Jotagá Crema (João Henrique Crema) is a screenwriter and director with a degree in Audiovisual Studies from ECA-USP. He was a writer and director on “3%”, the first Brazilian Netflix Original series, which became the most-watched non-English-language show on Netflix in 2016 and a reference for original content production on streaming platforms worldwide. Jotagá also developed, wrote, and directed series such as “O ZOO DA ZU” (Discovery Kids, nominated for an International Emmy), “CINELAB” (Universal Channel), and “EXPERIMENTOS EXTRAORDINÁRIOS” (Cartoon Network, Futura, TV Cultura), among others. He received the PROAC Award for Career Achievement in Audiovisual (2020). He took part in TorinoFilmLab TV 2021, won an award at SoloSerieS at Ventana Sur in 2021, and was selected for the Writers Campus at Series Mania Festival 2022. He is currently developing his series “PERDIDOS”, co-created with Mariana Thomé, in partnership with Spanish production company Espotlight (Los Fara and Un Nuevo Amanecer), and is in pre-production of his feature film.
Education
- Bachelor’s degree in Audiovisual – CTR-ECA-USP
Filmography
- “3%” (2016–2020) – Netflix Original Series produced by Boutique Filmes in 4 seasons. Contributed to development, writing, and direction: co-developed the series bible with Pedro Aguilera, wrote 2 episodes, co-directed the pilot, and directed 9 episodes. Noted as the first Netflix Original from Brazil and the most-watched non-English-language series on Netflix US in 2017, with a trailer surpassing 5 million views on YouTube. Winner at the Festival Internacional TV (FITV) for Best Fiction Pilot (Rio de Janeiro, 2010) and nominated for APCA (Best Series/Miniseries 2017), Fénix Awards (Best Drama Series 2017), and ABRA (Best Drama Script 2017).
- “O ZOO DA ZU” (2016) – Served as Head Director for the first season of 25 episodes on Discovery Kids Brazil. The series ran for 3 seasons and was nominated for the 2018 International Emmy Kids Awards.
- “EXPERIMENTOS EXTRAORDINÁRIOS” (2014–2015) – Co-created, wrote, and directed the first season (26 episodes) for Cartoon Network, Futura, and TV Cultura, produced by Boutique Filmes. Wrote 8 episodes and directed 12. Nominated for the comKids Prix Jeunesse Iberoamericano 2015, Prêmios Telas 2015, and Meus Prêmios Nick 2015.
- “O SEGREDO DOS ADULTOS” (2014) – Participated in the development and co-direction of this short film, winner of a grant from the São Paulo City Hall, produced by Master Shot Filmes.
- “S.O.S. FADA MANU” (2015) – Contributed to the development and writing of this animated series for Gloob, writing 8 episodes of the second season. The show was nominated for the 2016 International Emmy Kids Awards.
- “PERDIDOS” (2021–2022) – Co-created and co-wrote the miniseries with Mariana Thomé. Participated in the TorinoFilmLab Next TV Workshop (Italy, 2021), won the ESPotlight SoloSerieS Award at Ventana Sur (Argentina, 2021), and was selected for the Writers Campus at the Series Mania Festival (France, 2022).
Consulting & Courses
- Inner AI (2023) – Creative consultant for AI. Since Jun/2023.
- Aula Magna – Cinema and Audiovisual (2024) – Guest speaker at ESPM (Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing).
- Natural and Artificial Scripts: Expanding Creativity with AI (2023) – Lecture at ESPMovement.
- Artificial Intelligence in Audiovisual Media (2023) – Panel participant at CONEXÃO USP KINOFORUM, University of São Paulo (USP).
- Núcleo de Dramaturgia (Nudrama) (2017–2019) – Member of the research group at USP.
- Aula Magna – Audiovisual Course (2017) – Guest speaker at ECA-USP.
- Fiction Series: Creation, Bible, and Sales (2024) – Online course at Narratologia Escola de Roteiro. Since Feb/2024.
- TV Series Projects – From Idea to Pitching (2020) – Course at Centro Cultural b_arco. Since May/2020.
- TV Series – Developing the Sales Bible (2020) – Course at Centro Cultural b_arco. Since May/2020.
- Series Projects: Development and Competitive Pitching (2019) – Course at Fundação Armando Álvares Penteado (FAAP). Since Oct/2019.
- TV Series Development and Pitching Workshop (2021) – Drakadeemia (Tallinn, Estonia). Collaboration with Lucas Abrahão.
- Series Bible (2021) – Paradiso Multiplica/Spcine. Course instructor. Collaboration with Mariana Thomé and Teodoro Poppovic.
- Sound Up Brazil (2021) – Spotify. Script mentorship for fiction podcast series. Production: Ultrassom.
- Lab Nicho 54 (2020) – Script mentorship for fiction series.
- TERRORES URBANOS (2019) – Series (Record and Warner). Script consultant for Sentimental Filme.