Hearst Television ups Michael Callahan to VP production for Very Local

Michael Callahan

Hearst Television has promoted Michael Callahan to VP of production for its free community-focused US streaming service Very Local.

Callahan has served as senior director overseeing streaming production for Hearst Television since 2021, in which capacity he has built and led the growing Very Local production studio.

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 consumption, working closely with Laura Ling, who was recently promoted to vice president, overseeing Very Local programming, such as Blind Kitchen.

Very Local is a streaming channel that Hearst Television launched in 2021 that offers access to local news and weather as well as original series focusing on food, travel, dating and true crime with a focus on the local area.

Callahan joined Hearst in 2014 as a development executive in the company’s entertainment & syndication group, where he developed and produced series for outlets incluidng Eli Roth’s CryptTV, Complex, and Awesomeness TV.

He moved to Hearst Television in 2016. While leading the Hearst Television Digital Studio, Callahan was responsible for defining new social video formats, developing shows for Facebook and YouTube, and launching a locally focused digital video brand studio.

Michael J. Hayes, president of Hearst Television, commented: “Michael combines the special ability to lead and identify exceptional producers while maintaining his innate sense of creativity and collaboration. He brings the eye of an artist and the mind of an executive which we are blessed to have in our group.”