David Oyelowo and Nate Parker have joined forces to bring Black-themed projects to the vertical storytelling space.
The two actors co-founded Mansa, described as the first microdrama studio focused solely on Black stories. The company is slated to release 10 original projects between May and July 2026.
The summer rollout begins with three titles: Playing the Field, about a female-led flag football romance rivalry. The second project is Love Contract, about a high-stakes contract marriage. Mansa will also release Battle for Center Stage, about an HBCU dance team romance rivalry.
The made-for-mobile releases will stream on the Mansa app, which is available to audiences in the United States, United Kingdom, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa and Brazil, via Google Play and Apple’s app store.
“Vertical storytelling has already shown us what is possible when you meet audiences in the format they are naturally leaning into,” Nate Parker, co-founder and CEO of Mansa, said in a statement to Urban Hollywood 411.
The plan is for the company to develop, finance, produce, and distribute microdramas. The Mansa website notes the studio was created to put Black vertical storytelling in the hands of Black creatives.
“This is about building an engine for storytelling,” said co-founder David Oyelowo. “We are creating a system that allows us to develop and release microdramas at scale while staying closely connected to our audience.”
The two actors worked together on the feature film Red Tails, and Oyelowo has said he learned about “creative autonomy” from producer George Lucas.
According to Mansa, its first wave of vertical series garnered more than 6.5 million impressions and views in the first 30 days. The earlier titles included The Heiress; The Baller & The Secret Society; and Baselines.
Microdramas started in China during the COVID-19 pandemic, and in recent years have soared in global popularity.
A November 2025 article in The Hollywood Reporter said there’s a “gold rush” to produce microdramas in Hollywood, with the average budget usually between $100,000 and $300,000.
Last month, Lifetime announced plans to enter the vertical storytelling space, via a partnership with Taye Diggs.
The actor is set to executive produce the micro-vertical film Tides of Temptation, alongside Autumn Federici and Shelby Stone. It will be released later this year.
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