GammaTime becomes latest US microdrama app on the block with $14m funding raise 

L-to-R: Alex-Montalvo, Bill Block and Slava Mudrykh

GammaTime, a US microdrama drama app founded by former Miramax CEO Bill Block, as well as former Quibi and Google execs, has raised US$14m in seed funding.

Launched earlier this month and claiming to be the “first premium microdrama streaming platform built specifically for American audiences,” the platform was backed by a group of investors including venture capital firms vgames and Pitango, alongside Alexis Ohanian, Kris Jenner, Kim Kardashian and Traverse Ventures.

Block, who left Miramax two years ago, is CEO of the new venture and co-founded it alongside ex-Google exec Slava Mudrykh, who serves as chief revenue officer, and former Quibi exec Alex Montalvo, who is chief content officer.

The platform has launched with 22 vertical dramas including two originals, The Temptress and Lust Cop, from CSI franchise creator Anthony E Zuiker.

Other originals include romance dramas The Player and The Vengeance Affair and true-crime series about Richard Ramirez and Karen Read. Two of its other series are also described as “viral cases” that have been “re-told through a cinematic lens.”

GammaTime said that the originals with Zuiker mark the first time a major Hollywood showrunner has announced projects for a microdrama platform.

The business model sees users being able to sample the platform in a “freemium” way initially before having to pay for full access. The company added that David Stiff, founder of Vault AI, is a key strategic advisor, and that its “data-driven approach ensures only the most engaging concepts enter production, maximising creative resources while minimising development waste.”

“While early microdrama apps proved the storytelling format works, they’ve barely scratched the surface of what’s possible,” said Block.

“We are a demand driven, technologically determined content app where the next billion consumers will discover premium stories to satisfy their appetite. Combine that interest with our creative talent and Slava Mudrykh’s mobile team of experts and we are well positioned to win in this category.”