Entertainment Industry in Mexico

Overview of Entertainment Industry in Mexico By: Jennifer Tarleton Date: November 15, 2010 GEO 111 World Regional Geography Instructor: David Harris South Piedmont Community College TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Actors and ComediansP. 1 II.

Singers and MusiciansP. 2 III. Production CompaniesP. 3 IV. BibliographyP. 5 Business is booming for Mexico’s entertainment industry. Mexico promotes itself as choice destination for filmmakers, but problems threaten to stunt industry’s growth.

The entertainment industry in Mexico faces two serious challenges.The first challenge is to generate an environment that the entertainment industry can prosper and second, to protect intellectual property. A stable business environment is vital to the success of the entertainment industry in Mexico. I. Actors, Comedians, Films The history of Mexican cinema goes back to the ending of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th but some movies have rediscovered just recently. The “silent film” industry in Mexico produced several movies; however, many of the films up to the 1920s have been lost and were not well-documented.The Mexican cinema golden era occurred during the 1940s.

The origin of early filmmaking is generally associated with Salvador Toscano Barragan. Toscano compiled the country’s first fictional film, titled Don Juan Tenorio. By 1906, 16 movie salons opened their doors to accommodate the popularity of cinema in Mexico City. Actors such as Pedro Infante, Jorge Negrete, Cantinflas, Joaquin Pardave, Maria Felix, and Dolores del Rio gained their recognition. The themes during these years touched all aspects of Mexican society. The majority of the productions were comedies and dramas.Mexico’s most famous contribution to popular cinema is perhaps the beautiful Mexican actress Salma Hayek who has endeared herself to thousands of fans across the world.

Hayek is the first Mexican national to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress. She is one of the most prominent Mexican figures in Hollywood. Some of today’s most popular comedians also have Mexican roots. George Lopez is one of the top five highest grossing comedians in the world. Lopez, a Mexican-American, was deserted by his father at birth but was raised by his maternal grandmother.Lopez has received several honors for his work and contributions to the Latino community. In September 2004, George was honored with the “Spirit of Liberty Award” presented by People for the American Way.

In August 2005, Time magazine recognized George as one of “The 25 Most Influential Hipics in America”. Another large sector of the entertainment industry in Mexico is the adult entertainment industry. The adult entertainment industry in Mexico is worth around one billion US dollars, and employs around 20,000 in direct and indirect jobs.While this entertainment industry produces revenue it also causes problems. Many film stars were diagnosed with various sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV. II. Singers and Musicians Mexico has a rich musical history.

Mexico has a musical history that is full of cultural contrasts, with many different musical styles and influences. The popularity of the Mexican music goes back to the 16th century. Mexico’s musical tradition shows strong folk as well as modern influences. However, the various music traditions have managed to unite Mexican society into one popular musical culture.Modern Mexico’s music lovers are equally swayed by the tunes and rhythm of traditional music like mariachi and ranchero songs as well as by the Latino beats of hip-hop and salsa. The music industry has also brought considerable economic advancement to Mexico-generating jobs, bringing long-term investment and spawning a number of parallel businesses related to the industry (e. g.

, recording studios and radio stations). Mexican music is popular in not only in Mexico but also in America and Europe.The famous Mexican American singers and musicians are playing a crucial role in keeping their traditions alive. The Mexican music is lively and offers pure entertainment. The singers like Jade Esteban Estrada, Selena, La Mafia, Roy Benavidez, Freddy Fender, Hector P. Gracia are some of the famous contemporary singers. III.

Production Companies Mexico has a flourishing film industry and has produced a number of internationally acclaimed film directors. “There’s no question that Mexico is one of the brightest hopes for the future of our company … It’s one of five key global markets. (Sumner Redstone) Redstone is the chairman and CEO of the entertainment conglomerate Viacom. Viacom’s holdings include MTV, Nickelodeon and Blockbuster Video.

Redstone is optimistic about the prospects of connecting with Mexican audiences and growing with the market in coming years. Mexico is also building its reputation as a destination for filming. According to Kevin Trehy, executive producer for Warner Brothers Productions, the real value of Mexico being used as a location shoot is that the local community reaps benefits at a rate four times the cost of production.Miguel Angel Davila, president of Cinemex, a national chain of movie theaters, sees growth potential for his business in Mexico too. Many films raise many unanswered and perhaps unanswerable questions about where Mexico has been and where its people, politics, and culture are headed.V. BIBLIOGRAPHY http://www.

museumstuff. com/learn/topics/Mexico_City::sub::Culture http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/George_Lopez http://latinmusic. about. com/od/countrie1/p/PROBASICS17. htm http://en.

wikipedia. org/wiki/Film_industry