Actor Taye Diggs and partners launch vertical video app under Microhouse Films banner

US actor Taye Diggs is partnering with several producers and actors to launch Microhouse Films, a mobile app focused on vertical series and movies.

Taye Diggs

Microhouse Films said its new platform, set to launch this spring, will enable creators to “produce, distribute and monetise their work within a single platform, removing traditional barriers between content creation, monetisation and audience access.”

Others involved in Microhouse Films include producer Autumn Federici, Shelby Stone (Shelby Stone Productions) and Troy Brookins (Down Deep Productions), as well as actor James Black (All-American).

They are launching the company after working on Tides of Temptation, a microdrama offshoot of Lifetime’s TV movie Terry McMillan Presents: Paradise With You. The latter project starred Diggs while the forthcoming microseries offshoot stars Swag Boy Q.

The Microhouse app will operate on an ad-free model, with the creators and filmmakers in charge of which episodes are offered for free and which ones are accessible via a token-based system. Creators will “retain control over pricing, release strategy and revenue,” said the company.

“When we thought about how to meaningfully impact the vertical space, we immediately focused on the creators and storytellers whose livelihoods depend on where this industry is headed,” said Diggs.

“Microhouse Films is about creating a model that supports them in this next phase and allows them to keep telling stories that move us.”

Federici, Stone, Black and Brookins said in a statement: “The industry is rapidly changing, and we have an opportunity to redefine who benefits in this new ecosystem that puts control directly in the hands of filmmakers. We’re excited to introduce a model for vertical storytelling with Microhouse Films that places a premium on both the quality of the work and the storyteller behind the content.”