Welcome to The Vertical Bloom, a weekly dive into the fast-growing world of microseries and vertical storytelling. Here, we unpack the platforms, creators, and deals shaping the format that’s quietly redefining what it means to make and watch scripted content in the mobile age.
This week, Kevin Hart’s production company signs on for over 20 microdrama projects, a major Korean film company joins the scripted vertical industry, and some more examples of recognizable IP going vertical. Plus a review of Nuuly’s microseries marketing campaign.
But First-
I learned something important this week.
And I think it could be useful for others as we careen towards each other in this evolving landscape.
Let’s listen to each other, yes. But may I also say…
Let’s make extra sure we’re being heard.
(Asking ourselves if we’re explaining things well. Starting with ourselves.)
I’ve been trading deal terms with a potential partner on an ambitious endeavor. I was concerned about the path forward. It seemed like a central deal point might simply be irreconcilable.
But people around me were candid, and we asked ourselves: Were we truly making our needs clear? Not just technically clear, but completely understood?
So we eliminated the ambiguity. And because we suspected some of the meaning was getting lost in tone, I picked up the phone.
My moment came, and I gave a short monologue. No hedging. No ambiguity. Just a clear expression of what we needed, why we needed it, and why I believed in it.
And you know what?
When I was done, there was warmth and collaboration again. The air was back in the room. The future ahead had shape.
And we’re back trading paper.
I don’t celebrate anything until it’s signed. But I’m really excited about the potential that’s here.
And it all came from getting really clear.
And we started with ourselves.
Like so much often does.
Alright, let’s get into it-
Kevin Hart’s Hartbeat To House Vertical Originals On Microdrama Platform aTwist
aTwist continues its Hollywood recruitment with Kevin Hart’s production company signing on for more than 20 microseries titles. Deadline announced that their slate will be anchored by adaptations of bestselling author Blake Karrington’s books. Hartbeat’s president shared that they’re seeking to tell stories that “the mainstream overlooked” and noted that partnering with a popular author also helps them tap into an engaged audience.
Korea’s Showbox Launches Microdrama Label Showbite, Sets Sights on Global Markets (EXCLUSIVE)
One of the largest Korean film distribution companies is launching its own microdrama label, starting on Tiktok, YouTube, and Instagram this month. Variety covers 14 slated titles, checking off nearly every popular genre with romance, fantasy, period pieces, and mystery.
Astral Tequila brand director Jenn Rapp shares insights into building a microdrama into a brand deal. Rapp emphasizes that the goal was never to try to perfectly recreate the original margarita scene in Practical Magic, but to use it as inspiration for a new story geared toward younger viewers. They’ve partnered with models-turned reality TV stars and real-life sisters, Brooks and Grace Ann Nader, for the project.
Indie VG ‘Astro Burn’ Starts New Level with AI-Powered Animated Micro-Series
Independently produced video game Astro Burn is cross-promoting the game through a microseries that will upload on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Game designer, HaZ Dulull, emphasizes his creative control and human-led approach to a partially AI-generated production. Showcraft, the AI platform he utilized, sped up the process of creating a story he wrote which he thinks will be valuable in marketing the indie game.
aTwist launches today, bringing a trio of respected TV execs into the microseries boom
The microseries platform aTwist officially launches today, led by three career Hollywood execs betting on vertical storytelling as legacy media continues to contract. We’ve mentioned aTwist in this Bloom and previous editions because of the headline-worthy talent they’ve recruited, but today marks the platform’s official arrival. Jana Winograde explains that amidst the decline of legacy media, she saw more promise in the rise of vertical storytelling. She and her partners are eagerly joining the “wild west” of digital microseries and are putting a lot of trust in up-and-coming talent.
Heart On My Sleeve
Platform: TikTok, Instagram, YouTube
Logline: When Wally is invited to yet another wedding, she’s determined to find her perfect plus one. Will she meet the man of her dreams, or is our girl destined to spend eternity at the Singles Table?
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Nuuly’s new microseries, Heart On My Sleeve, is a well targeted marketing campaign delivered by way of romantic comedy. The microseries follows a quirky-cool 20-something as her friends coach her through dating app disasters, in hopes of finding a date for an upcoming wedding. And in the end, she falls for the boy that was there all along.
The series, totaling 12 episodes and just over 14 minutes, is one of the best branded microseries I’ve seen. Though, I think it’s just the start of what a microseries story can accomplish.
The series is written and directed by Milky Tran, a filmmaker and micro-influencer who you may know from her “3 Adult Things That Happened to Me This Week As An Adult” series. Nuuly’s choice to collaborate with her is brilliant. Tran has been showcasing her writing and filmmaking on her TikTok account and it’s clear that her work resonates with people. Her style is sarcastic, witty, and vulnerable with colorful visuals and playful effects. Her content has become instantly recognizable and has been specified over the course of dozens of one(ish) minute videos.
