About Us
PRODUCING PARTNERS is an EMMY AWARD WINNING development and production company responsible for numerous hit series for networks like HBO MAX, Amazon Studios, Disney+, Food Network, HBO, TV Globo, Smithsonian, PBS, Globoplay, All Arts and many others. The company has been nominated seven times for the New York Emmy Awards and has produced series in the genres of true crime, arts, entertainment, gastronomy, and others. Among its recent highlights are “A Brutal Pact - The Murder of Daniella Perez”, which has quickly become the most watched Original series on HBO MAX, and the Amazon Studios production “Queens on the Run”, a drag queen competition traveling through eight Brazilian cities. The original series “IMMERSIVE.WORLD”, currently in its third season on PBS, has won a New York Emmy in 2021, and has been nominated for two additional ones in 2022.
PRODUCING PARTNERS was founded by directors Guto Barra and Tatiana Issa, who have produced and directed numerous documentary films and television series, amassing a long list of awards and accolades. Its seasoned New York-based staff oversees all production phases for each series, ensuring high production value and an extremely efficient workflow. Leveraging its partners’ relationships with well-known talent in the entertainment industry and beyond, PRODUCING PARTNERS is well-positioned to develop and produce a variety of exciting television programs. The company offers networks and streaming platforms innovative ways to fulfill their programming needs, while developing an exciting roster of products that can be licensed and developed by partners in different markets.
Our Team
TATIANA ISSA
Founder/CEO &
Head of Content
Tatiana Issa is a 3 times EMMY Awards Winner and 7 times EMMY Awards Nominee executive producer, showrunner & director. She is the co-founder of Producing Partners & ART DOCS with 400+ episodes produced in more than 80 countries and over 30 hit primetime television series and films for channels like HBO, Amazon Studios, Smithsonian Channel, Youtube Originals, Food Network, TV5 Monde, TV Globo, Disney+ and many others. Tatiana is a member of the Television Academy and a juror of the International Emmy Awards as well as a proud member of New York Women in Film & Television.
Tatiana won more than 40 International awards for her feature film, Dzi Croquettes, featuring Liza Minnelli. The film became the one of the most awarded documentaries in Brazilian History and has been shown in prestigious venues such as the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York followed by a theatrical release in the USA, Europe and Brazil. The film received outstanding reviews and got major media attention by the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, among many others. She's polyglot and fluent in 6 languages.
GUTO BARRA
Founder/CFO & Director of Strategic Development
Guto Barra is a 3 times EMMY Awards Winner and 7 times Emmy Awards Nominee, filmmaker and television director, founder of Producing Partners. With vast experience in the Latin American and Spanish Speaking markets, he is the co-creator of numerous hit series on Brazilian television, for HBO, Food Network, PBS, Smithsonian Channel, TV5 Monde, YouTube Originals, and others. His directing and producing credits include over 400 episodes of television series on travel, music, arts, technology and pop culture. Guto’s films have been shown in prestigious venues such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Haus der Kulturen der Werld, in Berlin, and the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris. The award-winning feature documentary Beyond Ipanema inspired a television series, shot in Asia, Europe and the United States. His documentary series “Inspired”, which explores the connection of artists and places, features the creative process of names like Keith Haring, Donald Judd, Georgia O’Keeffe, Yves Saint Laurent and others. It’s currently being shown in over 20 countries..
PETER DIMARIO
Producer & Development
Peter DiMario won an EMMY Awards for his series "Immersive.World" and got nominated for 2 other Awards. He's a New York based producer for film and television. Originally from Philadelphia, Peter brings with him his background in art, psychology, and design along with a deep love of all things theater. He is the Co-Creator and producer of the docuseries IMMERSIVE.WORLD, currently in its second season on All Arts and Arte1, and has produced multiple projects for Producing Partners and Art Docs, including "Under the Greenwood Tree" with The Public Theater, which shines a light on the creation of the Public Works musical version of As You Like It for Shakespeare in the Park. Additional credits include "Transcending: The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center celebrates 50 years of excellence", which gives audiences an inside look at the world's largest chamber music organization, and the film "Dreams from the Deep End" that has been screened at the Brooklyn Museum and other art venues internationally. Peter is currently producing the docuseries "United Nations of Dance" that focuses on native dance forms from around the world and marries his love of dance with his love of storytelling.
GUSTAVO NASR
Director of Photography
Born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, “a chaotic city that has the gift of staying beautiful in any light or time of the day”, Gustavo Nasr is a Director of Photography that has worked in the fields of documentary, narrative, music videos and advertising. Throughout his career as a cinematographer, he has travelled to places like Tokyo, Paris, Istambul, Medellin, Mo-i-Rana, London, Hong Kong, Beirut and many other unique places. He has recently worked on the HBO documentary series FORA DO ARMÁRIO, Food Network’s DESTINO CON SABOR and GNT’s PEDRO PELO MUNDO, among many others.
PAULO TESTOLINI
Director / Main Editor
Paulo Testolini grew up in the small town of Vinhedo, Brazil. Paulo took up film at an early age: recording his family's expeditions and safaris through the wild lands of Brazil. He graduated from the film department at Tisch School of the Arts, in New York City, and has been active in many film projects around the globe. His thesis short film “Suriname Gold,” an ambitious two-country Amazon production, was officially selected to screen at numerous festivals around the world and won the “Best Foreign Short Film” at the Big Island Film Festival (Hawaii). He is currently involved in the production of many Brazilian television series, such as FORA DO ARMÁRIO (HBO), GEOGRAFIA DA ARTE (Arte 1), ANOTA AÍ (MULTISHOW), as well as his own passion project about elephant conservation in the Congo and Central African Republic.
RAPHAEL ALVAREZ
Director & Producer
Raphael Alvarez is a New York‐based director and producer. Growing up in Rio de Janeiro, he started his career in front of the camera, having had leading roles in three major soap operas. As a teenager, Raphael relocated to New York City to further pursue his love of acting. He starred in a number of Broadway musicals including "West Side Story", "Kiss of the Spider Woman" and "Jesus Christ Superstar" (with Ted Neely and Carl Anderson). In 2009, he co‐directed DZI CROQUETTES, a feature doc film that was released theatrically in the US, Brazil and Europe, amassing 40 International awards. He has directed the television series ALÉM DA CONTA COM INGRID GUIMARÃES, ANOTA AÍ, DANÇANDO NA BROADWAY and MUNDO EM MOVIMENTO.