ShowUp Studios targets Gen Z

Carolina Lightcap, a former Disney and Discovery executive, has launched ShowUp Studios to make Gen Z programming for YouTube, TikTok and other social platforms. (deadline.com) ShowUp Studios was unveiled on April 15, 2026 with three co-founders: Mandarina founder Mariano Chihade, Kidscorp founder Demián Falestchi and Dale Play founder Federico Lauría. Deadline reported the company is built as a digital studio and content ecosystem rather than a traditional television production label. (deadline.com) The company is aiming for more than 4,500 episodes over five years, using a free, advertising-supported model with brand integrations instead of a subscription business. It plans to pitch its intellectual property in upfront presentations to advertisers and is preparing a pre-seed funding round. (deadline.com) That setup puts ShowUp directly inside the shift from long-form cable and streaming budgets toward short-form, platform-native video built for recommendation feeds. C21Media described the venture as an Ibero-American studio designed specifically for YouTube, TikTok and social platforms, not as a repurposing outlet for television leftovers. (c21media.net) Lightcap said the studio wants Gen Z “present at every stage of the process,” with programming shaped by day-to-day audience feedback on the platforms where that audience already spends time. That makes viewer response part of development, not just a scorecard after release. (deadline.com) The founders bring different pieces of that strategy. Lightcap previously held senior roles including president of Disney Channels Worldwide and chief content officer of Discovery Latin America and United States Hispanic, while Falestchi runs Kidscorp, an advertising technology company focused on younger audiences in Latin America. (deadline.com; lightcubedmedia.com) Chihade comes from television production through Mandarina, and Lauría’s Dale Play works across music, gaming, live events and artist management. HispanicAd said the four founders are positioning ShowUp as a premium digital studio that connects entertainment, music and advertising in one operation. (hispanicad.com) The bet is that Gen Z video habits can support a studio built first for feeds, creators and advertisers rather than channels, theaters or subscription apps. ShowUp Studios is starting with that premise and selling it as a production business of its own. (deadline.com; c21media.net)