{"id":8519,"date":"2026-10-11T13:51:28","date_gmt":"2026-10-11T13:51:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/silvybrand.com\/?p=8519"},"modified":"2026-10-11T13:51:28","modified_gmt":"2026-10-11T13:51:28","slug":"vurt-microdramas-verticals-interview-hilmon-sorey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/silvybrand.com\/?p=8519","title":{"rendered":"Vurt wants you to look at vertical videos as a genre of their own"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n
\n

From Disney Plus<\/a> to HBO Max<\/a>, almost every major established streaming service is experimenting with ways to get into vertical content. It\u2019s clear that these companies see video-focused social media platforms<\/a> like TikTok and Instagram as existential threats. In this arms race for viewers\u2019 attention, it has often felt like everyone is trying to find new ways to exist on people\u2019s phones. But a new startup thinks that the next step in vertical series\u2019 evolution is going to take place on our wide-screen televisions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Unlike most vertical microdrama \/ series streaming platforms on the market that have focused on mobile viewing experiences, Vurt<\/a> has been making a pivot into smart TVs. The company recently launched dedicated apps for Apple TV and Android TV that give users access to 3,500 episodes across more than 100 different shows. Since launching in March, Vurt\u2019s userbase has grown from 10,000 to 675,000 users.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Vurt primarily features the kind of soapy, melodramatic microdramas that have made rival services like DramaBox and ReelShort<\/a> popular. But whereas those platforms have become inundated with AI-generated slop<\/a>, the vast majority of Vurt\u2019s series are produced with human casts and crews. And because Vurt monetizes its content through ad partnerships, viewers can watch all of it for free instead of dealing with convoluted microtransactions<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

When I spoke with Vurt cofounder \/ angel investor Hilmon Sorey this week, he told me that the company\u2019s big push into dedicated TV apps was driven by direct feedback from users. People wanted a way to beam verticals they were already watching via their phones onto bigger screens, but Vurt\u2019s development team thought that they could take things a step further.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cAt first, we first developed the ability for folks to cast to smart TVs,\u201d Sorey said. \u201cBut we decided that wasn\u2019t the best experience because we could leverage all of the technology in those large-screen devices to bring features like HD \/ 4K video, and the ability to do really high-quality audio.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

To build out its library, Vurt signs licensing agreements with production studios and creators that gives them a 50\/50 revenue split. Independent creators can directly submit their projects for distribution on the platform, and once approved, it can be available to stream in just a few days. Sorey said that being fair to creators and taking cues from them are core tenets of Vurt\u2019s corporate philosophy. He also pointed to Vurt\u2019s decision to rely on a \u201cfree-to-finish\u201d model as the main way it works to be fair to its users.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cIf you are a platform that\u2019s doing your own original content and you don\u2019t have creators to pay, then \u2018give us $20 and we\u2019ll give you 500 coffee beans\u2019 kind of gamification is intentional,\u201d Sorey insisted. \u201cIt\u2019s a ruse that they can use to boggle your mind because they control that entire content ecosystem.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Vurt\u2019s foray onto televisions is coming at a time when more established vertical-focused platforms have been looking into ways to exist beyond people\u2019s phones. This past June, Instagram beefed up its TV app<\/a> to include Reels, disappearing Stories, and horizontally oriented videos \u2014 all of which felt like attempts at keeping pace with YouTube. Vurt told me that the company is staying focused on vertical content, but is currently developing new kinds of programming like original series and livestreamed sporting events.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve got to have your hook to begin and at the tail end of that, you\u2019ve got to thrust them into the next episode by virtue of a cliffhanger.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

In the buildup to launching its TV apps, Vurt consulted content creators about how they like to watch films and TV shows. Many reported preferring viewing things in movie theaters or on big screens because of how immersive those experiences felt. But according to Sorey, the creators also insisted that vertical microdramas can feel just as engaging whether they\u2019re watched on a phone with earbuds in or on a television screen.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cYou can have a different kind of immersive experience \u2014 even on a wide screen in vertical format \u2014 because verticals tell their stories in a very different way,\u201d Sorey said. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to have your hook to begin and at the tail end of that, you\u2019ve got to thrust them into the next episode by virtue of a cliffhanger.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Sorey believes that the stylistic elements vertical microdramas have become known for \u2014 formulaic plots, questionable acting, and exceedingly short episodes \u2014 make them a specific kind of entertainment that\u2019s distinct from traditional TV shows and films. Those qualities are what tend to make some people see vertical content as unwatchable, but they also seem to be part of what\u2019s keeping Vurt\u2019s users engaged. Sorey says that Vurt has seen overall engagement time increase for viewers using the company\u2019s TV apps. That\u2019s likely because those viewers have a convenient way to consume Vurt\u2019s content without having to pick up their phones.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Though a service like Vurt might make sense for people already hooked on microdramas, what\u2019s far less clear is whether there\u2019s really a broader appetite for vertical videos flanked by blank spaces. With so many other platforms experimenting with ways to turn everything into endless feeds of vertical videos<\/a>, though, Vurt may be on to something.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Follow topics and authors<\/strong> from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.<\/span><\/p>\n