Her fast-paced storytelling is critical for scripted vertical shows and her editing style lends itself naturally to the cinematic language of microdramas. In Heart On My Sleeve, Tran’s dialogue flows naturally and the jokes are punctuated with smart editing that is attuned to the social media landscape. Edits that indicate a touch of magic realism such as the sped up exit of a character, a fourth wall break, a smash zoom, and whimsical effects are the common language of social media content.
The cast is led by Wally Baram, a writer and comedian who recently became known as one of the stars of Prime’s coming-of-age comedy Overcompensating. Her timing and personality bring charisma to the role. Her friends-to-lovers romantic lead is played by Charles Hsu, an actor who is best known for his POV sketch comedy videos on TikTok. Chine Ikoro rounds out the core friend group, she’s a UCB New York Mainstage performer and she offers a lighthearted whimsy to Baram’s less optimistic character.
I believe the biggest success of this series lies in the on and off screen digital-native talent. These creatives are knowledgeable in the traditional lanes of acting and directing, but they’ve cut their teeth in vertical digital content. What results is performances that feel organic on the small screen and storytelling that sucks a scroller in.
The plot is recognizable, it’s a classic rom-com setup, but the specificity of the dates and tribulations of modern romance make it fresh and funny. The sound design was particularly well-suited for microdrama, with flourishes and swelling scores that would feel campy in a TV show or movie, but keep the vertical viewer locked in.
Nuuly’s campaign is perfectly attuned to its target audience. The plot directly speaks to one of the primary needs they address: formal attire rental. But they’re able to naturally fold in their other clothing rental options under the guise of a classic rom-com makeover. Wally is the hero of the story, but is also an example of their target demographic.
That customer is also likely to be engaged by a well made rom-com that they stumble upon while scrolling. Particularly with a first episode that starts in media res with a lot of energy and eye-catching editing.
Overall, the series does a great job of utilizing talented artists who are familiar with digital storytelling to produce a sweet, funny romantic comedy that organically promotes Nuuly’s brand and offerings. It’s also one of the stronger romantic comedy microseries that I’ve seen, but I think there are a few things that could’ve pushed it above and beyond current expectations of microdramas.
The script is fun and current, however the characters are missing some heart. Wally seeks romance as a solution to a problem proposed by a friend, not necessarily out of her own desire for a relationship. Her happily ever after lands more like a task being crossed off of a list than a hard won true love.
Wally and David are childhood friends and roommates who have been secretly harboring feelings for each for years. This is revealed in the penultimate episode with a bro-y shove and a laugh before we’re quickly ushered into the finale. Microdramas rely on quick pacing, but if there’s ever a moment to take a little more time, it’s in the climax. By that point, the audience is locked in and wants to share in the main characters’ catharsis.
There’s a reason why the sweeping “run to the airport” scene has become so iconic. It’s usually a long sequence of traffic and blocking, but the audience laps it up because it’s crescendoing to what they’ve been waiting for.
The audience is clued into David’s feelings in the first episode with onscreen text that informs the viewer he “definitely doesn’t have a crush on Wally”. Unfortunately, that’s about all we learn about David’s interior life. An obstacle never appears between him and Wally, so there’s nothing for him to overcome leading up to his admission.
On the other hand, the audience doesn’t get any signs that Wally is withholding her feelings. Her dates are all terrible on their own accord, not because of her own conflicted desires. This causes the story to suffer from a common rom-com issue in which any other possible suitor is so awful that the only course of romantic survival is for the main character to choose the story’s love interest. I find that particular plot device can cheapen the romance and kill the stakes of the climactic moment.
I’m aware that there was likely some pressure from production to keep the project under a certain time constraint. But it’s worth considering that details like these can take a microseries from being something a viewer stumbled upon and enjoyed to being a show that they share with friends and return to over and over again.
Also, a lot of these details could’ve been portrayed without adding much to the run time. Wally mentions on a date that she’s an art teacher and we see that she has two roommates, and yet their home is a pristine rental property. We could get a glimpse into Wally’s interior world through her artwork if it took up space in their home. A few cutaways to her working on a piece could be incredibly informative of her feelings.
Her relationship with David could be emphasized by photos of the two of them growing up or pairs of matching memories: diplomas, ticket stubs, souvenir shot glasses. We could also learn more about David if his decor clearly contrasts Wally’s. Maybe his personal items disappear from their shared space as she continues to go on these dates. A vertical viewer isn’t sitting across the room from their screen, it’s inches from their face. Small details can pack a punch in a small frame.
Heart On My Sleeve is a great microseries to take some time to watch. They’re doing a lot of things really well with this project, and it can inspire you to think of what could be possible with the format.
That’s it for this week’s Vertical Bloom.
We’re excited to keep building this into a weekly home for the ideas, experiments, and creative voices shaping vertical storytelling in real time.
We’ll be back next Thursday with more headlines, more analysis, and another look at where this medium is headed. See you then.
Editor: Scott Brown
Writer: Jo Hoch