Goryana Vasileva, Sales Manager for USA, LATAM and Western Europe at Calinos Entertainment, joins us to discuss the company’s major milestones in 2024, including the success of their recent release, Love with Lavender Scent. She also highlights the growing popularity of Turkish dramas in LATAM, particularly shows like Forbidden Fruit and Farah, which have gained significant attention for their emotional depth.
How would you describe 2024 for Calinos? Could you share some highlights, including your most popular content and key sales agreements from the year?
Goryana Vasileva: In 2024, we marked our 25th anniversary at MIPCOM, a momentous occasion where we had the opportunity to showcase new content, reconnect with our partners, and celebrate this milestone together. Throughout the year, we continued to foster strong partnerships by licensing both new and library content, while also enriching our catalogue with the addition of two exciting Romanian series.
We’re at Content Americas, the first market of the new year. Which Calinos productions made the biggest impact and drew the most attention in the LATAM region in 2024?
Goryana Vasileva: One of our top-selling series, Forbidden Fruit, is currently captivating audiences across multiple LATAM countries, enjoying widespread success thanks to its perfect mix of lighthearted moments and compelling drama. The show’s strong appeal has made it a standout hit in the region. In addition, we proudly made our debut with Farah in Panama, marking a key milestone in our expansion. With more exciting territories on the horizon, we’re eager to grow its audience even further this year and beyond.
Goryana Vasileva: “Turkish dramas have gained significant popularity in LATAM, especially in genres like romantic dramas and family sagas… Shows featuring intense love stories with complex relationships, such as Forbidden Fruit and Farah, resonate well due to their emotional depth and universal appeal. Family dramas exploring generational conflicts, like Kadın, also strike a chord with LATAM audiences who value family ties.”
Could you give us some insight into the types of content and storylines that were most popular in the LATAM region overall?
Goryana Vasileva: Turkish dramas have gained significant popularity in LATAM, especially in genres like romantic dramas and family sagas… Shows featuring intense love stories with complex relationships, such as Forbidden Fruit and Farah, resonate well due to their emotional depth and universal appeal. Family dramas exploring generational conflicts, like Kadın, also strike a chord with LATAM audiences who value family ties. The mix of suspense, relatable emotions, and high production values make Turkish dramas highly engaging for LATAM audiences, who enjoy intense, drama-filled storytelling.
While some content has universal appeal, regional preferences also play a significant role. LATAM is a region that appreciates Turkish content. What data do you think the general preferences of viewers in this region provide us?
Goryana Vasileva: The data from LATAM’s general preferences indicate that Turkish dramas succeed by offering emotional storytelling, intense romance, complex family dynamics and strong, relatable characters. The region is particularly drawn to content that explores deep emotions, societal issues, and intense personal conflicts, values that align with LATAM’s love for drama-filled, character-driven plots. Turkish series that blend these elements with high production values and visually rich settings are likely to continue resonating with LATAM viewers.
OTT trends are constantly evolving as content becomes more diverse. What are your thoughts on the current OTT trends?
Goryana Vasileva: The global success of non-English language content on OTT platforms has paved the way for Turkish dramas to thrive. Almost all major platforms and regional services have made Turkish series easily accessible to a global audience. Viewers are increasingly open to subtitled and dubbed content, seeking authentic stories from different cultures. Turkish content fits perfectly into this trend, offering a unique blend of genres; romance, drama, thriller, historical, and crime, that appeals to a wide range of tastes.
Calinos brings successful Turkish dramas to global audiences, but your catalog also includes hit productions from other countries. Could you share more about your current catalog and any new content set to be added in early 2025?
Goryana Vasileva: In addition to the diverse Turkish content we already offer, we have recently enriched our catalogue with a wide range of high-quality content from Romania, Serbia, and Canada. This expansion not only broadens our portfolio but also presents exciting opportunities for us to provide our clients with an even greater variety of genres. By offering this diverse mix of international content, we are better positioned to meet the unique demands of different channels, platforms, and target audiences, ensuring that our clients have access to the most relevant and engaging programming for their specific needs.
Your new Romanian series Love with Lavender Scent made a strong start with its first episodes. How is it performing now, and what can you share about its international journey?
Goryana Vasileva: Since its strong debut, Love with Lavender Scent from Antenna 1 Romania has continued to captivate audiences with its engaging storyline and beautifully crafted production. The series has maintained solid ratings, with viewers particularly drawn to its romantic plot and well-developed characters. It has rapidly built a loyal fanbase, and both critics and audiences have responded with overwhelming enthusiasm.
Goryana Vasileva: Internationally, the series has gained significant traction in several key markets. Early discussions with distributors and streaming platforms have been highly promising, and Love with Lavender Scent is already being considered in multiple territories.
As the series expands its global reach, we are confident in its potential to resonate with audiences worldwide, and we look forward to sharing further updates as its international journey unfolds.
This exclusive interview with Goryana Vasileva was featured in Episode Magazine’s Content Americas 2025 issue.
