Short dramas are flooding the market — most of them poorly written and badly acted — yet the demand is real.
That means there’s space for great storytellers.
I never thought I’d create vertical dramatized content, but it’s clearly exploding. Recent reports say this format has made over $6 billion in the last two years — and it’s just getting started.
For the ReelShort Contest, I produced two short dramas and one short film — including a fan-made anime adaptation of the platform’s most popular series. I rewrote and created 8 one-minute episodes in 30 hours with no sleep, submitting them 7 minutes before the deadline.
Since I joined on the last day, my entries have fewer votes, so I’d truly appreciate your support — check them out, tap ❤️, and share your feedback!
8 Episodes – Fated to My Forbidden Alpha (Fan Adaptation): https://www.reelshort.com/episodes/episode-1-fated-to-my-forbidden-alpha...
3 Episodes – Jackpot Love: https://www.reelshort.com/episodes/episode-1-jackpot-love-68eee67e125c9a...
Short Film – Shadows of the Departed: https://www.reelshort.com/episodes/episode-1-shadows-of-the-departed-68e...
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Incredible job on all three, Erik Diaz! All three are unique, and they all held my attention! My favorite is Shadows of the Departed. I voted for all three.
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Thanks! That one’s my favorite too — it’s more in line with the kind of stories I like to write.
But so far, it’s been the audience’s least favorite.
Of course, I get it — these platforms tend to lean more toward romantic content.
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You're welcome, Erik Diaz. I'm researching vertical dramas since I'll be working with a producer-director on some soon. Stage 32 has a webinar coming up called "Understanding Vertical Storytelling "Verticals" 101" (www.stage32.com/education/products/understanding-vertical-storytelling-v...).
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Great to know! I just found out about it recently and decided to give it a try.
Good luck with your project — if I can help in any way, let me know!
I’m from the country that invented soap operas — Cuba — so I guess drama runs in my blood.
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Thanks, Erik Diaz. Great. Let's stay in touch on here. I bookmarked your profile. I'm looking forward to seeing what you make next!
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Hey Eric, cool, how long did it take to make your short film?
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The short film took about a week to complete.
Jackpot Love — around three weeks, roughly one week per episode.
And the Alpha series (8 episodes) was done in just 30 hours non-stop!
I had only 45 minutes to finish the last episode, so you can definitely notice the backgrounds, sounds and dialogues aren’t as polished.
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https://www.stage32.com/lounge/screenwriting/When-Surrealism-Beats-Craft...