Disney+ is importing the executive behind one of Germany’s biggest streaming breakouts. Philip Pratt, the former Amazon Germany originals chief, will join as VP, Original Production for Germany, Switzerland and Austria in early 2027.
Pratt will run commissioning from Munich and report to EMEA content boss Angela Jain. He replaces Benjamina Mirnik-Voges, who is leaving the company.
The bigger plan
The appointment is part of a wider Disney push. Its international commissioning team is aiming to triple the number of originals over the next three years, under CEO Josh D’Amaro. Jain has said she has been given an expanded budget to support that.
The DACH region is one of Europe’s most important television markets. Disney is no longer treating the territory as a dubbing market; it is staffing it as a priority.
Disney has already made a similar move in Italy, hiring My Brilliant Friend producer Sonia Rovai as VP of Original Production. Now it is doing the same in the German-speaking markets.
What Pratt brings
Pratt spent 11 years at Amazon MGM Studios, most recently as Head of Original Productions. His slate included Maxton Hall – The World Between Us, war movie The Tank and a local version of LOL: Last One Laughing.
Jain said his “creative track record and experience make him the perfect person” to lead the DACH work and to “build a slate that gets audiences talking.” Pratt said he wants Disney+ to be “a creative home where producers and talent come together.”
At Amazon, Pratt’s local bets worked because they were built for German audiences first but produced with international polish. That is precisely the profile Disney needs as it shifts from importing US titles to commissioning at a local level.
The GSA slate
Disney’s German-language history includes Call My Agent Berlin, Sam – A Saxon and The Interpreter of Silence. The pipeline he inherits already has several commissioned titles:
- Vienna Game: an Austrian satire.
- Nele Neuhaus Monster: a thriller.
- Under the Ice: a Swiss production.
Why this matters for the business
For producers, a Munich-based commissioning lead brings decisions closer to the local market. For media planners and entertainment marketers, a bigger DACH slate changes the inventory picture. Local-language originals carry stronger regional engagement, and in mature TV markets they can decide whether a platform feels native or imported.
Amazon will feel the loss. Maxton Hall was a rare German YA series that travelled beyond the region, and losing its buyer leaves a gap in a team that made Amazon a serious local player. Disney+, meanwhile, gets an executive who already knows which local stories can scale.
The practical takeaway for suppliers is straightforward: Disney’s tripling target means more briefs, but the hire signals it will favour producers with a proven regional track record. Put DACH market expertise into the pitch, not just a global hook.
Source: Deadline
