The Kitchen: a large European delegation in Cannes

Now in its 24th year as an international language localization studio, The Kitchen continues to expand its global reach, with fully operational language servicing “hubs” in Europe and the US.

Deeny Kaplan, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing at The Kitchen, explained: ‘The Kitchen has its headquarters in the US, in Miami, Florida. Last year we proudly introduced our first European language “hub” in Madrid, Spain and almost immediately became an active player in the local community. Both locations serve as a ‘round the clock’ operation for our global clients’.

‘With Spain as this year’s MIPCOM Country of Honor’, Kaplan continued, ‘We are thrilled to participate in Spain’s current success as well as it’s very exciting future’.

The Kitchen Spain is helmed by Max Wynen, the studios’ VP Global Operations, ‘the company has exploded in the past year, with our growing staff of experienced professionals that are some of the best in the business. Of course we provide top notch Castilian dubbing services; and our language team provides translation, transcription, subtitles, audio description closed captioning and graphics services, in every language. Our Project Management team, with Carlos Carbacho taking the lead, compliments our busy US-based team, and together we manage work for such clients as: ZDF; Moonbug; Mattel; NBCUniversal; BBC; Discovey; Paramount; ITV; TRT; Cineflix; Dreamworks; Sony; Crunchyroll and on and on’.

Wynen continued, ‘Time zones have historically been complicated, and our goal has always been to give clients what they need. With media hubs in Madrid and Miami, we can actively serve our clients 24/7′.

Global coverage
The studio’s sales team, led by Kaplan, continues to expand its international presence, working with studios, networks, and independents worldwide. Julie Beneteau, as The Kitchen’s Director of International Sales, is based in London; Lilly Paez, Director of Sales, specializing in LATAM, works out of the studios’ Miami headquarters; and Miguel Angel Burgos, the company’s Executive Director of Global Language Services, based in The Kitchen’s Madrid “hub”, is working with the studio’s burgeoning Castilian dubbing market.

Why Spain works as our European Language hub
‘I was born in Madrid, so it’s no secret that I like to take ownership of this marvelous city. Madrid, Spain is a hotbed of creativity and productivity, and I know that The Kitchen team here is proud to be part of the excitement. While the focus tends to be on Madrid, I can tell you that Barcelona and Valencia are growing as production centers as well. Having our Euro “hub” in Madrid puts us in the center of the European production world. Thanks to the presence of Netflix and initiatives like those from the Seuoya Group and institutions like ICEX, the Spain Film Commision, or FAPAE in the past, all have contributed to putting Spain in the international audiovisual spotlight like never before’.

Why London is the gateway to all Europe has to offer
For almost all its nearly 24 years, The Kitchen has worked with UK-based networks and producers, localizing some of today’s most exciting programs, series and features. With a relatively firm footprint in the market, it was time, according to company executives, to introduce our first London-based sales office earlier this year a decision that we are all very excited about. Helming the effort is Julie Beneteau, an experienced industry professional. She is French and was relocated to the UK nearly 25 years ago.

‘There is no doubt that London is the gateway to Europe. Nearly every major global player has an office here. Our proximity to all of Europe, the ease of traveling between countries, working in the same time zone, all are part of the mix’, Beneteau added. ‘And English, as always, is the universal language. I do believe that there is more industry activity here, than just about anywhere, with the exception of Hollywood. London is a friendly community, and even competitors grab a pint and play together. That’s also what makes it work. Your competition today could be your client tomorrow. Once you are in, you seldom leave. As a 25-year old veteran here, I truly understand that’.

It’s been easy for Beneteau to attend most of the diverse European trade shows, work on local industry committees, and truly represent The Kitchen and its global approach to language localization. ‘It is such a pleasure to be the face of this dynamic player in Europe’, concluded. ‘I look forward to being even more involved in every way’.