Michael Callahan has been promoted to VP of production at Hearst Television’s Very Local division. He has been a senior director overseeing streaming production for Hearst TV. A streaming app, Very Local series include Plate It, Baltimore, Local Love and Boston Rob Does Beantown and Beyond.
“Michael combines the special ability to lead and identify exceptional producers while maintaining his innate sense of creativity and collaboration,” said Michael J. Hayes, president of Hearst Television. “He brings the eye of an artist and the mind of an executive which we are blessed to have in our group.”
Callahan joined Hearst in 2014 as a development executive in the company’s Entertainment & Syndication Group, where he developed and produced series for such outlets as Eli Roth's CryptTV, Complex and Awesomeness TV. He moved to Hearst Television in 2016, and led the group’s digital studio. In his most recent role, he has built and led the Very Local production studio, where he has co-created, developed and executive produced more than two dozen original series and more than 200 half-hour unscripted episodes for FAST and AVOD platform.
Callahan continues to oversee the Very Local Brand Studio.
“My partnership with Michael Callahan has truly been one of the highlights of my time at Hearst Television,” said Andrew Fitzgerald, senior VP, streaming video services, Hearst Television. “His creativity and leadership have driven our video innovation time and again across numerous platforms. Michael is an incredible leader with a sharp creative mind for the development of new shows and concepts, and the team and studio he has built for Very Local is an unparalleled production unit.”
Prior to Hearst, Callahan was a creator, director and producer, as well as a show host and actor.
