, we believe Hollywood’s future leaders need to reflect the millions of Latinx and Spanish-speaking creators in the U.S. and around the world,” said Camila Victoriano, Co-Founder and Head of Partnerships at Sonoro. “Our part in that is to develop genre-defining intellectual property with Latinx characters at the center of every story. Our entire team is bilingual and bicultural, and we work with talent and storytellers from over 15 countries of origin. Our hope is that the projects we develop together become a jumping-off point for their careers, flipping the traditional Hollywood business model on its head and changing what content looks and sounds like globally.”
“The My Cultura podcast network is about elevating Latinx creators and sharing our ‘voces’ in English, Spanish and Spanglish,” said Gisselle Bances, Head of iHeartMedia’s My Cultura. “We are excited to co-produce a series with Sonoro that connects our U.S. Latinx community with a beloved genre like the telenovela that many of us grew up enjoying with our families. Our goal is to create a multi-generational audio experience while paying homage to our ‘cultura.’”
Sonoro’s new slate with My Cultura will include six additional scripted and unscripted audio-first franchises, including “The Super Secret Bestie Club,” a show about love and friendships, and “Morenita,” a show celebrating Afro-Latinidad, both set to launch later this year.