Mark Burnett Secures Exclusive Life Rights Deal with MGM New Joint Venture Gato Grande Productions

Mark Burnett, MGM's President of Television and Digital, said today that Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's new joint venture GATO GRANDE (Big Cat) PRODUCTIONS has acquired the exclusive life rights to Mexican singer and International icon Luis Miguel. One of the top male singers worldwide, having sold over 100 million albums, the intensely private Miguel has never before told his story.

Gato Grande Productions is the new joint venture between MGM and Mexican entrepreneurs Miguel Aleman and Antonio Cu.Gato Grande will produce Spanish-language content for worldwide audiences.

Overseeing the development of the Luis Miguel TV series is Gato Grande's Head of Development Carla Gonzlez Vargas, who was an independent filmmaker in Mexico and author of several books on film history. Her family owns one of the most important media conglomerates in Mexico: MVS Comunicaciones.

"It has taken me a long time to want to tell my story and I have been looking for the right team to tell it the way it should be told," said Luis Miguel. "Mark and the Gato Grande team are the perfect partners for this."

"We spent many hours at my home with Luis Miguel discussing ideas for how best to tell his story and we are thrilled to be in business with him," said Burnett. "We see the value of premium content for the Spanish-speaking market throughout the world, and we look forward to many additional projects across all platforms that we can now develop with Antonio, Miguel and Gato Grande. This is only the beginning."

"Antonio and I have been looking to get into the content business for some time and after forming a deep personal relationship with Mark, we knew that the timing and opportunity were just right," said Alemn. "To be able to launch our company Gato Grande with the story of Luis Miguel, one of the most important, legendary talents in music, is very exciting," added Cu.

About Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer is a leading entertainment company focused on the production and global distribution of film and television content across all platforms. The company owns one of the world's deepest libraries of premium film and television content. In addition, MGM has investments in domestic and international television channels. For more information, visit www.mgm.com.

About Luis Miguel Considered one of the top malesingers worldwide today, selling over 100 million records worldwide. Winner of 5 Grammy Music Awards - A child prodigy who won his first Grammyat the age of fourteen - and continuing until today - the recipient of a continuous stream of awards generated from the American Grammy's; Latin Grammy's; Billboard Awards; and various foreign governments, including Mexico and Spain. His musical career spans the genre of the music world; from pop, bolero, mariachi and romantic ballads, to recording a duet with Frank Sinatra "Come Fly With Me" and being personally invited by Frank Sinatra to appear with him onFrankSinatra's show: 80 Years My Way -along with Bruce Springsteen, Natalie Cole, and Bob Dylan.

About Gato Grande Productions Gato Grande is a joint venture between Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and high profile Mexican entrepreneurs, Miguel Alemn Magnani and Antonio Cue Snchez Navarro. The newly founded company develops and produces high-quality Spanish-language content.

About Miguel Aleman Miguel Alemn Magnani, grandson of Mexican President Miguel Aleman Valds, is Founder and President of Interjet, the first high-efficiency, low-cost airline in Mexico. In the 80's he was part of the groundbreaking team that reinvented radio for young audiences in Mexico with WFM Radio, alongside Alejandro G. Iarritu. Later, as Director of Special Affairs at the Presidency of Televisa, he transformed the image of various national TV channels as well as Galavision in the United States and Europe.

About Antonio Cu Antonio Cue Sanchez Navarro is the grandson of one of the founders of Grupo Modelo, the Mexican Brewery behind Corona Beer. He moved to Los Angeles in 2005 to become the youngest owner of a Major League Soccer Team (MLS) in the US. He grew the newly created Mexican-American team Chivas USA during 8 years to later sell it successfully and continue exploring Latino-generated entertainment.

SOURCE MGM