Fox Entertainment inks deal with Dhar Mann Studios for slate of 40 scripted vertical-video shows

CALIFORNIA: Fox Entertainment is making its boldest play yet in the vertical-video boom, striking a multiyear global partnership with Dhar Mann Studios to produce a slate of 40 original scripted microdramas.

The agreement, announced on Tuesday, marks one of the largest deals ever signed with a creator-led studio. It will see Dhar Mann Studios develop and produce narrative-driven vertical shows exclusively for Holywater’s MyDrama app, with Fox Entertainment Global handling worldwide distribution after the initial release window. The first titles are expected to premiere this spring.

“This is one of the biggest deals in creator history,” Dhar Mann said in a LinkedIn post announcing the partnership. “This is the first time Fox Entertainment has partnered at this scale with a creator-led studio in the vertical space, the first slate partnership between Holywater and a creator studio, and the first time Dhar Mann Studios is opening our universe to a global distribution partner of this magnitude.”

Fox, which took an equity stake in Holywater last year, is positioning vertical storytelling as a core growth engine rather than an experiment. “Dhar Mann’s inspiring, undeniable storytelling excellence and passionate audience have made him one of the most powerful and consequential voices in entertainment today,” said Rob Wade, chief executive of Fox Entertainment. “We’re primed to expand Dhar Mann Studios’ reach by super-serving his new and existing fans everywhere with this all-new, original vertical content.”

Founded in 2018, Dhar Mann Studios has built a multigenerational audience of more than 163 million followers across platforms, generating an estimated 20 billion views. The studio operates a 125,000-square-foot, three-stage production facility in Burbank, California, and has become a force in short-form scripted storytelling built around moral drama and emotional payoff.

Despite Fox’s global reach, Dhar Mann will retain full ownership and creative independence. “Full creative ownership and independence—so our stories stay true to the heart of why people watch,” he said, outlining the deal’s structure.

Reflecting on the journey, Dhar Mann struck a personal note. “When I started making videos from my small living room, I never imagined that one day we’d be collaborating with one of the most iconic entertainment companies in the world. I just wanted to tell stories that helped people feel seen.”

The partnership also marks Dhar Mann Studios’ first formal entry into vertical-first production at scale. To lead the push, the studio recently appointed Erin McFarlane as head of vertical content. McFarlane previously oversaw creative development at vertical-video platform SaltyTV.

Sean Atkins, chief executive of Dhar Mann Studios, said in a joint statement with McFarlane that Fox and Holywater stood out as partners willing to back ambition. “Rob and his team are embracing innovation and investing in it, affording us an unprecedented level of creative autonomy and the resources needed to build something that has never been done before at this scale,” Atkins said.

Holywater’s co-founders and co-chief executives, Bogdan Nesvit and Anatolii Kasianov, called the deal a strategic inflection point. “This represents the first step in our broader strategy to attract global creators and top-tier talent to vertical storytelling at scale,” they said.

Momentum is accelerating. Earlier this month, Ukraine-based Holywater raised $22 million in its largest funding round to date. Fox Entertainment Studios is already producing around 200 original microdramas and vertical series for the platform, alongside projects with other studios and creators.

For Dhar Mann, the message is clear—and pointed at the industry. “Vertical video isn’t just the future,” he said. “It’s the present.”

The phone is now the screen. And Fox is betting that the next global studio will be built one swipe at a time.