ContentAsia On Air

Building a Vertical Backbone: WenWen Han on the Global Short Drama Alliance

Content Asia On Air host Janine Stein sits down with WenWen Han, founder and CEO of the Short Drama Alliance, to go inside the fast-moving world of vertical short dramas. Among other things, WenWen talks about the conversations she facilitates between vertical drama creators around the world, the information gaps she's addressing, and the differences (or not) between producers in China and elsewhere. She also digs into common misunderstandings, growth, scale, the biggest threats facing the industry, and what she's learned building a global community of creators, producers, platforms, and writers since launching the Short Drama Alliance. Her podcast, Inside Vertical Short Dramas, is available across all major platforms. Short Drama Decode | 短劇解碼器 is on YouTube: @ShortDramaDecode   Timestamps for this episode 00:00 – Intro & why TikTok is the giant to watch 00:11 – Welcome to Content Asia On Air with WenWen Han 00:56 – How WenWen got into microdrama by accident 02:57 – From producing to founding the Short Drama Alliance 03:49 – Has the China–overseas information gap actually closed? 05:27 – What the Alliance community looks like today (300+members, global reach) 07:08 – Why she started writing books on China's shortdrama ecosystem 09:01 – Has the industry's growth surprised her? 09:03 –Breaking down 3 recommended microdramas: "Reborn as a Fish", "The Family We Built", "Fatally Deal with a Mafia King" 16:43 – Can China retain its microdrama lead asother countries invest? 18:38 – Who's fueling the global microdrama boom? 20:36 – Do writing mistakes differ by region? 21:15 – Her #1 piece of advice for newmicrodrama writers 21:50 – Gender role reversals: the "soft spouse"male lead and CEO female lead 24:04 – The impact of AI on microdrama production 25:42 – Is there a future for vertical reality and natural history formats? 27:22 – Where will microdrama be in 3 years? 29:10 – WenWen's closing thoughts on storytelling in the mobile-first era 29:23 – Wrap-up

Sixty Seconds to Tears: Inside the Microdrama Hustle

What does it really take to produce a microdrama series? In this episode, we sit down with Absol Bai, a veteran microdrama producer, to talk about the intense reality of creating content in one of the industry's newest, fastest-moving and most demanding fields. From casting actors in days to finishing post-production in under a week, Absol breaks down the process and the product. We dive into:🎥 What the vertical video industry offers young filmmakers that they would never get elsewhere💰 Where he would spend bigger budgets as microdramas scale up⚡ What it's like working in an environment were speed is everything 🎭 Retraining actors for vertical storytelling📍 Why creativity looks different in a booming sectorA candid conversation about innovation, constraints, and why this chaotic new industry might be the best thing that happened to his career.00:00 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gQ9JciVXHk] A Day in the Life of a Micro Drama Producer05:06 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gQ9JciVXHk&t=306s] The Evolution of Micro Dramas07:46 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gQ9JciVXHk&t=466s] The Recipe for Success in Storytelling11:52 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gQ9JciVXHk&t=712s] Casting and Talent in Micro Dramas13:50 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gQ9JciVXHk&t=830s] Challenges and Surprises in Production14:56 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gQ9JciVXHk&t=896s] Favorite Projects and Learning Experiences16:56 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gQ9JciVXHk&t=1016s] Age Diversity in the Industry18:46 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gQ9JciVXHk&t=1126s] Personal Growth and Career Surprises21:14 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gQ9JciVXHk&t=1274s] Budgeting for Production22:12 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gQ9JciVXHk&t=1332s] The Future of Micro Dramas and Industry Dynamics

Ding Zhong on Chinese Animation, Mythology and Into the Mortal World

In this episode of "Greenlights & Ground Truths", ContentAsia’s Janine Stein speaks with Ding Zhong, director of the animated feature Into the Mortal World. The film, produced by Winsing Animation, reimagines Chinese mythology through a story that moves between the celestial and mortal worlds, exploring questions of fate, identity and family bonds. As the film continues its international festival run, Ding Zhong talks about the challenge of bringing culturally rooted stories to global audiences and why emotional storytelling travels across cultures. The conversation also looks at the broader landscape of Chinese animation, the growing international visibility of Chinese animated films, and how emerging AI tools may change the way animation is produced. Ding Zhong, who teaches at the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, also shares little-known facts about origins of Into the Mortal World, which began as a student graduation project before becoming a full-length feature. "Greenlights & Ground Truths" is ContentAsia’s series of conversations with Asia’s creators.

Who Are Women Really Slaves To? Inside Malay-language Horror Film "Khadam" with Lina Tan

In this episode of ContentAsia’s Greenlights & Ground Truths, producer Lina Tan discusses her new film, Khadam, and how Red Communications fuses Malay folklore with its signature women-centred storytelling — using horror to ask a universal question: who are women really slaves to?Set in the 1950s, against the backdrop of Malaysia’s independence and the rising optimism sweeping the country, Khadam follows a woman who inherits her family’s saka — a dark spiritual legacy — after her mother’s death. As its grip tightens, she races to protect her young daughter.The horror drama stars Indonesia’s leading scream queen Aghniny Haque alongside Malaysian A-lister Remy Ishak, and is directed by Shamyl Othman. The film is produced by Red Communications and Komet Productions, with partners China’s Sil-Metropole and India’s Applause Entertainment. Indonesia’s MAGMA Entertainment also serves as executive producer.Khadam was one of four films showcased at JAFF in Jogjakarta at the end of 2025, spearheading what organisers described as a “Nusantara” wave — highlighting the growing creative synergy between Indonesia and Malaysia. The other titles were Munafik (the Indonesian remake of the Malaysian horror franchise from Skop Productions and Syamsul Yusof), Khurafat Indonesia, and Badut Gendong.

Inside "Papa Zola The Movie" with writer and director, Nizam Razak

ContentAsia's Janine Stein talks to Nizam Razak, writer/director of "Papa Zola The Movie" and head of Malaysian production house Monsta about the animated blockbuster, now heading into a 13-country international rollout including Indonesia, Turkey, India and Saudi Arabia. With RM55 million (US$13.5 million) at the Malaysian box office in just 27 days and counting, the film marks a deliberate creative shift for Monsta — away from shonen-style superheroes towards a more emotionally grounded, adult protagonist: a very ordinary, very human family hero. We’ll talk about the risks behind that decision, the realities of greenlighting something different, and why stories about perseverance, responsibility and fatherhood are resonating far beyond Malaysia.