Sao Paulo, June 19th, 2012 – Today, HBO Latin America presented the three stars of its new Original Series, O Negócio (The Business). Rafaela Mandelli, Juliana Schalch and Michelle Batista will begin filming this week, on the 22nd. Set in the high-class, luxurious world of Sao Paulo, the plot follows the lives of three sophisticated call-girls, who set themselves apart by using marketing techniques and a business plan.
“The development of O Negócio is another important investment opportunity in the creative production market of Brazil, which will generate a new Original Series with HBO’s standard of quality. The script is intriguing, unique, and mixes humor with sensuality”, said Luis F. Peraza, Executive Vice President of Original Production for HBO Latin America Group.
Created by Luca Paiva Mello and Rodrigo Castilho, the series tells the story of three sophisticated young women: Karin (Rafaela Mandelli), Luna (Juliana Schalch), and Magali (Michelle Batista), who get together to change their professional lives in a radical way. In the Brazilian city that houses over 60% of the country’s millionaires, they identify a potential market to profit from with the world’s oldest profession. Beautiful, well-dressed, and university-educated, these girls improve their business with the application of theories in management and marketing. Names such as Kotler, Taylor, and Levit, leading exponents of “marketing” literature, serve as the inspiration for these sex professionals to create their business plan.
O Negócio will consist of 13 hour-long episodes each based on a different marketing strategy that will determine either how the women take action to increase their clientele or how they simply increase their profits more from each strategy. The series, produced by HBO Latin America Originals and filmed by the production house Mixer, will be shot during 26 weeks in over 100 different locations around the city of Sao Paulo. The cast also includes performances by Guilherme Weber, Gabriel Godoy and João Gabriel Vasconcelos. Luca Paiva Mello will be in charge of the Direction.
Original Productions – Since 2004, HBO Latin America has invested in the Brazilian production market, and it has already released 4 different Original Series of its own: Mandrake; Filhos do Carnaval; Alice and Mulher de Fases. Broadcast in all of Latin America, the series are recognized for their modern and original scripts, for the resources employed in the cutting-edge filming and for the new talent they bring to the industry.
O Negócio will be entirely funded by the investments of HBO Latin America Group.
