Issa Rae’s Hoorae Media is set to premiere its first microdrama series, “Screen Time,” as part of a new content deal with TikTok.
Rae announced the news at TheWrap’s Creators x Hollywood Summit on Wednesday, in partnership with Whalar and The Lighthouse, a half-day event exploring the intersection of creators, culture and the entertainment industry.
“TikTok is building a new model for micro-series, pairing creator-led storytelling with scaled distribution to reach audiences faster than ever,” Dawn Yang, Global Head of Entertainment Partnerships at TikTok, said in a statement to TheWrap. “We’re actively investing in the micro-series space and excited to partner with innovators like Issa Rae to bring bold, story-driven content to life across TikTok and PineDrama.”
During the panel conversation “Paving the Way: Creators in Hollywood,” Rae told TheWrap’s Raquel Calhoun that she designed “Screen Time” for the way audiences are consuming content today.
“I’ve been really excited about the microdramas space for a while. I heard that they were really welcome in China […] and as a company when I think about our survival and our relevance, I want people to feel like, Hoorae is a part of their daily routines and part of their lives,” Rae said. “And this feels like an accessible point.”
“We’re so fortunate, which I’m announcing today too is we’ve done a deal with Tiktok to partner and do microdramas starting with ‘Screen Time’ and a few more, and it’s the first of its kind deal in this way, but it just makes my films and microseries more accessible for us,” she continued. “We’re doing it as minute soaps, and we’re still working out the release format, but again, it’s a way to kind of put our stamp on [the genre.]”
The new series and business endeavor marks Rae’s return to digital media, 15 years after launching her award-winning YouTube series “The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl.”
Together, TikTok and Hoorae will co-develop a slate of additional micro-series that will air exclusively on TikTok and its new microdrama app, PineDrama. “Screen Time” will land on the platforms later this month.
Here’s a description of the series, per Hoorae: “‘Screen Time’ begins with a double-date movie night disrupted by a mysterious figure who hijacks the TV, forcing the couples to confess their secrets or risk exposure, sparking a rapid escalation that threatens to unravel their relationships and lives.”
You can take a look at the series yourself in the video below.
The cast includes Brittney Jefferson (“Rap Sh!t”), Eric C. Lynch (“Queen Sugar”), Jasmine Luv (“Tell It Like a Woman”), Xavier Avila (“Shrinking”) and Jenna Nolen (“À La Carte”).
TheWrap’s Creators x Hollywood Summit is an invite-only gathering of the top creators, entertainment leaders and brand partners who are shaping the future of storytelling and the new entertainment economy.
TheWrap’s Creators x Hollywood is presented in partnership with global creator agency Whalar and The Lighthouse, both part of the Whalar Group. It is sponsored by City National Bank, Fox Entertainment, Lionsgate, Loeb & Loeb LLP and WEBTOON.
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