Cristian Carretero: The Panamanian Producer Behind a Top US Reality Show

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This year he joins the new seasons of The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula and Dragula Titans as a Story Producer.

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Written by Tom White

Cristian Carretero, the only international producer from the Survivor franchise who has managed to remain an active segment producer within the core team in recent years, is Panamanian. And although his career now moves across some of the most demanding television productions in the world, his path began much earlier, in Panama City.

The son of a businessman who owned movie theaters, Carretero grew up surrounded by screens. While other kids watched movies, he wanted to understand how they were made. That curiosity led him to study Directing and Documentary Production at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television in Los Angeles. There, he began working behind the camera as a videographer and editor for the university’s media team, producing content that reached thousands of viewers on digital platforms.

After graduating, his career gained momentum within major studios such as Fox, NBCUniversal, and DreamWorks Animation. During those years, he worked in post-production and editing on both 2D animated series and CGI productions, contributing to both fiction and non-fiction projects. Some of his work in animation received international recognition.

One of those projects was Meow Space Ranger , which won the award for Best Panamanian Animation at the Panama Animation Festival. Another project, Things Are Good , was selected at festivals such as the Mammoth Film Festival, Byron Bay International Film Festival, and LA Shorts International Film Festival. His project Cowboy, Bitch! also had a notable run: it won awards at the Texas Art House Film Festival, was selected for the LA Queer Film Fest, and was a finalist for Most Original Concept at the Portland Comedy Film Festival.

In television, one of his best-known roles has been on Survivor , the Emmy-nominated reality competition. For four years, he has worked as a segment producer and story producer, following contestants on location, directing camera teams, conducting key interviews, and capturing the moments that become an essential part of the show.

The production conditions on Survivor are famously tough shoots in remote locations, long days, and constant pressure. Not many producers manage to stay in that role for so long, which is why Carretero’s case stands out within the franchise.

The Panamanian producer has also worked at Bunim/Murray Productions as a Challenge Associate Producer, contributing to the organization of large-scale challenges for competition shows.

The next step in his career will come this year, as he joins the new seasons of The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula and Dragula Titans as a Story Producer, while continuing his work on Survivor . From Los Angeles, Cristian Carretero continues to expand a career that blends television, film, and animation with an international perspective.

Photo courtesy of Cristian Carretero

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwtv/article/How-Cristian-Carretero-Came-to-Produce-One-of-the-Biggest-Reality-Shows-on-American-Television-20260506)._