With the success of “Rivals” on Disney+, the Mouse House is investing in its U.K. scripted original teams with two new hires.
Disney+ scripted originals in the U.K. has tapped Ron O’Berst from “Hamnet” producer Hera Pictures for the role of director while Pure Fiction Television’s Laura Klimke joins as senior development manager.
At Hera, O’Berst exec produced “”What It Feels Like for a Girl” and served as story producer on Sky Atlantic/Starz co-pro “Mary & George.” Before joining Hera in 2020, O’Berst was head of development at Drama Republic and head of scripted development at BBC Worldwide. He has previously worked at Channel 4 and Discovery Networks International.
Klimke was executive producer at Pure Fiction and before that was head of development at Euston Films, where she worked on projects such as “Hard Sun” for BBC One, “The Sister” for ITV and “Wreck” for BBC Three.
The duo will be based at Disney+ EMEA in London where they will report to VP for scripted content Lee Mason, helping to develop and commission stories for both Disney+ and Hulu.
The Disney+ originals team is led by head of content for Disney+ EMEA Angela Jain. As well as “Rivals,” recent new commissions for the streamer include “The Stolen Girl,” and “Alice and Steve.”
“As we ramp up our Originals slate, Ron and Laura bring exceptional creative expertise, outstanding industry relationships and a shared passion for championing distinctive voices,” said Jain. “Their appointments are another important step in our ambitious plan to build a world-class Originals team who will deliver more volume and variety, alongside the high standards of creative excellence our audiences expect.”
As Variety reported yesterday, Disney’s U.K. subsidiary saw an 11.1% increase in revenue for the year ending 2025, driven by a rise in streaming subscribers and prices, as well as box office.
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