Disney has appointed Sonia Rovai as VP of original production for The Walt Disney Company’s Italian unit, placing one of Italy’s prominent TV and film production executives at the center of its local-content strategy.
Rovai will report to Angela Jain, head of content for Disney+ EMEA. In the new post, she will lead the Disney+ Italian team and oversee “scripted and unscripted local original productions, including production management and business affairs,” according to a Disney statement.
The move comes as Disney+ is emphasizing local originals as part of its international growth plans. In a recent shareholder letter following the company’s Q3 earnings report, Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro said, “Across the next three years we plan to roughly triple the number of local original series on Disney+ to drive new international users to the platform and reduce churn.”
Rovai arrives at Disney after serving since 2024 as CEO of Wildside, the Rome-based Fremantle-owned production company behind “My Brilliant Friend” and, more recently, Netflix’s hit series “The Monster of Florence.”
Before taking the top job at Wildside, Rovai spent 2016 to 2024 leading the original series department at Sky Italia, the Comcast-owned pay-TV service. During that run, she shepherded more than 80 Sky Original productions, including internationally recognized titles such as “Gomorrah,” “The Young Pope” and “ZeroZeroZero.”
Disney+ Italy Pushes Further Into Local Originals
Jain framed Rovai’s arrival as part of a broader expansion of originals at Disney+.
“Sonia joins us at a pivotal moment of growth as we scale our originals across the world,” Jain said in a statement. “Italy is a key market for us, and following the greenlight of ‘Murder on Lake Garda’, our goal is to champion local content that enriches and complements our global line-up with true cultural authenticity and local specificity. Sonia brings an incredible wealth of experience to the team and can’t wait to work with the very best of the Italian creative industry.”
The Lake Garda project cited by Jain is being directed by Laura Bispuri, whose credits include “Sworn Virgin” and “Daughter of Mine.” The series is based on Tom Hindle’s eponymous Sunday Times bestseller. Cast details remain under wraps.
Rovai’s appointment gives Disney+ Italy a senior production leader with experience across major Italian and international-facing scripted projects, as the platform looks to expand its local originals slate under the wider Disney+ international strategy.