From Barcelona to Asian Markets
Proactiv Entertainment is scaling its international footprint into Asian markets following a corporate revenue surge past the 70 million euro mark. The Barcelona-based live entertainment producer, which has established a regional office in Singapore, deployed a production of Peppa Pig across Hong Kong, Manila, and Singapore as an initial market entry test.
The company generated a revenue of over 70 million euros for the fiscal year closed last March, marking a substantial jump from the 45 million euros recorded in 2022. While the Middle East currently accounts for more than half of the company’s total billing through operations anchored by an Abu Dhabi office opened in 2021, the Asian market currently contributes approximately 5%. Leadership aims to elevate that share to 20% within two years.
Capital Backing and Structural Scaling
This rapid international expansion follows Sony Music Masterworks acquiring a majority stake in Proactiv in 2023. Horacio Renna established the company in 1987, and Nicolás Renna now directs executive operations.
Nicolás Renna described the investment from the music giant as a crucial catalyst. Vinieron a regar un suelo que ya estaba fértil
[They came to water soil that was already fertile], Renna noted regarding the transition. He added that the partnership provided necessary capital, structural frameworks, and operational security to scale faster.
Prior to the pandemic, the company maintained a permanent staff of 19 employees. That headcount has since expanded beyond 50 personnel distributed across three core operational pillars: live shows, music, and immersive experiences. Each division contributes roughly one-third of the business, maintaining Barcelona as the center of operations while executing across three continents.
The Sant Pau Holiday Production
Domestically, the producer maintains stable annual revenues in Spain ranging between 15 and 20 million euros. A core driver of its local seasonal calendar is the upcoming iteration of Els Llums de Sant Pau at the modernist enclosure in Barcelona.
This year’s nighttime light and visual arts exhibition centers on Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince. The project integrates illuminated installations, projection mapping, and an ice rink under the stars.
The mounting carries a budget between 1,5 and 2 million euros. Audience demand proved immediate, with the production clearing 10,000 ticket sales within 24 hours. Following its run in Barcelona, the company aspires to give the exhibition international reach, with France, Belgium, and Canada among the possible destinations.
Corporate Autonomy and Accountability
The acquisition by Sony shifted internal dynamics for the executive leadership. Nicolás Renna transitioned from sharing business decisions with his father to reporting to the management structure of Sony Music Masterworks based in New York.
Me han dejado hacer prácticamente lo que he querido
[They have let me do practically whatever I wanted], Renna stated regarding the operational autonomy maintained under the corporate umbrella. However, he acknowledged that accountability scaled alongside the new resources: Cuando me equivoco, me equivoco solo
[When I make a mistake, I make it alone].
The product catalog underpinning this growth includes large-scale musicals such as The Lion King—which traveled to Abu Dhabi in 2022 as Proactiv’s largest project until then in terms of turnover—alongside Hamilton, Les Misérables, Disney on Ice, concert tours for artists like Maluma, Andrea Bocelli, and Don Omar, and the organization of the last Operación Triunfo tour.
