Monday round-up: Latest news, deals & hires

Microdrama lands on Disney

Disney+ has rolled out a new shortform scripted series as it looks to tap into the fast-growing vertical video space.

Locker Diaries, which stars actors from shows such as Zombies and Phines & Ferb, is a Disney+ original made up of 11 episodes, two of which have launched. The remainder drop weekly until April.

The series combines comedy and drama, with stories viewed through open locker doors in schools hallways. It will also air on Disney Channel.

Broadcast International revealed back in October that Disney+ was looking to move into vertical video and microdrama, with a tile being considered for its service.

Netflix rejigs UK top team

Netflix has quietly reorganised its top commissioning team in the UK, promoting Manda Levin to lead scripted and drafting in Duck Soup co-founder Bekki Wray Rogers, Broadcast can reveal.

The news comes as the streamer clarifies the make-up of its commissioning team following a flurry of appointments, including Liz Lewin as director of UK comedy series and Syeda Irtizaali as director of unscripted UK.

Levin, who has previously worked with the company on a freelance basis and as a director of scripted beneath Mona Qureshi, has now stepped up to take on the role Qureshi vacated when she left company to join Margot Robbie’s indie LuckyChap late last year. Read more

Apploff names development chief

Best Guess Live producer Apploff Entertainment has promoted Zach Gelfand to become director of development.

Gelfand reports into president and chief exec Jeff Apploff and will work with Danielle Peress, vice president of current and development.

He joined Apploff in 2023 and exec produces Netflix’s quizzer Best Guess Live, part of the streamer’s expanding push into live programming.