Masked Republic, known for its lucha libre and luchador-centered entertainment, has named Diego Valenzuela (pictured) as its first head of storyworlds. 

In this newly created role, the Mexican writer, director and voice actor will lead story development for the company’s expansion into kids series. Valenzuela is responsible for expanding its IPs into other categories, such as video games and books. He’s also driving the company’s expansion into children’s publishing, which includes a series of middle-grade children’s books with Future House Publishing in 2024.

He reports to Masked president and COO, Kevin Kleinrock.

The company—which represents dozens of wrestlers, handles worldwide L&M and produces and distributes its own content—has previously made the teen-skewing comic series The Luchaverse One-Shots. It also partnered with Mexico’s Demente Animation back in 2021 to make animated kids series and games. 

Valenzuela’s passion for lucha libre, coupled with his experience developing stories across media, make him uniquely suited for the role, company founder and CEO Ruben Zamora said in a release. On top of writing kids shows like Cartoon Network’s Villainous, Valenzuela was also story editor on Mexico’s Viva Calavera!’s 11-minute animated short film Rey Mysterio vs The Darkness, and a narrative designer on SunSpear Games’ IMMORTAL: Gates of Pyre. 

Valenzuela is using this experience to oversee its slate of properties, including the CG-animated kids show Legend of Luchasatsu, made with Demente Animation, which is set for a 2024 delivery. Valenzuela is head writer on that show, which is about a trio of Mexican kids who try to uncover the secrets of an ancient artifact. 

He’s also developing children’s series Masks vs. Monsters with Austin-based EP1T0ME STUDIOS. In the live-action show, a young boy discovers that the name his grandfather used in his wrestling days ties into the family’s past hunting monsters. The two companies also plan to produce a video game of the series.