For creators making vertical series with AI
Vertical dramas aren’t short films.
They have their own writing rules, pacing, and limits. Learn the format and build your own AI drama series, next to a creator making real ones in public.
The first 25 makers get in free for life, if they build. After that, it’s $47/month.
Episode 1
Made with AI. Every prompt, file, and cost is shared inside.
- Building with AI since 2023
- The Borrowed and Ashborn in production
- Prompts, bibles, and costs shared openly
Most courses teach you to make a clip. You’re making a series.
A vertical drama is closer to a TV show cut for a phone than to a short film. Different job, different rules.
| A short film | A vertical drama | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | One story, told in one sitting. | Dozens of 60 to 90 second episodes, binged back to back. |
| Frame | Wide 16:9, made for a screen across the room. | Tall 9:16, made for a phone in one hand. Faces carry the story. |
| Endings | The story resolves at the end. | Every episode ends on a hook that forces the next tap. |
| The hard part | Getting one great shot. | Keeping the same characters, looking the same, across every episode. |
Vertical drama is a $14 billion business. AI just opened the door.
In a few years, one-minute episodes went from a niche format in China to one of the fastest-growing categories in entertainment. The platforms need more series than live-action crews can shoot.
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$14B
Global microdrama revenue projected for 2026, up from $11 billion in 2025.
Omdia
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$1.05B
ReelShort’s projected 2026 revenue. In 2023 it made $97 million.
Media Partners Asia
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36 min
Average daily viewing per US ReelShort user. Netflix gets about 25 minutes on mobile.
Omdia, using Sensor Tower data
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90%
How much ReelShort’s founder says AI tools have cut the company’s production costs.
Deadline, June 2026
The studios are going AI
A live-action vertical series costs around $150,000 per hour of content to shoot. AI studios are delivering an hour for about $20,000, and one is scaling toward 1,000 AI series a month. In China, AI-made titles went from 7% of the top 100 to 38% in a single year.
What that means for you
ReelShort’s founder says AI now lets almost anyone make a vertical drama to a high standard. The barrier dropped from a film crew to a laptop. What still separates a series people pay for from one they scroll past is craft: the hook, the cliffhanger, and characters who stay consistent for 60 episodes. That’s what we build here.
Where the money comes from
- Platform deals. Vertical drama apps buy and license series from outside producers, AI studios included.
- Creator programs. Free episodes on YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook earn through each platform’s creator program.
- Paid unlocks. Viewers pay to unlock the next episode, and some platforms share it with creators.
- Brand deals. Brands pay to be written into a story, which can cover production before a single view.
Every lesson comes from a real series.
No tool demos. No faceless compilations. These are the series I’m making right now, and the community gets the files behind every episode.
Watch the breakdowns on YouTubeYouTube shows what I made. Inside, you get exactly how.
On YouTube
Free- Episode breakdowns, shot by shot
- What worked, what flopped, and why
- Clips from the finished episodes
Inside the community
Founding spots free- The exact prompts behind every scene
- My series bibles, plus blank templates for yours
- Feedback on your own episodes
- Deep dives I don’t post on YouTube
- My real numbers: what episodes cost and what they earn
- Makers building their own series next to you
What’s waiting when you join.
Start Here, on day one
Three things you can open the moment you’re approved.
The Breakdown
A full walkthrough of how Episode 1 of The Borrowed got made, from first idea to final cut.
The Series Bible
The real bible behind The Borrowed, plus a blank template to start yours.
The Prompt Pack
Every prompt from one Episode 1 scene, with the reason behind each one.
Then the full roadmap
Four modules, in the order a series actually gets made.
Write It
Hooks, cliffhangers, and episode structure made for 60 to 90 second vertical episodes.
Build It
Consistent characters, shot prompts, voices, and editing. My full pipeline, start to finish.
Publish It
Posters, titles, and releasing your series where viewers binge.
Get Paid
The real ways vertical series make money, with my own numbers shared openly.
I’m Clayton.
I’ve been working and building with AI since 2023. Right now I’m making vertical AI series like The Borrowed and Ashborn in public, and showing every step.
You’ll see the prompts, the process, what it costs, what works, and what flops. No studio credits to hide behind. Just real series, made in the open.
Watch me build on YouTubeBuilt for people who want to ship a series.
This is for you if
- You want to make a series, not one cool clip.
- You’ll post your first piece of work within 14 days, and take honest notes.
- You want the business side too: releasing, and getting paid.
- You’re new to AI video, or already making it and stuck on consistency.
Skip it if
- You want a one-click tool that makes the show for you.
- You’d rather watch than make.
- You want a promise of viral hits. Nobody can honestly make that one.
The first 25 get in free. For life.
That’s a $47/month membership, free for life. The deal: you build.
Apply
Answer three quick questions about the series you want to make. I read every one.
Get approved
I review every application personally, usually within a day.
Build
Post your intro and one piece of work within 14 days: a scene, a poster, or a one-page series idea. I’ll give you notes on it personally.
Regularly Regularly $47 $0/month, for life
- Start Here course: the breakdown, the bible, the prompt pack
- Every new module: Write It, Build It, Publish It, Get Paid
- Personal notes from me on your first piece of work
- Notes on every episode you post in Feedback
- My real numbers, shared openly
- A community of makers building series
Keep your spot by posting your intro and one piece of work within 14 days. Spot 26 onward pays $47/month.
Questions before you join.
Do I need AI video experience?
No. The Start Here course walks through one full episode from the first idea. If you already make AI video, jump straight to what you’re stuck on.
Which AI tools do you use?
Whatever I’m using right now, and I’ll show why. Tools change every few months, so the focus is the process that survives the swaps: writing, consistent characters, directing, and editing.
What does an episode cost to make?
AI generation isn’t free. I share what my own episodes actually cost, so you can budget before you start.
Can’t I just learn this on YouTube?
You’ll learn a lot there, including on my channel. YouTube shows what I made and why. Inside is exactly how: the prompts, the files, and notes on your own episodes.
How does feedback work?
Post your episode in the Feedback category. You’ll get notes from me and from other makers building their own series.
What happens after the first 25?
Pricing turns on for new members at $47/month. Founding members who build keep their free spot for life.
Why do I have to apply?
So the first 25 spots go to people who will actually build. It’s three quick questions, and beginners are welcome.
How do I keep my founding spot?
Post your intro and one piece of work within 14 days: a scene, a poster, or a one-page series idea. Miss it, and the spot goes to the next maker.
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