Fox to adapt microdramas into TV series under Hartbeat pact

MIPCOM: US media company Fox Entertainment intends to use microdramas as a test bed for traditional television and film projects through a newly agreed partnership with Kevin Hart’s media company Hartbeat.

Hannah Pillemer

Under the wide-ranging deal announced at the end of day two of Mipcom, Fox Entertainment Studios will take a first look at developing microdramas released under Hartbeat’s Codeblack, Essence and Revolt labels into longer-form series and feature films for its various linear and streaming platforms internationally.

Those microdramas will launch via My Drama, the vertical video app owned by Holywater Tech in which Fox holds an undisclosed equity stake. Worldwide distribution of the microdramas will be handled by Fox Entertainment Global.

An initial slate of 25 live-action microseries will premiere via a Codeblack-branded hub within My Drama, with titles spanning thriller, drama and faith-based content. The Codeblack, Essence and Revolt brands have more than 20 million social media followers combined, according to Fox Entertainment.

The projects are intended as the “first stage of intellectual property development,” said the companies, adding the partnership gives “Codeblack and Fox a way to test stories, characters, and worlds with real audiences before committing them to longer formats, and gives proven titles a path to Fox’s network, streaming and international platforms.”

“This strategic, audience-driven approach to developing IP fits naturally with how we’re growing Fox Entertainment Studios,” said Hannah Pillemer, head of scripted at Fox Entertainment Studios.

Jeff Clanagan, founder of Codeblack and president and chief distribution officer of Hartbeat, added: “Vertical is where those stories start, not where they stop. The culture builds the audience, the audience chooses the stories, and with Fox the stories that win become film and television for the world.”