.png)
Another name to add to the list of former Hollywood execs jumping into the world of microdramas: Roy Price.
The ex-head of Amazon Studios once presided over the tech giant’s initial foray into Hollywood as it premiered shows like Transparent and Bosch and films like Manchester by the Sea. He resigned in 2017 as he faced a sexual harassment claim from Man in the High Castle executive producer Isa Hackett (Price has denied the alleged conduct).
Now, he’s has returned to the world of entertainment with Number One Best Website (N1BW), betting on the idea that the world is ready for user-generated verticals. The platform both exhibits microdramas uploaded by users and connects potential creative collaborators in this space while streamlining their workflow, like an all-in-one combination of ReelShort, YouTube and StaffMeUp.
In Price’s telling, N1BW differentiates itself in the crowded microdramas space by offering diverse stories from users, not just the soapy genre stories commissioned by platforms like DramaBox, ReelShort and NetShort (often featuring tropes such as billionaires, members of the mafia and werewolves).
“The general idea is it’s not a centralized system,” said Price in an interview following N1BW’s debut on Monday. “Most of the [microdrama platforms] that exist now are centralized and top-down, like a traditional network or studio, and they’re pretty narrow in terms of their genre or focus. We’re the opposite of that, more like YouTube or TikTok. People can upload whatever and the production process can be more distributed.”
The site — and currently it’s just a website, not yet an app — allows creators to monetize microdramas through a token system similar to those on major competitor platforms. Essentially, viewers buy online currency to keep watching series divided into one to a few minute increments. The projects’ IP can be bought by third parties, and the creator will retain movie and TV rights.
The site itself makes money by taking a cut. For creators who use the platform to find creative collaborators, the site offers standard agreements and revenue share: 70 percent goes to the creative team and 30 percent to the platform. If a team has multiple people filling creative roles, 20 percent of revenue goes to the creator/showrunner, 30 percent to the director(s), 10 percent to the episode writer(s), 5 percent to the bible writer(s) and five percent to music supervisor.
As of press time, all of the microdramas exhibited on the platform were seemingly made using AI. In Price’s view, AI video generators can’t yet facilitate great movies, but they can create a “good result” when it comes to verticals and make them more feasible to produce. He’s not alone in seeing opportunity when it comes to AI microdramas: Plenty of other platforms are pumping them out, seeing if American viewers will embrace them.
He believes that, if it does what it’s meant to do, N1BW can fill some gaps in mainstream entertainment. “People always say, ‘Oh, you could never make that movie today,’ but it’s actually true,” he said. “There is room for a content brand that has a different vibe that is definitely not DramaBox, but it’s not even Netflix or any mainstream streamer. I think that comedy, certain kinds of action and so on are a little underserved in the main market.”
Other Hollywood veterans that have recently entered the world of vertical entertainment include Jana Winograde, Susan Rovner and Lloyd Braun (with their upcoming platform aTwist) and Bill Block (GammaTime). Issa Rae’s company HOORAE is producing verticals, while Taye Diggs (Microhouse Film) and David Oyelowo and Nate Parker (Mansa) are also involved.
Even as Hollywood figures flood the space, it remains unclear just how sustainable the business is and how many players it can accommodate. Many vertical companies invest heavily in marketing to acquire consumers on a show-by-show basis while a plethora of apps are competing to become go-to platforms for consumers. Though vertical productions attempt to keep costs low, those expenses could balloon as the sector matures.
When asked about these challenges, Price pointed to the recent growth in the space, with the sector expected to generate $150 billion outside China in 2026, according to market research firm Owl & Co. “The whole model is large-ish and growing, and so it’s hard to argue with that,” he said.
Price likened his attraction to the format to his early embrace of streaming entertainment back in the days when Hollywood remained skeptical of its staying power. He said, “One thing that I think you can learn from the broad sweep of Hollywood history is that change is constant, and by and large, you want to be on the right side of the change.”
English (US) ·