Hollywood’s romance with micro dramas is heating up. Will it last?

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In Sunnyvale, California, a woman is trying to fund her mother’s critical medical care. She’s offered a deal by her stepsister: marry her stepsister’s troubled but wealthy fiancé in exchange for the $50,000 needed for the treatment.

That’s the plot line for an episode of “The Double Life of My Billionaire Husband.”

It might seem like a dramatic soap opera, but it’s actually a trending series on ReelShort. This app lets you watch short, intense stories – called micro dramas – directly on your phone.

This isn’t your typical TV show. Instead of longer episodes, it’s made up of sixty short installments, each lasting between one and three minutes. After the first six episodes, viewers have a few options: they can subscribe for $20 a week to watch without ads, continue watching with ads, or pay per episode.

Since its debut in 2022, the series has attracted over 494 million views and generated more than $4 million in revenue for ReelShort.

Micro dramas, often with eye-catching titles like “The Billionaire Sex Addict and His Therapist” or “Pregnant by My Ex’s Dad,” prioritize shocking storylines over large budgets. These series usually cost less than $300,000 to produce, and many are filmed in Los Angeles.

World & Nation

Short-form videos, often called ‘micro dramas,’ are becoming increasingly popular around the globe. These typically feature brief, romantic storylines, and many are wondering if they’ll significantly change how we consume entertainment.

Short-form video dramas became popular first in China, where they’re a massive hit. Last year, they brought in $6.9 billion – more money than traditional domestic movies, according to the research firm DataEye.

Now, Hollywood is starting to take note of the bite-sized format.

Lloyd Braun, a former ABC executive and the chairman of WME, partnered with Cineverse, an entertainment studio based in Los Angeles, to create MicroCo in August. MicroCo is designed to be a platform specifically for short-form dramas.

Susan Rovner, head of content at MicroCo, explained that when traditional Hollywood stopped making certain types of shows that fans enjoyed, micro dramas stepped in to fill that gap and connect with those audiences.

Studio interest

Big movie and television companies are starting to produce short, quick-paced dramas, hoping to capture the popularity these formats have found in China. They’re also trying to attract younger viewers who are used to watching brief videos on platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, often while commuting or otherwise on the move.

Fox Entertainment has invested in Holywater, a Ukrainian company that creates short-form video dramas. As part of the agreement, Fox Entertainment Studios will produce over 200 of these short videos for Holywater over the next two years.

Disney recently selected DramaBox, a Singapore-based startup creating short-form video dramas, for its 2025 accelerator program, which provides investment and support to new companies.

David Min, a Disney innovation executive, predicts short-form videos, often called ‘micro dramas,’ will remain popular, particularly with younger viewers who frequently watch content on their phones.

As a film buff, I always say you’ve got to meet audiences where they are, and that’s exactly what we’re thinking with this new platform. It’s a chance to try something different, see how it feels, and ultimately figure out if it’s a good fit for what we do. It’s all about experimentation and finding what works!

ReelShort, a company located in Sunnyvale, California, plans to significantly increase its production this year, creating over 400 shows compared to the 150 it made last year.

ReelShort films all of its content in the U.S., primarily in Los Angeles, according to CEO Joey Jia. The company is planning to construct a studio in Culver City to turn its most successful short-form videos into full-length films.

“We offer a lot of opportunity,” Jia said.

DramaShorts, a company based in Warsaw, plans to film 120 short dramas in the U.S. by 2026, a significant increase from the 45-50 they expect to produce this year. Around a quarter of these projects will be filmed in the Los Angeles area.

I’ve been watching the media landscape change, and it’s clear people are consuming everything through short-form video platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook – and they’re sharing it constantly. Speaking with Leo Ovdiienko, co-founder of DramaShorts, he and I both agree it’s only a matter of time before the major studios and networks realize this is where the audience is and start creating content for these platforms too.

I’ve been following this company, and what’s really cool is how they’re teaming up with production groups in L.A. It’s giving consistent work to actors, writers, and all the crew – which is a huge win, especially with how tough things are for people in the industry right now. They’re focusing on fast-moving projects, and it’s genuinely providing a much-needed boost to employment.

Chrissie De Guzman, an executive producer, writer, and director for DramaShorts, explained that filming in Los Angeles is advantageous because it’s the heart of the film industry. She noted that many talented actors and crew are now working in short-form video content, reflecting the current state of the entertainment business.

