Netflix, OGM, CBS alums set up vertical video prodco Shorties Studios

L-R: Kelly Luegenbiehl, Onur Güvenatam and Jon Koa

Kelly Luegenbiehl, the former VP of franchise and spectacle series at Netflix, is teaming up with OGM Pictures founder Onur Güvenatam and former CBS exec Jon Koa to launch a new vertical video-focused production company.

Shorties Studios will focus on producing “commercial” mobile-first shortform series for subscription streaming services and social media platforms, in addition to ad-supported branded content. The company has offices in Los Angeles, London and Istanbul, where Koa, Luegenbiehl and Güvenatam are based respectively.

The execs are joining a growing list of industry veterans who are jumping on the apparent opportunity in the microdrama space. Other microdrama-focused companies launched in recent months include MicroCo, led by Cineverse, Banyan Ventures, Jana Winograde and Susan Rovner, and GammaTime, led by former Miramax CEO Bill Block and former Quibi and Google execs.

Meanwhile, established companies are charging into the space, with Fox Entertainment investing in Ukraine-based microdrama firm Holywater, and Spain’s The Mediapro Studio announcing last week it was preparing its first slate of original microdramas.

For Luegenbiehl, the formation of the new company comes almost two years after she left her role as VP of franchise and spectacle series at Netflix, based in the UK. Before that, she held several other roles at Netflix, including an Amsterdam-based post as VP of originals for Europe, Middle East and Africa. Before that, she worked at the streaming giant in LA and at Disney’s ABC as a comedy development exec.

Güvenatam previously worked at Turkey’s TNT and 03 Productions before launching OGM Productions in 2019, while Koa was formerly the executive VP of comedy development and programming at CBS, where he oversaw development and production for scripted comedy.

Luegenbiehl said she sees the same global potential in microdrama as she saw almost a decade ago in the rise of non-English-language content.

Güvenatam said the goal is to bring the “same emotional depth, creative boldness and global reach” that has characterised Turkish storytelling, while Koa said the real-time data and analytics in vertical video “gives us clear signals not only on what resonates but also where the opportunities for virality, brand partnerships and full 360° monetisation truly live.”