Victor Elizalde

As the founder and Managing Partner of Viva Pictures Distribution, LLC., Victor Elizalde has been pivotal in propelling Viva into a leading independent distribution and production animation studio. With an ownership stake in 3 Doubles animation studio based in the Canary Islands and a rich portfolio of animated films, Viva Pictures and its brands Viva Kids and Kidsflix have become synonymous with high-quality and high-velocity animated content.

Viva produces 2-3 original animated features for theatrical release each year and distributes 10-15 animated films annually. The company provides theatrically released premier content to major platforms such as Hulu, Disney+, Peacock, HBO, Amazon, Roku, and Fandango at Home.

Strategically, as related to industry insiders, producers, investors, and content providers, Victor has always taken an approach to pay the producers a gross royalty off-the-top, which has transformed entertainment industry relationships never before experienced. Victor recognized at inception that producers and investors were getting shorted by inefficient distributors who preferred to only share in “net” profits, which never came to fruition. Recognizing that this business model was unsustainable for investors, producers and is short sighted, Victor flips the waterfall to include investors at the revenue source.

Before founding Viva Pictures, Elizalde was the Director of Sony Pictures Entertainment’s International Business Development and held significant positions at The Walt Disney Co, Warner Bros., and Technicolor. A native of Chicago, he was a Rackham Fellowship recipient and earned his Master’s Degree in Applied Economics from Michigan and a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Colorado. Victor splits his time between Austin, Texas, Los Angeles, and Spain.

Currently, Victor also serves on LSA’s Economic Leadership Council and the University of Texas-Austin Economics Advisory Committee. Victor was honored with introducing President Santa Ono and Regent Sarah Hubbard at the Beverly Hills Hotel addressing alumni just ahead of our historical Rose Bowl Victory over Washington.