Deals, talent moves, and the business of 9:16.
aTwist's three-title 'To Die For' slate puts established Hollywood names on both sides of the camera, the clearest sign yet that vertical drama is drawing talent that could work anywhere.
David Oyelowo, Nate Moore, Shortical's Guy Shimoni and aTwist's Jana Winograde discussed how revenue, speed and shrinking traditional pipelines are moving vertical into the center of the business.
Shorts and FMA Productions launch the FMAxShorts collaboration with a romantic microdrama produced in part by the actors who built the format.
Omdia data reported by Reuters shows the audience more than doubled in a year, with U.S. revenue projected at $1.5 billion. At what point does 'niche' stop applying?
'Love, Lies & Frank' is a notable crossover of established talent into mobile-first scripted content, and one of the early productions operating under the union's new vertical terms.
VIRTUE Asia, V47 Entertainment and COL Group announce the first upfront dedicated to microdrama, as VerticalDrama.tv tracks 3,804 titles across 34 platforms.
Platforms are listening to audiences. The association asked which of the four levers matters most.
Industry insiders across major platforms report a shift back toward live-action. Viewers are not paying for AI shows at the rate they pay for human-led stories.
The format has become a multi-billion-dollar business. Actors are the most visible, but producers, writers, platform executives, studio owners and investors all have a stake.
New stories, new voices and new audiences are arriving in the format. The association asked the community for its favorites.
As Fox, Crazy Maple Studio and former network executives move into the format, the producer career path is being rewritten.
As studios race to lower costs and increase output, many insiders believe AI-generated vertical storytelling could become one of the industry's biggest disruptions. The association is less sure.
A-list talent is no longer dipping a toe into the format. Diggs is building a production company around it.
$90,000 to $180,000 a year is now common for consistent performers in the format. A new middle class of working actors is forming around it.
Rovner's new venture brings 'joy scrolling' and the spirit of classic soaps and romances to the vertical format, as more senior traditional executives enter the space.
ReelShort users average 35.7 minutes a day against Netflix's 24.8. The phone is winning the attention contest.
The livestream includes a vertical feed for the Quasar stage shot on Google Pixel phones, plus multiview and creator commentary. Vertical production reaches the world's biggest festival.
Helena Bonham Carter, Vincent Cassel, Steve Coogan and Kumail Nanjiani lead a reported ensemble for HBO's fourth season, shooting on the Côte d'Azur through October. Why a prestige casting round matters to vertical talent.
FlareFlow presents the Vertical Drama Love Fan Awards at the El Portal Theatre on April 23. Every winner chosen by fans, with no jury and no industry gatekeeping.
No trailers, no green rooms, 600 lead roles cast a year. The fastest-growing format in Hollywood has no rules, and the 'Dancing With the Stars' pro's experience shows why that matters.
Government certification means vertical short drama qualifies for Canadian production incentives. It is a nationally recognized film industry now.
Fox bought equity in MyDrama. Disney selected DramaBox for its accelerator. Paramount, Lionsgate and Hallmark are in. The gold rush is over; the industry has arrived.
The format's apps now command more daily minutes than the two largest streaming services. It is the clearest sign yet of where mobile attention is going.
