Javier Pons Promoted To Chief Content Officer And Head Of Telemundo Studios
Javier Pons has been promoted to Chief Content Officer and Head of Telemundo Studios. In addition to leading development and production of scripted content at Telemundo Studios, Pons, who joined the company as EVP of Telemundo Studios iin April 2024, will now also oversee the network's entertainment division, focusing on the creation of unscripted programming, daily shows and live specials.
The move is part of Telemundo's strategy to expand its entertainment footprint and strengthen its position as a leader in Spanish-language original content production. Pons will report directly to Luis Fernández, Chairman of NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, who has been in that role since 2023.
'Since his arrival to Telemundo, Javier has delivered great results and strengthened Telemundo Studios' position for the future,' says Fernández. 'He is an accomplished media executive, and I'm confident he will continue to excel in this expanded leadership role.'
Javier Pons celebrates the start of production for Telemundo Studios' newest original series, ... More "Velvet El Nuevo Imperio," alongside the cast. The romantic drama is scheduled to premiere in May.
Pons has over three decades of production and media management experience across the United States, Spain, France, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, and Argentina. Before joining Telemundo, Pons served as General Director of Globomedia, one of Spain's leading production companies, and Head of TV at The Mediapro Studio. His portfolio includes the creation and production of series for streaming platforms such as Nasdrovia (Movistar), Mano de Hierro (Iron Hand, Netflix), and El Internado: Las Cumbres (The Boarding School: Las Cumbres, Amazon).
Pons also co-produced critically acclaimed films like Competencia Oficial Official (Competition), starring Antonio Banderas and Penélope Cruz, and served as delegate producer on El Buen Patrón (The Good Boss), featuring Javier Bardem. His work extends to award-winning television series like Tengo Una Pregunta para Usted (I Have a Question for You), which won an Ondas award in 2020, and popular competition shows such as Ninja Warrior and El Juego de los Anillos (The Game of the Rings).
'I look forward to working together across Studios and Entertainment to continue to develop and produce the most innovative, contemporary, and engaging content in Spanish-language media,' states Pons.
This announcement follows the December addition of Jacqueline Castro as Vice President of Production, a newly created role aimed at bolstering Telemundo's original content offerings. Castro, a former Sony Pictures Entertainment Latin America executive, who is currently responsible for production strategy, including in-house and third-party productions.
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It's gonna be a reflective surface," Blackman said of Anka's advice. Trump was adamant that the new ballroom needed to be larger than the 15,000-square-foot Ponce de Leon Ballroom at The Breakers Palm Beach resort, Blackman said. While that was part of the inspiration, he said that Trump also wanted to bring the annual International Red Cross Ball to Mar-a-Lago. Trump was successful, and one of the highlights of Palm Beach's social season soon moved to Mar-a-Lago's Grand Ballroom. "We always thought that it helped getting the National Trust to approve something first, and then that kind of gave us the 'Good Housekeeping' certificate that we could cash in with the Landmarks Commission," Blackman said of the town's approval process. While the project to build the new ballroom received approval from Palm Beach's council in October of 1999, the timeline was pushed back several times because of construction of a new Royal Park Bridge, the Daily News reported in September 2002. The project received final approval from Palm Beach's landmarks board in April of 2002, and construction began the next year, with the building permit issued in August of 2003, Blackman said. While his 10-year tenure with Mar-a-Lago ended soon after receiving the permit, Blackman returned to work on other projects at Mar-a-Lago, including the ballroom's kitchen and the massive flag pole that led to a legal battle between Trump and Palm Beach. What does the Grand Ballroom look like? The exterior of the ballroom building, which is on the property's south side between the main house and Southern Boulevard, was designed by Gonzalez to mimic the Spanish-Moorish style of the rest of the estate, the Daily News reported at the time. But the ballroom's interior was designed with France in mind. The decor drew on Versailles, with shining marble floors, intricate gold leaf designs, crystal chandeliers and soaring 40-foot coffered ceilings. The Daily News reported at the time that the gold leaf alone carried a $7 million price tag, and the overall project cost stood at $35 million. "I modeled the interior after Versailles, and there is nothing like it in the United States," Trump said of the ballroom in a 2005 interview with Florida Design magazine. When it opened, guests were reportedly awestruck by the 17 Stras chandeliers, each with a cost of $250,000 and imported from Czechoslovakia. The first major event in the new ballroom was Mar-a-Lago's annual New Year's Eve Gala to ring in 2005, according to news reports. From a Dec. 31, 2004, Daily News report: "A 1,200-square-foot loggia leads into the two-story foyer through a series of Palladian-style mahogany doors with wrought-iron borders. A staircase leads to a 45-foot observation tower. For New Year's Eve, there will be stages at opposite ends of the ballroom, one for the dance orchestra and one for headliner Vanessa Williams." The next event: a grand party to mark the marriage of Trump to his then-fiancée, Melania Knauss. Their marriage ceremony was Jan. 22, 2005, at the Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea, and celebrants then made the short drive to Mar-a-Lago for the reception. Anka, a guest at the wedding, treated guests to two songs at the reception: "Diana," and a version of the song "Lady Is a Tramp" that Anka dubbed "Donald is a Trump." USA Today contributed to this report. Kristina Webb is a reporter for Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at kwebb@ Subscribe today to support our journalism.
