EXCLUSIVE: Netflix drama exec Roberto Stopello has exited his Mexico City-based role with the company, but will continue to collaborate with the streamer on scripted fare, Deadline has learned.
Stopello was VP of Series in Latin America at Netflix. He has now left and Deadline understands he plans to move back to the U.S. for family reasons.
Prior to joining Netflix in 2018, Stopello served a long stint at Telemundo, occupying various writing and development roles across a 15-year career at the NBCUniversal-owned Spanish language broadcaster.
He was one of the creators of smash-hit telenovela Reina Del Sur and has numerous writing credits.
Stopello had been putting a Netflix stamp on the novella genre, working closely with writers and creators and looking to blend elements of classic telenovelas with drama series to create shows that resonated both on home turf and around the world.
Madre Solo Hay Do (aka Daughter From Another Mother), Oscuro Deseo (aka Dark Desire) and ‘¿Quién mató a Sara?’ (aka Who Killed Sarah?) all bowed during Stopello’s time at Netflix, and he worked with the likes of José Ignacio ‘Chascas’ Valenzuela and Leonardo Padrón during his tenure as VP.
He will continue to collaborate with Netflix to develop projects upon which he will be head writer or showrunner.
The streaming giant has invested heavily in original content out of Latin America and from its Mexico City base, with greenlights spanning film, series, and novellas. In recent news, Deadline revealed it had ordered heist thriller Bandidos.
Its local originals often feature among it top-ranking non-English-language shows globally.