What was once dismissed as niche is now operating like a parallel Hollywood. Microdramas, vertical series and creator-led short-form shows are building massive, loyal audiences through low cost, rapid production cycles and direct-to-fan distribution. Built for the feed and engineered for scale, these productions and their creators are attracting significant investment and redefining what qualifies as a hit.

Join Dhar Mann Studios’ Erin McFarlane, Second Rodeo founder Scott Brown and MicroCo execs Jana Winograde and Susan Rovner for a conversation moderated by Natalie Jarvey, writer of Ankler Media’s creator economy newsletter Like & Subscribe. Together, they’ll explore how this model compresses development timelines, mobilizes fandom at speed, and forces traditional studios to rethink development, ownership and monetization for a brand-new ecosystem.

Moderator: Natalie Jarvey, Editor, Like & Subscribe, Ankler Media

Speakers:

Erin McFarlane, Head of Vertical Content, Dhar Mann Studios
Jana Winograde, CEO, MicroCo
Susan Rovner, Chief Creative Officer, MicroCo
Scott Brown, CEO, Second Rodeo Productions

Location: Media and Entertainment Theater