When we chatted with MIPCOM Director Lucy Smith in January about the long-running TV trade show’s plans for 2026, she told us it was keeping a very close eye on the fleetfooted development of microseries.
She also said that MIP’s strategy across its flagship Cannes event and its newer events in London and Cancun is to “evolve alongside the industry.”
Now, ahead of MIPCOM CANNES Oct. 12-15, she and fellow organizers have decided to give microseries a major presence in programming.
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“Following rapid global growth over the past year, vertical storytelling and microdrama have evolved from emerging formats into one of the entertainment industry’s fastest-growing business sectors,” MIPCOM said in a statement.
It added that “[a]s platforms, producers, distributors, technology companies and investors converge around mobile-first storytelling, the focus is shifting from experimentation to scalable business models, repeatable formats, international licensing opportunities and new revenue streams.”
To reflect this shift, MIPCOM is bringing a number of vertical entertainment execs to present and participate in panels at its Cannes event, including:
- Timothy Oh, General Manager & Flareflow CMO, COL Group
- Maria Rua Aguete, Head of Media & Entertainment, Omdia
- Alex Montalvo, Chief Business Officer, GammaTime
- Scott Brown, CEO, Second Rodeo Productions
- Cassandra Yang, CEO & Co-Founder, RJ RisingJoy
- Stephen Liu, CFO, NetShort
- Vivian Yin, Founder & CEO, Y+X Entertainment
- and Jay Blumenfield, CEO, Jay & Tony Show Productions
MIPCOM has also booked two vertical storytelling-focused headliners who’ll have key slots on the Grand Auditorium stage: Anthony E. Zuiker and Anatolii Kasianov.
Zuiker is creator of the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation TV franchise and recently named “Chief Crime Officer” of Cinemalistics, a platform that produces generative AI-made vertical true crime content. Zuiker is also writing a microseries for GammaTime, the vertical platform founded in 2025 by former Miramax CEO Bill Block, former Google Gaming exec Slava Mudrykh, and Quibi vet Alex Montalv.
MIPCOM says it thinks Cinemalistics will “forever change how people consume breaking true crime events” because “the moment a nationally significant crime breaks, an AI-powered motion picture and short documentary version of the story is built for audiences to consume just hours later.”
Kasianov, meanwhile, is co-founder and co-CEO of Holywater, the Ukranian firm that owns vertical app My Drama. Holywater snagged an investment from Fox Entertainment last October that stipulated production of more than 200 new microseries–including 40 shows from morality content maker Dhar Mann.
MIPCOM says Kasianov will “take the stage alongside a lineup of international thought leaders, with additional speakers to be announced soon.”
Vertical enthusiasts can meet up at MIPCOM, too
MIPCOM CANNES is additionally partnering with podcast The Media Odyssey for what it says will be a “special recording examining the era of premium vertical television.”
The episode (like all of Media Odyssey) will be hosted by Evan Shapiro and Marion Ranchet, and will feature RoseBerry Media co-founders Guy Hamieri (who’s also CEO) and Lior Friedman (Head of Business Development).
Folks who attend MIPCOM CANNES will find in-person social spaces dedicated to microseries. The trade show says it’s updating its official networking/matchmaking platform to include a dedicated vertical content category; it’ll run alongside the existing scripted and unscripted speed matchmaking sessions that take place at MIPCOM and match participants based on their biz experience and interests.
MIPCOM plans to run an invite-only Global Microdrama & Vertical Leaders’ Summit as well; more details on that will be announced at a later date.
“What were emerging trends only a year ago, from vertical storytelling and creator-led businesses to AI-powered production, are now attracting investment, generating scalable business models and becoming an increasingly important part of the global content economy,” Smith said in a statement. “As these sectors continue to converge with premium television and entertainment, there is growing demand for a marketplace where established media companies, creators, technology businesses and investors can connect, build partnerships and unlock new commercial opportunities. That’s exactly what MIPCOM CANNES is designed to do.”
