Hollywood celebs are getting into microdrama apps

image via TechCrunch

August 29, 2026, 4:10 PM

• •Microdramas are short scripted series made for phones, with episodes lasting only a few minutes and often built around cliffhangers.
• •Research firm Omdia estimates U.S. microdrama revenue will reach $1.5 billion this year, as apps such as ReelShort, DramaBox, and TikTok's PineDrama compete in the market.
• •James Franco stars in Shortical's "Love, Lies & Frank," which TechCrunch says is among the first microseries produced under SAG-AFTRA's new verticals agreement for low-budget microdramas.
• •Issa Rae's Hoorae Media partnered with TikTok's PineDrama on "Screen Time," which the article says reached nearly 75 million views in its first week and later passed 150 million views.
• •Jesse Tyler Ferguson is attached to "Theater Kids Vs. Zombies" for aTwist, while Taye Diggs has both starred in a microdrama and launched the platform Microhouse Films.
• •Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner are cited as investors in microdrama company GammaTime rather than on-screen participants.

Hollywood performers and investors are increasingly entering the fast-growing microdrama market, a format built around short scripted episodes for mobile viewing. The article says the category first surged in China and is now becoming a sizable U.S. business, with Omdia projecting $1.5 billion in revenue this year. It highlights James Franco, Issa Rae, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and Taye Diggs as examples of celebrities starring in projects or building businesses around vertical video storytelling. Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner are also cited as investors, showing that celebrity involvement extends beyond acting into platform funding.

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