Moby, Hannah Stocking & Adam Rose Set For Microdrama Slate From TikTok & Made By Us Studios
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The new details identify the first two series in TikTok and Made By Us Studios’ multi-year microdrama deal: Player, starring Hannah Stocking, and The Knock, featuring Adam Rose and Zaria Simone. The partnership adds to TikTok’s investment in scripted vertical video for TikTok and its PineDrama app, as platforms explore stories designed for phone feeds.
Player is a romantic revenge thriller produced by Jonas Barnes, written by Arun Blair-Mangat and Chela Reyna, and directed by Louiza Zouzias; Stocking also executive produces and contributed to the script. The Knock is created and directed by R.H. Stavis, with Spooky Pictures and Moby’s Little Walnut Productions among its producers; Moby composed its music. A previous TikTok and Hoorae micro-series, Screen Time, has reached nearly 580 million global views.
- TikTok and Made By Us named their first two micro-series.
- Hannah Stocking stars in romantic revenge thriller Player.
- Moby composed music for Adam Rose’s The Knock.
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Microdramas are scripted stories told in short episodes, usually filmed vertically for viewing on a phone. TikTok is a video-sharing platform, and PineDrama is its app for this kind of serial storytelling.
Made By Us Studios is partnering with TikTok to develop series with online creators involved in making and performing them. The first projects include a romantic revenge thriller starring creator Hannah Stocking, and a genre series starring actors Adam Rose and Zaria Simone, with music by Moby.
The partnership is part of growing investment in short-form scripted entertainment. TikTok says a series it made with Hoorae, the production company founded by actor and producer Issa Rae, has drawn nearly 580 million views worldwide.
Full account
TikTok and Made By Us Studios are joining forces on a multi-year slate of creator-led micro-series for TikTok and PineDrama, the company’s dedicated microdrama app. The partnership was announced at MIPCOM, where the first two projects were introduced. The deal adds to TikTok’s efforts to develop short-form scripted entertainment for its platforms.
The first series, Player, is a romantic revenge thriller starring Hannah Stocking, who is also an executive producer. Jonas Barnes is producing; Arun Blair-Mangat and Chela Reyna wrote the series, with Stocking contributing to the script, and Louiza Zouzias directing. The second, The Knock, is described as a genre micro-series. Adam Rose stars opposite Zaria Simone, with R.H. Stavis creating and directing. Spooky Pictures and Moby’s Little Walnut Productions are executive producing, and Moby composed the music.
TikTok’s global head of entertainment and micro-series, Dawn Yang, said the projects would bring creators together with established producers and industry talent to develop stories conceived for vertical viewing. Made By Us Studios co-CEO Tanya Cohen described vertical series as a developing form of premium storytelling shaped around audience viewing habits. Her co-CEO Leanne Perice also spoke about helping creators develop scripted projects from early ideas through production.
The agreement follows TikTok’s earlier partnership with Issa Rae’s Hoorae Media. Its series Screen Time, which launched in April, has accumulated nearly 580 million global views, according to both reports. The announcements come amid wider industry interest in microdrama and how companies will fund and produce it.
Where outlets differ
The first report calls the agreement a multi-year deal and says TikTok partnered with Made By Us Studios; the second describes it as a co-production agreement and identifies Made By Us as the production arm of creator management company Made By All.
The first report says Stocking contributed to Player’s script and names Jonas Barnes as its producer. The second specifies that Stocking is a co-executive producer and does not mention her script contribution.
The second report notes that The Knock’s precise genre has not been disclosed. The first does not highlight that uncertainty.
The first report places the announcement in the context of MIPCOM’s discussions about investment and creative resources for microdrama, and includes comments from Leanne Perice. The second gives more detail on Made By All and Made By Us leadership and on the Hoorae series’ plot and cast.
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