Former UK government minister Damian Collins has been appointed Chairman of London-based Screenburn Group as the media technology company prepares for a new funding round this autumn.

Key Points

• Damian Collins previously served as a UK minister for tech and the digital economy and chaired the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee.
• Screenburn Group owns a screenwriting application and the microdrama research platform CherryBowl, which tracks over 74,000 titles and 3.6 million episodes.
• The company was founded by game designer Charles Kriel and TV showrunner Kat Gellein Viken to provide data-driven tools for the scripted entertainment industry.
• Odiri Iwuji, co-founder of C21 Media and Chudor House Productions, has joined the company’s board of advisors.
• Screenburn utilizes a patent-pending scoring engine to help studios and producers navigate the rapidly growing global market for vertical microdrama.

Why it Matters

The appointment of a high-profile former minister signals Screenburn Group's intent to scale its data analytics business as vertical microdrama becomes a significant global media trend. This strategic move aims to bolster the company's credibility with major studios and investors ahead of its upcoming capital raise.