Hearst Television Ups Michael Callahan To VP Production At Very Local

Michael Callahan, an Emmy Award-winning TV and digital-video producer, who since 2021 has served as senior director overseeing streaming production for Hearst Television, has been promoted to vice president of production for Very Local. Callahan, whose career has included positions at Fox Sports, Yahoo! and Artists First, has spearheaded production for the rapidly growing streaming division of Hearst Television.

The promotion, effective immediately, was announced today by Michael J. Hayes, president of Hearst Television, and Andrew Fitzgerald, Hearst Television’s senior vice president, streaming video services.

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

Fitzgerald said: “My partnership with Michael Callahan has truly been one of the highlights of my time at 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.”

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, working with personalities including Kristin Cavallari and Kelly Osbourne. 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. In his most recent role, he has built and led the growing 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 consumption, working closely with Laura Ling, who was recently promoted to vice president, overseeing Very Local programming.

Among these original shows, Blind Kitchen recently earned a long-form Emmy in New England. In addition, Callahan continues to oversee the Very Local Brand Studio, putting high quality native video production in service of local clients.

Prior to Hearst, Callahan was a creator, director and producer developing a variety of content for various television and video companies. He served in multiple roles including writer and showrunner for unscripted programs produced for Artists First (formerly Principato-Young Entertainment), based in Sherman Oaks, Calif., while also serving as producer, writer and host for two daily Yahoo! web series, TV in No Time and Nighttime in No Time.

Before Yahoo! he was an associate producer, writer and voiceover talent for multiple Fox Sports programs. A SAG actor, he also has handled hosting and voiceover duties for numerous programs and ad campaigns on behalf of organizations including MTV, Dr. Pepper, Virgin Mobile and Nintendo, among others.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from California State University at Northridge.