Hollywood taking notes from China's micro-drama playbook: U.S. actor

Micro-dramas born in China are now taking the U.S. market by storm, and according to a popular American actor, the U.S. film and television industry is looking to copy China's playbook to replicate the commercial success of its vertical-screen short dramas.

Matt William Knowles is the first non-Asian to graduate in acting from the Beijing Film Academy and has starred in multiple hit Chinese TV dramas, including "Red Sorghum" and "Eastern Battlefield". Now, as he has become the face of America's vertical micro-drama boom, he said the experience feels nothing short of surreal.

"I didn't expect that the vertical series would be a thing several years ago, and now they've popped up and grown so fast," said Knowles.

In his view, vertical micro-dramas have long ceased to be a niche phenomenon. In the U.S., they've already built a huge and fast-growing audience.

"I think a couple of years ago, there was a smaller market or type of person who was watching this series, and now there are more and more people who are watching. I had a friend who said he was on a construction site recently, and there were a bunch of construction workers, and they were all watching a vertical series together," he said.

As an insider, Knowles has observed a notable shift in the U.S. film and television industry in recent years: a growing trend of looking to China for inspiration. Backed by hard market data, the once-supreme Hollywood is now filled with professionals eager to decode the business secrets behind China's micro-drama success.

"Several years ago, China was usually bringing over talent from Hollywood to China to learn from them. But now you have this interesting thing that's happening with vertical series, where vertical series started in China. And now people in America are trying to figure out: how can we copy this thing and make money off it? I think a lot of people are studying what's going on in China," he said.

The opening ceremony of the national congresses of the Chinese Musicians Association, the China Dancers Association and the China Acrobats Association was held in Beijing on Saturday.

Attendees said they will strive to realize the grand goal of building China into a leading country in culture by 2035, continuously satisfy the intellectual and cultural needs of the people, carry forward the national spirit and strike a strong chord of the times.

They vowed to use rich and diverse artistic creations to present a picture of striving and express the voices of the people, producing more outstanding works that are worthy of the times and the people.

Attendees also emphasized the importance of bolstering cultural confidence, so as to play a greater role in promoting exchanges and mutual learning between Chinese and foreign civilizations.