EXCLUSIVE: Damian Collins has become Chairman of Screenburn Group, the London-based outfit that owns a screenwriting app and microdrama research and ranking service CherryBowl.
Collins had a long career in politics in the UK, with several high-profile roles that intersect with the film, TV and media sector.
Well known to many in the entertainment industry, he served as a UK government minister for tech and the digital economy, with responsibility for online harms, digital competition and AI safety, and also played a role in passing the UK’s Online Safety Act. Collins was a Member of Parliament for 14 years and chaired the House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee.
He joins Screenburn as Chairman as it prepares to launch a funding round this fall. The biz was founded by game designer and indie film director Charles Kriel and TV showrunner Kat Gellein Viken. The company majors in building tools for the scripted business, based on a patent-pending scoring engine.
CherryBowl catalogs and analyzes vertical drama. It currently tracks north of 74,000 titles and 3.6 million episodes across all of the major microdrama platforms. The research and intel is aimed at executives, producers, studios and platforms.
“Pound for pound, perhaps no other nation has contributed more to cinema and TV than the UK, and global vertical microdrama is the new high-growth frontier,” Collins said. “Screenburn has built two platforms to help the UK and global film and TV industry retool for the microdrama revolution and earn their share of the vertical goldrush. I’m delighted to come aboard.”
Kriel added: “I’ve worked with Damian on the House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee, and seen up close his passion for UK innovation, and the global credibility he has earned in digital safety.”
Screenburn has also brought in Odiri Iwuji, the well-known co-founder of C21 Media and Chudor House Productions. He joins the company’s board of advisors.