Following the success of Rivals on Disney+, the Mouse House is investing in a British scripted originals team with two new hires.
The UK Disney+ scripted original will be directed by Hamnet producer Ron Oberst of Hella Pictures, with Pure Fiction Television’s Laura Klimke joining as senior development manager.
At Hera, O’Berst executive produced “What It Feels Like for a Girl” and served as story producer on the Sky Atlantic/Starz co-production “Mary & George.” Prior to joining Hera in 2020, Mr O’Berst was Head of Development at Drama Republic and Head of Script Development at BBC Worldwide. He previously worked at Channel 4 and Discovery Networks International.
Klimke was an executive producer at Pure Fiction and before that was head of development at Euston Films, working on projects including BBC One’s Hard Sun, ITV’s The Sister and BBC Three’s Wreck.
The two will be based in Disney+ EMEA in London, where they will report to Lee Mason, vice president of scripted content, and will help develop and commission stories for both Disney+ and Hulu.
The Disney+ Originals team is led by Angela Jayne, Head of Disney+ EMEA Content. In addition to “Rivals,” recent new commissions for the streamer include “The Stolen Girl” and “Alice and Steve.”
“As we strengthen our original lineup, Ron and Laura bring exceptional creative expertise, great industry relationships and a shared passion for championing unique voices,” Jayne said. “Their appointment is another important step in our ambitious plans to build a world-class originals team that will deliver greater volume and diversity, along with the high standards of creative excellence that our audiences expect.”
As Variety reported yesterday, Disney’s UK subsidiary saw its annual revenue increase by 11.1% through 2025, driven by higher streaming subscribers, prices and box office revenue.
