Liam Keelan to exit Disney

Liam Keelan is standing down from his role as EMEA content chief at Disney. 

Keelan, who is senior vice-president of original content, will leave the US giant early next year with the hunt for his successor already underway. 

Keelan joined Disney in March 2020, charged with cross-genre commissioning for Disney’s European channels and then nascent streamer Disney+. During his tenure, he has overseen more than 70 greenlit projects, including UK Disney+ titles Culprits, The Real Wagatha Story, Renegade Nell, Broadcast Digital Award-winning comedy Extraordinary, and upcoming dramas Rivals and A Thousand Blows.

His international projects include The Good Mothers, The Ignorant Angels, The Lions of Sicily and Oussekine. Earlier this year, his teams announced a slate of scripted and unscripted orders out of France and Spain, including true crime story The Lost Station Girls.

Prior to joining Disney, Keelan spent nearly two decades at the BBC, interrupted by a year stint as controller of daytime at ITV. He rejoined the corporation as daytime chief, ultimately becoming scripted portfolio director at BBC Studios.

Keelan said he felt it was the right time to stand down after helping steer the content on Disney+ in EMEA from the beginning. 

“Starting from scratch almost five years ago, I’m so proud of the range, quality and awards our shows have brought to Disney+,” he said. “Any success is testament to the brilliant teams we have here in the UK and across the European markets – their passion and creativity has been truly inspiring.

”It’s never an easy decision to leave when there’s so much more to come but, channelling Declan O’Hara, it’s time for a change and I’ve no doubt Disney+ and the Originals slate will be hugely successful in the months and years to come.”

Diego Londono, Disney’s executive vice-president of media networks and content, praised Keelan’s contribution to the growth of the streamer.

Londono said: “Since 2020, Liam has brought an incredible creativity and commitment in delivering a wide-ranging local originals slate across EMEA. I am so proud of the shows Liam has steered, but also of the team he’s built since joining in 2020.

“We’ve constantly evolved to bring our Disney+ customers great local titles, from award winning titles such as Extraordinary, The Ignorant Angels and The Good Mothers to local hits such as Coleen Rooney: The Real Wagatha Story, Lions of Sicily and Our Only Chance… this is all thanks to Liam’s leadership and decision making. I wish him all the best in his next endeavour.”

Deadline first reported the news of Keelan’s exit.