Vertical videos, even though they’re often as long as full movies, are made in short segments and produced very rapidly. A script of around 100 pages can be filmed in as little as a week, much faster than the month it typically takes to film a traditional movie.

Hollywood Inc.

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Most chapters end with a suspenseful moment, like a sudden shock or a character facing a threat, to keep readers hooked.

Luma AI’s Caroline Ingeborn, whose company provides AI tools for short-form video creators, explained that these videos are designed to be incredibly engaging. ‘They tap into all the right emotions,’ she said, ‘and the ease of just hitting ‘Play’ keeps you wanting to see what happens next.’

Labor tensions

Because these shows have very small budgets, many don’t use union workers. This has led some writers and actors to use fake names to avoid getting in trouble with their unions, according to people working on the productions.

To support independent creators, the actors’ union SAG-AFTRA has established new contracts for low-budget web series and other vertically-oriented video projects.

In a recent interview, Writers Guild of America West President Michele Mulroney explained that the union knows some companies are attempting to produce content without union writers. The Guild is therefore looking for ways to support its members in finding and securing work in these areas.

Producers of short-form video dramas said they’re open to discussions with unions, but they’re unsure if their current financial structures would allow them to meet the terms of a union agreement.

Erik Heintz, an executive producer at Snow Story Productions – the company behind short-form video dramas for platforms like DramaShorts – stated that they are not opposed to unions.

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Even with ongoing disagreements between workers and studios, these shorter TV shows have been a vital source of jobs for many in Hollywood, especially as more production shifts away from California.

Corey Gibbons, a 44-year-old director of photography, explained that filming videos designed for phones—specifically in a vertical format—helped him stay employed when other job opportunities became scarce.

Gibbons believes they’re about to experience a significant shift and is enthusiastic to be involved.

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With Hollywood becoming more competitive, many people who work on film and TV sets are now finding opportunities with online influencers who create content for platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. These influencers are building their own businesses, offering new avenues for work.

Sam Nejad, a 27-year-old actor and former contestant on “The Bachelorette,” began performing in short-form vertical videos in January. He reports consistently booking leading roles – about one or two per month – and earning around $10,000 each week.

“It’s a new art,” Nejad said. “The new Tarantinos, the new Scorseses are all coming through this.”

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ReelShort’s Sunnyvale office feels more like a standard tech startup than a traditional movie studio.

Jia, the company’s CEO, works in an open office alongside his team. The walls are decorated with posters advertising the company’s various projects, including titles like “Prince With Benefits” and “Never Divorce a Secret Billionaire Heiress.” During a recent office tour, Jia happily highlighted what made each project successful.

“I don’t have money to hire celebrities,” Jia said. “I have 100% rely on story.”

The entrepreneur, 46, started his company in 2022 after studying electrical engineering. Initially, Hollywood studios weren’t very interested in what he was offering.

The failure of Quibi, a mobile video platform created by entertainment and tech leaders Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman, caused widespread doubt about similar ventures. Despite attracting big-name stars and raising $1.75 billion in funding, the app shut down just six months after its launch.

Jia did things differently. Instead of using costly celebrity endorsements, he chose to hire students and new graduates from universities like USC to build his team.

Jia is responsible for approving all story ideas at ReelShort, and the company projects it will earn $1 billion in revenue this year.

A spokesperson for ReelShort wouldn’t share the company’s financial results, but confirmed that the business is making a profit.

Hollywood Inc.

In the past twenty years, YouTube has evolved from a platform for casual, home-made videos into a major player in the television landscape. It now boasts billions of viewers worldwide and even streams some of the biggest concerts and sporting events.

Jia said ReelShort has 70 million monthly active users, with 10% of them paid users.

At ReelShort, over half of weekly subscribers cancel each week, according to Jia. Because of this high rate of customer loss, it’s crucial for the company to consistently offer appealing content that keeps people subscribed. They currently have over 400 original titles and around 1,000 titles they’ve licensed from others.

Similar to other platforms, ReelShort and DramaShorts use data – things like how long people watch and how many pay for subscriptions – to decide what content to create.

Many directors approach filmmaking focused on personal expression, believing the film is solely their vision and story, according to Jia. However, he argues that true success shouldn’t be based on the director’s intent, but rather on how the audience receives and connects with the work.

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2025-10-26 13:32