A great one is gone

Last Tuesday, May 27th, Victor Mato left us. Our, friend, companion, and founder partner. From ISLA we want to remember to all those who make and love TV that one of the great ones is gone.

For TVE he wrote the first sitcoms ever made in Spain (“Menos Lobos” y “Una Hija Mas”). As head of the writing team in TELECINCO, he was responsible of dozens of shows in which he interpreted as no one else the concept of spectacle-TV master Valerio Lazarov brought to us. He as well changed the youth-focused TV by writing the first lines ever said to the camera by stars like Penélope Cruz or Jesús Vázquez. Together with his great friend Giorgio Aresu, he taught us how to get emotional, leading the creativity of the first and most successful emotainment show  ever made in our country: “Sorpresa, Sorpresa”. Through many yesrs he made sure Isabel Gemio and Concha Velasco never lacked a word to reach the audience’s heart with. Later on, he was in charge of the contents during the most brilliant period in the history of his dear friend Eduardo Campoy’s company: CARTEL. The scripts of the successful “Los Ladrones Van a la Oficina” or “Ala… Dina” wouldn’t make it to the set if they weren’t supervised by his keyboard first. Those keys he also pressed to write, already as a freelancer, some of the best texts of another smash hit: “Ana y los Siete”. Not long after that, came ISLA. Victor professionally met one of his disciples; The other Victor (García) and, after a short period as heads of fiction at DRIVE TV under the baton of José manuel Lorenzo, Both Victors, David García, and Jorge Alonso, founded ISLA PRODUCCIONES (thanks to the support, confidence and investment of Juan Baena, Jorge Sánchez Gallo y Carlos Sobera).

At Isla we have made, with Mato as a partner, soul, motor, and head of contents, quite a few things we feel proud of. We created ISABEL (The TV series), invented new ways of producing different fictions on impossible budgets (IMPARES, LA PECERA DE EVA, FRÁGILES), and we broke through the toughest market for the Spanish producers, getting the Americans to produce an idea of ours (OXÍGENO / STAR CROSSED).

Now, Victor Mato has left us. Or that’s what he thinks. Because whether he wants it or not, he’s going to be with us on each whiteboard, on every running schedule, in every script review, on every trip we make to continue exporting our ideas, and, of course, in every orujo Victor tops a lunch off with.

Mato. Both of your families; your children, siblings and wives’, and ISLA, won’t ever forget how great you are. To everyone else, we have thought it would be good to remind it.

We love you.