A few years ago, the idea of watching a drama series in portrait mode might have sounded absurd (until Quibi csme along of course). But for Holywater, it’s the foundation of a fast-growing global entertainment network – one that’s now caught the eye (and investment) of Fox Entertainment. Founded in 2020 by Bogdan Nesvit and Anatolii Kasianov, the company is reinventing storytelling for the smartphone generation and re-engineering production in the process.
At the heart of Holywater’s success is MyDrama, a vertical video platform with more than 55 million users. It’s part of a wider ecosystem that also includes MyPassion, a book publishing app testing hundreds of titles each month – the best of which are adapted into micro-dramas for MyDrama. The result is a rapid creative pipeline: stories move from page to screen in months rather than years.
And speed is everything. “We can produce one vertical show in three months – ten times cheaper and ten times faster than traditional production,” says Kasianov. “Each episode is about a minute long, but the full story can run like a 70- or 80-minute movie. The difference is the rhythm – it’s built on hooks and cliffhangers that keep people watching the next minute, and the next.”
If this sounds like the addictive cadence of social media, that’s no accident. Holywater’s content is designed to compete directly with TikTok and YouTube Shorts. Users consume these dramas in short bursts – commuting, between meetings, or before bed – and engagement data shows time “flies” in the same way it does while scrolling social feeds. “It’s essentially a competition with social media,” says Kasianov. “We’re pulling audiences from those platforms into higher-quality storytelling.”
That approach has already paid off. Holywater’s meteoric growth has made it one of the world’s most-watched vertical drama studios – and now, with Fox’s backing, the ambition is expanding. “For us, the deal with Fox means access to world-class IPs, an opportunity to elevate the quality of verticals, and a huge boost in scale,” says Nesvit. “We want to become the number one vertical video streamer globally.”
It’s also a sign that major entertainment players are finally taking the format seriously. “Vertical drama” – or “micro-drama,” as it’s sometimes called – emerged from China. Holywater’s founders are clear: the future lies beyond recycling tropes. “Vertical is just another form of entertainment,” says Nesvit. “It deserves the same creative ambition and production values as film or television.”
With Fox’s support, Holywater will begin integrating its content and technology into the Hollywood system. That includes access to established IPs, new production partnerships, and – crucially – bringing well-known talent into the vertical space. “We’re already seeing A-list actors and agencies expressing interest,” says Nesvit. “Everyone wants to be where the audience is – and the audience is spending more time than ever on vertical video.”
Despite its global ambitions, Holywater remains a distributed operation. The founders are Ukrainian, with a large team of developers still based there, while leadership sits in Portugal and production increasingly takes place in Los Angeles. “Ukraine has amazing technical talent,” says Nesvit. “It’s also much more cost-effective, which allows us to innovate faster.”
Innovation is baked into Holywater’s DNA. AI tools are embedded across the company’s workflow – from localisation and dubbing to pilot generation and data testing. “We create AI pilots to get data very quickly,” says Kasianov. “That allows us to make better creative and business decisions before we commit to full production.”
What started five years ago as a leap into the unknown has evolved into one of the most closely watched experiments in digital storytelling. “Building a startup is like jumping off a cliff and building a plane on the way down,” Nesvit laughs. “We’ve been doing that ever since 2020.”
Now, with Fox Entertainment on board and a slate of LA-based productions in motion, Holywater looks ready to fly.
