The production company will be one of the pioneers in Spain in the development of vertical content formats.
Onza, the production company known for titles such as El Ministerio del Tiempo, Atasco, Sin Gluten and Hernán, has announced the appointment of showrunner David Ávila to lead a new division specialised in the production of vertical content, as well as supporting its documentary line.
David Ávila is an audiovisual executive creative known for projects including Cuando nadie me ve (Movistar+), (P)ícaro: El pequeño Nicolás (Netflix), Serás Farruquito (Movistar+), Wake up (RTVE Play), and Los 3 Basketeros.
From Onza, they state that his talent and experience in audiovisual marketing as well as in the creation and production of digital formats reflect exactly the type of profile needed to lead this new division within the production companys content strategy.
“I believe it is necessary to understand and embrace new trends. The challenge is to learn how the way we consume stories evolves and to prove that it is possible to produce vertical content that is both profitable and high quality,” says David Ávila.
On 27 May, Habitación Cero -one of the first vertical fiction projects created by the new division- was awarded at Conecta Fiction Mallorca 2026 with the New Art Award, which includes €5,000 in post-production services.
This new initiative comes at a time of strong global growth in vertical content and so-called “microdramas”, formats designed for mobile consumption and characterised by short episodes and highly serialised storytelling.
Specialised platforms such as ReelShort, DramaBox, GoodShort and DramaClick have turned this model into one of the fastest-growing audiovisual trends internationally, especially among younger, mobile-first audiences. The rise of vertical dramas is already reflected in sector figures: platforms such as DramaBox exceeded US$217 million in revenue in 2024, while the US microdrama market now generates more than US$1.3 billion annually.
“We are very pleased with this appointment. David is an extraordinarily creative person who brings us many ambitious ideas to address a market trend that, as a growing production company, we cannot ignore,” says Onza CEO Gonzalo Sagardía.
With this strategic move, Onza positions itself at the forefront of production in Spain by integrating fiction, entertainment and mobile-native micro-documentary formats into its business line.
