TikTok, BuzzFeed Jump Into the Microdrama Race
Creators rush in to seize the format before Hollywood does. Plus: I scoop news about genre star Kasey Esser
I cover creators. I wrote about how Snapchat is minting new stars, gathered top creator economy execs’ predictions for 2026 and covered all the deals and moves that made 2025 the year of the creator. Email me at natalie@theankler.com
Hollywood has a long history of being skeptical of new formats — until, suddenly, it isn’t. This week, microdramas are the latest medium angling for the industry’s stamp of legitimacy.
And if that sounds familiar, it should.
In spite of significant questions swirling around the Golden Globes’ first-ever best podcast award, the show escaped with just about the best possible outcome, a smart (albeit a bit predictable) win for Good Hang with Amy Poehler — last year’s breakout hit in the format — and an overall warm embrace from the podcast community. Not only did all the nominees show up on Sunday night, but podcast power players Spotify and SiriusXM also stormed Golden Globes week with two must-attend parties.
Spotify’s Thursday night shindig with The Hollywood Reporter, which fêted all Globes nominees, featured a mix of partygoers that one person described to me as feeling very pre-pandemic — from the stars of Heated Rivalry and The Pitt to podcast bigwigs Bill Simmons, Poehler and Mel Robbins, plus performances from John Legend and Chaka Khan. And SiriusXM got cool points for hosting an intimate Saturday brunch at the impossible-to-get-into Max & Helen’s diner, where the only thing that kept me from ogling the spread of cinnamon rolls, waffles and BLTs was the podcasting star power, including Conan O’Brien, Ted Danson, Pod Save America’s Jon Favreau and Jon Lovett, the SmartLess trio and Alex Cooper.
Although my colleague Richard Rushfield has some powerful and legitimate critiques about the Globes, podcast industry insiders I spoke with this week were largely proud of being welcomed beyond Hollywood’s velvet ropes, even if some expressed hope that next year the Globes will tweak its nomination process. Spotify’s vp of podcasts Roman Wasenmüller called the award and Good Hang win “a defining moment for podcasting and Spotify.” And more than one person predicted that the Emmys will soon follow with a podcast award of its own. It was a perfect weekend, then, for Netflix to herald the further television-ification of podcasts with the debut of its first The Bill Simmons Show live stream on Sunday night, which felt… exactly like a normal Bill Simmons podcast except on Netflix!
Today I’m shining a spotlight on another industry looking for Hollywood’s stamp of legitimacy. Microdramas, which started attracting American audiences a few years ago, grabbed a lot of attention last year from Hollywood writers, performers and crew members desperate for work. The Ankler’s Elaine Low and I have charted the growing opportunities in microdramas, noting the opening for Hollywood players with money and ambitions to jump into the space.
But if I’m being honest, I think it’s the creator economy that can have the biggest impact on the pivotal next phase of the microdrama industry as overseas players look to release a bona fide breakout hit, decrease subscriber acquisition costs and turn the genre’s actors into stars.
Consider that over the holidays TikTok quietly introduced a new feature, TikTok Minis, that allows its users to sample vertically-shot short-form series within its app.
I can also exclusively report that Kasey Esser — one of the most prolific microdrama actors working today, whose new independently produced action-thriller series Love Under Fire I covered last year — has signed with management firm Underscore Talent. “When I talked to Underscore, it was about building an audience and making sure people who are seeing me in these microdramas aren’t just like, ‘Oh yeah, I recognize that guy,’” Esser tells me. “Right now I’m getting recognized but they don’t know me. That’s something I hadn’t leaned into as much because I was more private on social media.” In other words, Esser will be leveraging the creator playbook that has worked for other Underscore clients like Subway Takes’ Kareem Rahma, Sidelined 2: Intercepted star Noah Beck and comedian and best-selling author Elyse Myers to grow beyond being known as just that microdrama guy.
This isn’t a zero sum game, and I fully expect Hollywood players with more established film and television backgrounds to invest in microdramas as they chase the estimated $1.3 billion made last year in the U.S. alone.
Keep reading for a full look at the creators — and companies including BuzzFeed and Hollywood-alum-led MicroCo — making moves in the space that already operates “in the key of digital,” as microdrama director Scott Brown puts it. I spoke to him, and more microdrama players about:
How TikTok’s quiet experiment could solve microdramas’ biggest problem: finding viewers without burning cash
Why BuzzFeed is already quietly a major microdrama player — and what its 1.3 billion views say about the format’s potential
How Hollywood veterans behind MicroCo are betting creators can do what traditional casting can’t
Why Dhar Mann and Alan Chikin Chow are structurally advantaged to dominate the space
How creators are getting paid beyond acting fees — and what revenue participation really looks like
Why YouTube, not Netflix, may be the next platform that actually matters for microdramas
How Kasey Esser and his reps are using the creator playbook to chase real movie stardom