A brawny bodyguard shoves a bruised man, hands tied behind his back, toward the hood of a black SUV. A pen and a contract lay atop the metal, ready for a forced signature, while the man\u2019s fiancee and her father watch in silence, seeking revenge on the person who betrayed them.<\/p>\n
It has all the hallmarks of a prestige Hollywood thriller, but this high-stakes scene is being framed entirely for a smartphone screen. Issa Rae\u2019s new viral TikTok micro-drama, \u201cScreen Time,\u201d was getting ready to wrap its final shoot day at her company, Hoorae Media, in Hyde Park.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s not have him shake his head,\u201d said Rae, as she leaned closer toward the screen displaying the vertical video feed of the father eating from a bright yellow pouch of Gushers. <\/p>\n
Within a week of its April release, \u201cScreen Time\u201d had gone viral, reaching nearly 75 million views and earning the highest watch time for a series on TikTok. Since it landed, the 57-episode vertical series, which follows two couples as they face off against a threatening online hacker in drama-fueled one-minute clips, has amassed more than 150 million views.<\/p>\n
\u201cScreen Time\u201d is the latest success story in the booming micro-drama genre that is sweeping Hollywood. It was also the first vertical drama to be exclusively featured on TikTok, which helped to finance the series as it expands its presence in the space.<\/p>\n
\u201cScreen Time\u201d is the first of four series that TikTok is producing in collaboration with Hoorae as it looks to diversify its audience and bring new users to the platform. Rival platforms like ReelShort, DramaBox as well YouTube already have expansive micro-drama collections.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are able to work with both creators on the platform and very prominent producers like Issa, who are huge in the traditional Hollywood sense of TV shows and films,\u201d said Dawn Yang, the global head of entertainment partnerships at TikTok. \u201cWe\u2019re just excited for the amount of creativity that it unlocks, and for our audience to discover them in the most organic way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Assistant director Frederick Gourgue, center, works with the crew at Hoorae in Los Angeles on May 15.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n
The vertical video format first rose to popularity in China<\/a>, where TikTok began. In 2024, revenue from micro-dramas surpassed domestic box office sales for the first time, with $6.9 billion according to digital research firm DataEye. Today, much of the industry\u2019s revenue in China is coming from AI-generated series, where nearly 50,000 new A.I. micro-dramas were uploaded to Douyin, China\u2019s version of TikTok<\/a>, in March alone, said DataEye.<\/p>\n Disney and Fox Entertainment have also invested in the format. Most recently, Peacock announced both unscripted and scripted micro-dramas will hit its streaming service by summer. Other celebrities like Kevin Hart, Kim Kardashian and Taye Diggs have invested in the format, too. Even Rachel Sennott recently wrote and starred in a micro-drama to promote a new Marc Jacobs purse. <\/p>\n When a new format like micro-dramas starts to gain mainstream traction, social media platforms face pressure to adapt, said Joel Marlinarson, a social strategist and founder of marketing agency Coldest Creative.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s in TikTok\u2019s best interest to evolve formats that are working elsewhere,\u201d Marlinarson said. \u201cWe know that micro-dramas have succeeded in the East, but it\u2019s about bringing that to the West.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cScreen Time\u201d underscores how the genre is maturing away from \u201clow brow, tacky content,\u201d Marlinarson said.<\/p>\n Rae declined to disclose the budget for \u201cScreen Time.\u201d But she said the series, which was a union production, was backed by a six-figure investment from Hoorae Media and TikTok. <\/p>\n Actress Jenna Nolen, left, runs lines with director Kristen Brancaccio at Hoorae\u2019s office.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n Following the mainstream success of HBO\u2019s \u201cInsecure\u201d<\/a> and the critically acclaimed film, \u201cOne of Them Days<\/a>,\u201d where she served as head producer, Rae waited years for the perfect moment to return to the digital space. <\/p>\n With \u201cScreen Time,\u201d she channels her love for soap operas into the micro-drama format. By avoiding clich\u00e9s and featuring a mostly Black cast, Rae\u2019s mission for Hoorae\u2019s new venture is simple: defy expectations and tell a great story.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat attracts me to [micro dramas] specifically is the ability to still experiment online, tell stories, get an audience around them and own the IP,\u201d Rae said, from her upstairs office in Hyde Park, as her team continued to shoot social promos below. \u201cThis is such a fun space to just be in and create what\u2019s not in mainstream television or film … It\u2019s less expensive and more low-stakes, and you can find out what works or you can move on.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cScreen Time\u201d is a return to form for Rae. As someone who was born in Los Angeles and continues to reside here, much of her creative efforts are tied to the city. One of the first projects she created was the YouTube series \u201cThe Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl<\/a>\u201d in 2011. The web series earned 20 million views and served as a basis for \u201cInsecure.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cScreen Time\u201d doesn\u2019t fit a typical micro-drama. While the genre is known for its low-brow content, featuring mostly white actors and fantasy motifs (like being a secret billionaire), Rae set out to create high-quality programming that centers Black characters.<\/p>\n Early on, she said, industry insiders questioned the viability of the \u201cScreen Time\u201d concept. She said the feedback only anchored her belief in the story, but also meant the production needed to capitalize on the qualities that make a micro-drama captivating \u2014 like regular cliffhangers and melodramatic moments.<\/p>\n Actor Xavier Antonio Avila, left, sits while Amber Burgin touches up makeup. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n \u201cI wanted to feel like it\u2019s worthwhile for the actors, for the crew and for the audience,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The production was nearly wrapped when Yang and her team visited on the second-to-last day of shooting. The company wanted to launch a new kind of partnership between TikTok and Hoorae Media.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were going to make this without them, and they saw the vision,\u201d Rae said, referring to TikTok. \u201cThey met us where we were. Doing this on our own was a testament to \u2018if you build it, they will come.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Actress](\"https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/fb3e4a6\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/7723x5194+0+0\/resize\/320x215!\/format\/webp\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F1b%2F61%2F2c42c0e147028c79fbc4e5ad75d4%2F1554782-fi-issa-rae-micro-drama-cmh-04.jpg)
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