The vertical series has become inescapable online. These eye-catching shows, filled with scandalous and sensationalist plots, have been bombarding everyone’s feeds. Clips from series like “True Heiress vs. Fake Queen Bee” or “My Secret Agent Husband” have garnered millions of views from global audiences. With quick, digestible episodes and melodramatic storytelling, they easily hook online viewers.
The vertical series has become so prevalent that even Rolling Stone took the time to dissect this growing sector of the entertainment industry. Speaking to Rolling Stone, Joey Jia, CEO of Crazy Maple Studios and operator of ReelShort, opined, “Sooner or later, vertical video streaming will become the next film industry in parallel.”
While Jia and his contemporaries have been working on their vertical offerings, the first ever branded vertical series actually had its start on Philippine shores. The idea of using a narrative series in partnership with a major brand to create hype was pioneered by award-winning director and producer Christopher Cahilig, president of Insight 360 Consultancy Services, Inc.
Cahilig and his team created the world’s first branded vertical series, “52 Weeks,” released in 2022 through a collaboration with retail chain Puregold. Starring Queenay Mercado and Jin Macapagal and directed by Lemuel Lorca, the series ran for 36 episodes and amassed over 34.1 million views on TikTok. In 2023, it won Best Social Media Campaign at the Hashtag Asia Awards.
“People shape what the next big thing is,” said Cahilig. “When their eyes got familiar to the vertical format of social media apps like TikTok, they started looked for it too in narrative contents that they consume online. That’s why we thought of creating a vertical series for these set of audience three years ago.”
Following that success, Cahilig and Puregold released “My Plantito” in 2023, the first BL vertical series. Starring Kych Minemoto and Michael Ver, it received overwhelming support, with over 52.4 million views during its run.
“Our work with Puregold shows that there’s a demand for what we bring,” said Cahilig. “And the overwhelming positive reception to the vertical series shows that we create great brand equity for those that partner with us in these endeavors.”
Cahilig’s vertical series are only the latest in his long line of innovative branded content. His trilogy of short films—“Pikata,” “Bag,” and “Sinturon”—made with leather brand McJIM went massively viral, with “Sinturon” alone reaching over 55 million organic views. As director of the Puregold CinePanalo film festival, Cahilig has helped award millions in production grants to both veteran and student filmmakers in just two years.
Beyond film, Cahilig also left a mark on pop culture by co-writing “Sa Isang Sulyap Mo” for boy band 1:43, the first PPop hit of the decade. Regardless of platform or genre, his work continues to shape and lead trends in the evolving media landscape.
