ZDF Studios director of drama Yi Qiao exiting after five years

Yi Qiao, director of drama at Germany’s ZDF Studios, is stepping down from the role after five years at the commercial arm of the public service broadcaster.

Yi Qiao

Qiao shared the news of her departure on LinkedIn, but did not reveal details of her next move.

The exec joined ZDF Studios, then known ZDF Enterprises, in 2020 to focus on the acquisition and sales of scripted programmes in Scandinavia and the English-speaking world.

During her time at the Mainz-based company, Qiao brokered deals with the likes of Walter Presents-owned Global Series Network, BlackBox Multimedia and Miss Scarlet & The Duke producer Parsonage Productions.

Qiao joined ZDF Studios from the international sales department at Red Arrow Studios International, where she oversaw sales into the UK, Benelux, Scandinavia, the Middle East and Africa from London.

“It has been an absolute joy to be part of this company and especially the drama team and to be entrusted to build the English-language slate,” said Qiao.

“Big shoutout to the incredible team I had the privilege to be a part of and a massive thank you to Robert Franke for hiring me and hence luring me back to Germany back in 2020. I will be sharing where I’m heading next in due course so stay tuned. But first, I’ll be enjoying some downtime.”