Fox Entertainment is scaling up its investment in vertical video through a multiyear deal with Dhar Mann Studios to produce original scripted microdramas for Holywater’s fast-growing MyDrama platform. The deal marks the creator-led studio’s first official move into the vertical storytelling business.
Under the agreement, Dhar Mann Studios will produce an initial slate of 40 narrative-driven vertical titles designed for mobile viewing. The shows will premiere on Holywater’s MyDrama app before Fox Entertainment Global manages worldwide distribution. Dhar Mann will retain ownership and creative control of the content, allowing the studio to later leverage its following across social platforms.
The partnership deepens Fox’s already aggressive expansion into microdrama. The company took an equity stake in Holywater last year and is currently in production on roughly 200 original vertical series for the platform, positioning Fox as one of the most active legacy media companies in the fast-growing mobile-first space.
“Dhar Mann’s inspiring storytelling excellence and passionate audience have made him one of the most powerful voices in entertainment today,” Fox Entertainment CEO Rob Wade said in a statement. He described the move into vertical video as a key growth opportunity as Fox looks to reach audiences beyond traditional television.
Founded in 2018, Dhar Mann Studios has built an audience of around 160 million followers and has generated 20 billion views across platforms with its short-form, inspirational scripted content. While Mann’s videos have long been optimised for social feeds, the new deal represents his first formal entry into purpose-built microdramas.
Dhar Mann Studios CEO Sean Atkins said the expansion was driven directly by audience behaviour. In a LinkedIn post, Atkins noted that 87% of the studio’s Facebook followers have been asking for vertical dramas and that its core vertical audience already spends an average of $5 per week on microdrama content.
“This is the largest partnership Dhar Mann Studios has signed to date,” Atkins wrote. “When your audience tells you that clearly where they want to consume your stories, you listen – but listening isn’t enough. You need partners who actually get it.”
Atkins credited Fox and Holywater for offering an atypical creator-studio model, emphasising creative ownership and independence rather than traditional IP control. “They aren’t trying to fit creators into an old playbook,” he wrote. “They’re building a new one alongside us.”
Holywater, whose founders have positioned the company as a global hub for vertical storytelling, recently closed a $22 million financing round and says its platforms reach tens of millions of users worldwide. Fox Entertainment Studios is developing additional vertical projects with other creators and Hollywood partners as part of a broader push to dominate the microdrama category.
The deal also comes as major platforms increasingly court digital-native talent. Netflix recently announced a new reality series starring social media personality Alix Earle, underscoring how streamers and studios are leaning into creators with built-in audiences as they expand their unscripted and digital-first slates.
