The Next-Gen Producer: How Gigi Chen Scales Premium Vertical Content

As vertical storytelling expands beyond its early niche, the format is drawing a broader, more diverse viewership. What was once associated with fast-paced, melodrama-driven narratives is now evolving alongside shifting viewer expectations, creating an urgent demand for layered characters and emotional depth. Leading this shift is Los Angeles-based creative producer Jili (Gigi) Chen, whose recent projects have garnered over 300 million views, signaling a new era of high-stakes, narrative-driven vertical content.

Chen’s success stems from a unique cultural vantage point. Raised in Asian culture and deeply influenced by the narrative structures of Chinese and Korean dramas, she has mastered the art of “the hook”—a hallmark of Eastern storytelling that she is now successfully adapting for North American audiences. The growth of short-form platforms has created an appetite for the kind of high-stakes, emotionally resonant content that has long defined the K-drama and C-drama landscapes. Chen’s work reflects a sophisticated balance between these global influences and Western viewer expectations.

Hooked on Eastern drama secrets

“Growing up immersed in Asian drama culture taught me the power of emotional pacing,” Chen says. “Whether it’s the high-tension romance of a K-drama or the intricate power dynamics of a C-drama, these elements have a universal appeal if you know how to translate them for a Western sensibility. It’s about taking those heightened stakes and grounding them in characters that feel authentic to a global audience.”

This strategic approach is best reflected in Chen’s work with Playlet (MicroShowtime Limited), a leading platform in the global micro-drama market that has revolutionized how “snackable” content is consumed. With millions of active users seeking high production value in short bursts, Playlet has become a proving ground for Chen’s “global-local” hybrid style. Her track record on the platform is formidable; her producing project One Last Heartbeat: If You Never Heard reached over 85.2 million views and ranked #1 on the platform, followed by the success of The Foolish Heiress Strikes Back, which generated over 43 million views, Love Game With the Disabled Boss, which garnered more than 71.5 million views, and Never Betray the Woman Who Built You, which achieved over 102.4 million views.

The transition to vertical producing requires more than just a change in aspect ratio; it demands a total reimagining of the visual language of cinema. Chen notes that the 9:16 frame forces a producer to prioritize intimate, character-focused compositions over traditional wide-angle world-building. This “portrait-mode” storytelling places the actor’s performance at the absolute center of the experience. During the production of One Last Heartbeat, Chen focused on reframing familiar narrative elements to elevate the genre’s quality.

Underwater intimacy beats cheap thrills

A standout example is a key swimming pool sequence that challenged the technical and creative limits of the format. While similar scenes in micro-dramas often rely on the cliché of a female protagonist being pushed into the water as a “damsel in distress,” Chen drew on her background in character-driven drama to shift the focus toward a moment of genuine emotional connection between the leads under the water. By subverting this trope, the production traded sensationalism for intimacy. Lead actors Moriah Boone and Tyler Crosby were selected for their comfort in the water, allowing the team to capture improvised underwater moments—ranging from subtle interactions to stylized movements—that were later developed into pivotal promotional materials. This casting decision enabled a more fluid, collaborative approach on set, ensuring the final product resonated as authentic rather than formulaic.

In developing these projects, Chen has consistently prioritized concepts centered on female agency and transformation. Spanning multi-episode arcs, her stories trace characters evolving from positions of constraint to self-realization. Rather than relying on repetitive tropes or overly sensationalized conflict, she approaches story development with an emphasis on emotional authenticity and character autonomy.

“Audiences can tell when a story is relying on a formula,” Chen notes. “In the vertical space, you only have seconds to capture attention, but you need substance to keep it. What keeps them engaged through forty or fifty episodes is when they see real growth, real choices, and a sense of progression that mirrors their own lives.”

Queer stories meet vertical ambition

Looking ahead, Chen is expanding her impact through Cerefilm Entertainment, a production company she co-founded to develop a slate of queer-focused projects. By bringing high-concept queer narratives to both vertical series and social platforms, she is tapping into an underserved market, bridging the gap between niche representation and mainstream commercial success. For Chen, Cerefilm represents a commitment to exploring how queer narratives can be shaped across formats while maintaining deep audience engagement and narrative integrity.

As vertical storytelling continues to mature, the role of the producer is becoming increasingly central to how stories are conceived, executed, and experienced. With a practice that spans commercially dominant series and narrative-driven social content, Chen represents a new generation of producers shaping the future of the medium. Her work serves as a blueprint for how to integrate creative direction with audience insight, navigating the intersection of storytelling, strategy, and evolving viewer expectations. In this new landscape, success is defined not only by reach, but by the ability to create stories that resonate, endure, and cross cultural boundaries.