# Santiago Pozo

> Santiago Pozo is a Spanish-born film marketing executive, producer, writer and director based in Los Angeles. He founded Arenas Group in 1988, built campaigns aimed at U.S. Latino audiences, and led the Arenas Entertainment film venture formed with Universal Pictures and Marco Polo Investments in 2001. Following the agency acquisition announcement in 2020, he stepped back from the CEO role to devote more time to creative work; the official website for We the Hispanos lists him as an executive producer.

- **Role:** Independent filmmaker; executive producer of We the Hispanos
- **Organizations:** Arenas Group (founder and former CEO), Arenas Entertainment (founder and former CEO), Universal Pictures (former marketing executive), Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (member since 1993, according to his 2017 essay), USC School of Cinema-Television Alumni Development Council (founding member, 2006)
- **From:** Santo Domingo de la Calzada, Spain
- **Nationality:** Spanish
- **Education:** MFA, Peter Stark Program, University of Southern California, History degree, Complutense University of Madrid
- **Known for:** Built Arenas from a home-based operation into a film and television marketing agency; more than 600 film and TV campaigns were reported at the acquisition announcement., Led the Latino-focused film venture established with Universal Pictures and Marco Polo Investments in 2001., Founding member of USC’s Cinema-Television Alumni Development Council in 2006.

## Career timeline

- **1980** — Writer and director of Los primeros metros.
- **1983** — Moved to the United States, according to his 2012 EFE interview.
- **1985** — As a Universal intern, advocated a Spanish-language E.T. rerelease campaign.
- **1986** — MFA graduation year recorded by USC; worked on the Latino campaign for An American Tail.
- **1988** — Founded Arenas Group; its debut campaign was Robert Redford’s The Milagro Beanfield War.
- **2001** — Arenas Group, Universal Pictures and Marco Polo Investments established Arenas Entertainment, with Pozo as CEO.
- **2002** — Arenas Entertainment released Empire; Pozo also worked on Imagining Argentina, released in 2003.
- **2006** — Named among the founding members of USC’s Cinema-Television Alumni Development Council.
- **2017** — Published Oscars Black and White... but no Brown, arguing for Latino opportunities in Hollywood.
- **2018** — Participated in the National Hispanic Media Coalition campaign challenging Latino exclusion in film.
- **2020** — December 10 announcement of d2h Partners’ acquisition of Arenas Group said Pozo would step down as CEO and participate in creative and strategic planning.
- **2026** — Listed as executive producer on the official website for We the Hispanos, released in Spain on April 17.

## Achievements

- Built Arenas from a home-based operation into a film and television marketing agency; more than 600 film and TV campaigns were reported at the acquisition announcement.
- Led the Latino-focused film venture established with Universal Pictures and Marco Polo Investments in 2001.
- Founding member of USC’s Cinema-Television Alumni Development Council in 2006.
- Received the National Hispanic Media Coalition’s Outstanding Marketing in Film and Television Impact Award in 2009.
- Executive producer credit on the official We the Hispanos website.

## Latest updates

- **2026-04** — We the Hispanos opened in Spain on April 17. Its official site lists Pozo alongside Cristina Moñívar under executive production.
- **2026-04** — The April 14 Un futuro compartido event programme listed Pozo on a panel about distribution, promotion and patronage of Hispanic cinema in the United States.
- **2024-01** — Appeared as the guest on the January 19 Inspirarte Latinos podcast episode about Hispanic identity and representation.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/santiago-pozo-697864128

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/santiago-pozo
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-25