Cristóbal Ross is the writer-director-producer of Gringolandia, a web series about a Chilean man living in New York. It’s a comedy shot in a mockumentary style and has over 2 million views, mostly in Chile. Season two will premiere in October 2014.
How did Cristóbal get started:
Cristóbal is an engineer by training, but he really loves movies. So he quit his job in Chile and moved to New York to film this series.
What inspires Cristóbal:
Cristóbal sees a lot of potential in the web series industry. Digital advertising budgets are growing and web series creators have an opportunity to make a living in their craft.
Learning from a mistake:
Mistakes are an everyday occurrence, and you can always learn from them. Cristóbal is currently struggling with a client where he agreed to include branded content in the series, but later a different department at the client rejected the idea after the footage was complete. The lesson here is always get signed agreements.
Let’s talk money.
First you need an audience, then once you have the numbers there are a lot of ways to monetize: merchandising, events, etc. Gringolandia has sponsors and branded content. They don’t run ads through YouTube.
One indispensable piece of equipment:
Cristóbal can’t live without his MacBook Pro laptop.
What’s next:
Cristóbal is finishing up Season 2, and trying to sell Season 3. He’s also working on three additional web series.
How to find Gringolandia:
Google: Gringolandia
Facebook: Gringolandia
YouTube: Gringolandia