U.S. Studio & Turkish TV Industry Veterans Form Shorties Studios: “Verticals Are The Moment”

EXCLUSIVE: Industry veterans Kelly Luegenbiel, Jon Koa and Onur Güvenatam are getting into the vertical video game.

They have joined forces to launch Shorties Studios, a global production company with operations in L.A., London and Istanbul that will focus on making mobile-first short-form vertical video.

The trio have decades of experience in U.S. and international content production. Luegenbiel is a former Netflix EMEA content chief, Koa was Executive Vice President of Comedy Development and Programming at CBS, and Güvenatam is the founder of OGM Pictures, the maker of Netflix’s first two Turkish original series.

This comes as the explosion of vertical video and microdrama production continues in the West. The format began in Asia, where microdramas have become multi-billion dollar businesses in the likes of China and Korea, and is now spreading globally, with the likes of Fox investing in vertical video company Holywater.

Shorties Studios will look to make vertical originals for subscription streaming and social media platforms, along with ad-supported branded content. Its founders say the strategy is “a direct response to the evolution of media consumption.”

Luegenbiehl – a former NBCUniversal (NBCU) and ABC exec – joined Netflix as Director of International Originals in 2015 in L.A. before moving to Europe to lead the push into EMEA productions. She later became VP, Global Franchises and then VP, Franchise and Spectacle Series before exiting Netflix in February last year.

She’s known as the guiding force behind The Witcher, and also commissioned the likes of Dark, Lupin, Suburra, Kingdom, Sacred Games, The Rain and The Protector, the latter of which was from Güvenatam’s OGM.

“When I left legacy media ten years ago to pioneer international content for Netflix, no one could have imagined the impact non-English language content would have on the world, transforming TV consumption as we know it,” said Luegenbiehl. “Today, I see that same potential with vertical content. We want to meet audiences where they are and once again help shape the next evolution of storytelling with vertical premium-generated context [PGC]. Verticals are the moment.”

Koa also has extensive studio experience, having held senior programming roles at NBCU, ABC, Conde Nast Entertainment and CBS, where he spent three years until October 2024 as Executive Vice President, Comedy Development, working on shows such as Ghosts, The Neighborhood, Bob Hearts Abishola and Poppa’s House.

“With Shorties, we’re building a studio focused on world-class short-form series that will live across multiple platforms and reach audiences in ways they never could before,” he said. “What excites me is bringing the same discipline, thoughtfulness, and creative ambition I’ve had throughout my career into a space that’s growing at remarkable speed.

“Vertical storytelling, with its real-time data and analytics, gives us clear signals not only on what resonates, but also where the opportunities for virality, brand partnerships, and full 360-degree monetization truly live. I’ve seen how effective short-form and branded content can be, and this next chapter lets us build in that world with intention, craft, and world-class partners.”

Güvenatam, meanwhile, is well connected with Hollywood and is considered among Turkey’s top drama producers. Having worked at established Turkish production houses TNT and O3 Productions, he founded OGM in 2019. Among his productions are Wounded Love, International Emmy-nominated telenovela Evermore, and Netflix pair The Protector and The Gift. His recent series, Golden Boy sold to more than 120 countries, the latest in the line of internationally-popular Turkish TV series.

“With OGM Pictures, we have proven that Turkish storytelling can resonate powerfully across the world — from local sensations to global hits, reaching audiences in more than hundred countries,” said Güvenatam. “Today, audience behavior is shifting once again, and with Shorties Studios we are stepping confidently into that next frontier. Our ambition is to bring the same emotional depth, creative boldness, and global reach into a new format that audiences consume with every day: short-form stories crafted with premium quality.”