Cris Abrego was named Chairman of the Americas, Banijay in November 2020. In his new role, he oversees both the North American and Latin American divisions of Banijay, the world’s largest international content producer and distributor.
Abrego now leads a stable of award-winning unscripted and scripted production studios that includes Endemol Shine North America, Bunim/Murray Productions, Authentic Entertainment, Truly Original, 51 Minds Entertainment, Steven David Entertainment and YellowBird U.S.
Additionally, Abrego has oversight of Endemol Shine Latino, the company’s Spanish-language sales and development arm that leads all original programming initiatives across Latin America, including Mexico City-based studio, Endemol Shine Boomdog and Endemol Shine Brasil.
The former co-founder and chief executive of Endemol Shine-owned studio 51 Minds Entertainment, Abrego is one of the leading creators and producers of reality television in the U.S., recognized globally for pioneering the celeb-reality genre.
As one of the highest-ranking Latinos in television, Abrego has made inclusion a top priority for his team and within the entertainment industry. Under his leadership, Endemol Shine North America launched the global company’s first all-encompassing Diversity and Inclusion resource group in 2019.