Disney’s SVP of Original Content, EMEA, Liam Keelan, is departing his role, set to leave in early 2025, according to a report from Deadline.
What’s Happening:
- Liam Keelan, SVP of Original Content, Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA), is reportedly exiting his role at the company.
- Keelan had been with Disney for nearly 5 years, and will be leaving in early 2025. News of his departure was reportedly sent internally to colleagues.
- Keelan reportedly built the Europe and Africa programming team when Disney+ went international, leading the group in the production of 70 originals.
- A recruitment process to replace Keelan is in place, with big names from the international community expected to be in the hat. The role will continue to report to Diego Londono, EVP of Media Networks and Content.
- Earlier this year, Keelan’s team unveiled a number of projects out of Spain and France, following last year’s announcement from Keelan saying Disney+ had hit their goal of launching 50 originals.
- Keelan’s division has been responsible for originals like Renegade Nell, Extraordinary, and Becoming Karl Lagerfeld, plus the upcoming Rivals, due out on October 18th.
What They’re Saying:
- Liam Keelan: “It’s been an absolute blast running the Disney+ Originals team. I’ll forever be grateful to Diego Londono and [Disney EMEA President] Jan Koeppen for backing me every step of the way as we launched our first raft of commissions and set about changing expectations of what a Disney+ show might be. Starting from scratch almost five years ago, I’m so proud of the range, quality and awards our shows have brought to Disney+. Any success is testament to the brilliant teams we have here in the UK and across the European markets – their passion and creativity has been truly inspiring. It’s never an easy decision to leave when there’s so much more to come but channelling Declan O’Hara it’s time for a change and I’ve no doubt Disney+ and the originals slate will be hugely successful in the months and years to come.”
- Diego Londono: “Since 2020, Liam has brought an incredible creativity and commitment in delivering a wide-ranging local originals slate across EMEA. I am so proud of the shows Liam has steered, but also of the team he’s built. We’ve constantly evolved to bring our Disney+ customers great local titles, from award winning titles such as Extraordinary, The Ignorant Angels and The Good Mothers to local hits such as Coleen Rooney: The Real Wagatha Story, Lions of Sicily and Our Only Chance, and not to forget an amazing lineup of upcoming titles such as Rivals, The Disappearance of Kimi Diore, A Thousand Blows and Vienna Game. This is all thanks to Liam’s leadership and decision making. I wish him all the best in his next endeavor.”
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