“Small space. Big stories.” This is the motto for Microhouse Films, the vertical video platform that Taye Diggs launched with a mission of empowering creators two minutes at a time.
The venture marks a turn away from the actor’s traditional route in television and movies as he tests microdramas — vertical, short-form episodic content.
On July 18, at ViewerCon in Newark, New Jersey, Diggs acknowledged that in the content creator to streaming platform pipeline, long-form, horizontal content has become popular. In his panel “The Future of Storytelling with Taye Diggs & Microhouse Films,” he said that microdramas are a product that “no one has really cracked.” He’s hoping Microhouse Films can change that as “we’re including the creators from the get.”
The Best Man star launched the platform with co-founders and fellow panelists Shelby Stone, who produced Starz’ The Chi, and actor and producer Troy Brookins. Film producers Autumn Federici and James R. Black are also co-founders.
Through their website and mobile app, Microhouse Films offers a model that favors tokens over the more traditional monthly subscription fees. Viewers purchase tokens sold in packs of 10, 30, 50, and 120 credits, priced at roughly $0.20 apiece. These tokens can then be used to watch Microhouse Films’ episodes, which cost between one and three credits to unlock. Reflecting Diggs’ goal of giving content creators more control, the token price per episode is set by the creator.
“The creators get to stay along for the ride and benefit from how far the project goes,” Diggs explained in the panel.
From there, Diggs shared a formative experience with Netflix, where he and his agents inquired about how audiences received a film, only to be told the platform was keeping metrics “under wraps.”
These frustrations with gatekeepers drove him to promote transparency with creators as he steps into the emerging microdrama format. Diggs acknowledged he has been criticized for diving into vertical storytelling, with people in the industry telling him that “they’re beneath you.” But now, after producing two vertical microdrama series and launching Microhouse Films, he says vertical storytelling has “introduced me into a new way of looking at the industry.”
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Microhouse Films takes a minority equity split for content.
“The Future of Storytelling with Taye Diggs & Microhouse Films” panel at ViewerCon 2026.
Credit: Truth Headlam
In the panel, co-founder Stone said Microhouse Films strives for “transparency” in creators’ pay, by allowing creators to have access to audiences’ viewing metrics. Stone noted that content creators on their platform can see how many coins viewers are willing to purchase on the platform, the number of coins viewers spend to watch the content, and when viewers stop watching.
Beyond this feedback, the equity breakdown for creators on the Microhouse Films is atypical, allowing creators to walk away with the majority of their earnings rather than more traditional compensation such as flat-rate fees, ad-revenue sharing, and commissions.
“Every creator who ends up on the platform, you see your page,” she said. Of the proceeds raised from tokens, she continued, “The platform only takes 25% to manage the platform. The filmmaker takes 75% [for tokens used for their content].”
Diggs noted that providing that level of detail, transparency, and equity split “goes exactly against what the rest of the industry is doing.” He added, “[When] the movie does amazingly well, they deliberately don’t show anybody that information,” referencing his aforementioned experience with Netflix. “That way, they can have the power [and] if they want to do another movie with them, they can still give [the filmmakers and talent] pennies.”
In an interview with Diggs at ViewerCon, I learned more about his goals for Microhouse Films and his vision for the future of the creator economy.
Mashable: What does the rise of microdramas mean for the entertainment industry and the creator economy?
Taye Diggs: We don’t know yet. Hopefully, it’ll be all good. I know that I want to prove myself because it’s an exciting new time, [and] all of this is outside my wheelhouse. When it comes to acting and creating and producing and directing — this is a new kind of thrust, and I don’t think anybody really knows what the future holds.
For me, in a world where I’m used to having a script already written, a director that already has ideas, [and] producers that know how they want to produce a movie, all of this is fairly unknown, and it’s very exciting.
How is Microhouse Films adding to the narrative of microdramas and creators having their own platform?
Well, it’s new, so anything new to me is always welcome and exciting. And the fact that we’re not necessarily focused on ourselves and the monetary benefits, but we also want to include the creators, which unfortunately is something that is not done yet.
How many creators do you have in your network so far?
So many, and we will continue to invite them. We use submissions [to find creators]. It’s great to be on the other side and to realize how many talented writers, actors, and directors there are that have not been heard of yet.
How does your business model with Microhouse Films compare to the traditional studio business model?
The fact that we’re including the artists and the fact that this is brand new. With models that already exist, they’re using the blueprint that already exists. We’re kind of making it up as we go along.
