As Hollywood creatives flock to “verticals” during a dry period for jobs in traditional film and television, the Writers Guild of America West is emphasizing that work for these projects can be covered under a union agreement.
The union issued a statement to members on Wednesday that underscores the ascendancy of these projects, which are typically feature-length narratives that are divided into one- to three-minute segments for consumption in portrait mode on mobile. Think Quibi but shorter, way cheaper and more melodramatic in nature: Major players in the space, including apps like ReelShort and DramaBox, tend to pump out soapy dramas and romances more akin to The Young and the Restless than Insecure.
“In recent months, a number of Guild members have inquired about WGA coverage of ‘verticals,’ ‘microdramas,’ or other short-form content made for streaming,” the writers’ union told its members on Wednesday. “Writing work on these projects, which consist of very short programs (often under 2 minutes) is covered by the MBA.”
Some verticals are currently signed to a union contract, a union representative tells The Hollywood Reporter. The WGA’s Minimum Basic Agreement (MBA) features terms for shortform and low-budget programming that accommodates this kind of format.
But if a vertical isn’t signed to a union contract, it’s a no-go according to union rules.
The union’s message emphasizes how traditional Hollywood unions are beginning to take notice of verticals, though many are produced on shoestring budgets and with such elementary scripts that viewers have wondered if they are produced by generative AI.
During the height of “Peak TV,” as companies were ordering large quantities of shows to fill out their streaming services, the union might not have been so keen. But in 2025, with the WGA West’s own data showing writing opportunities have thinned, the labor group can’t afford to turn up its nose.
That’s been underscored, recently, by political candidates vying for open slots on the WGA West’s board. Multiple candidates have suggested the union should organize verticals, video games and content creation companies in their pitches to members. “We are sitting on a shrinking iceberg and must be willing to look beyond our current employers,” current vp Michele Mulroney, who is running unopposed for president, said in her statement.
According to the WGA West, one production company specializing in verticals has been particularly aggressive in courting the union’s members: EverBrite Studios. According to the union, the company is not a contract signatory and at one point was reaching out to WGA writers on LinkedIn. “The company, EverBrite Studios LLC, has [since] been instructed, and subsequently agreed, to cease and desist in its targeting of WGA members,” the union stated. (THR has reached out to the company for comment.)
Viewers for the company’s app, TasteLife, where available dramas currently include wellness center-set It Was Always You and the art-themed romance Stroke of Love, will have to go with stories not crafted by WGA writers, for now.