TikTok, Sundance launch micro-series storytelling initiative

TikTok is partnering with the Sundance Institute to launch a new programme teaching creators how to write short-form, episodic micro-series, as the platform deepens its investment in serialised storytelling.

The four-week online course, delivered through Sundance Collab, will focus on scriptwriting for micro-series and provide selected participants with access to industry guidance and development support. The programme will be offered free of charge to a cohort of creators selected through an application process.

The initiative builds on TikTok's growing investment in micro-series, a format that packages scripted stories into short, cliffhanger-led episodes designed for mobile viewing.

The initiative follows the success of Issa Rae’s micro-drama series Screen Time, which surpassed 100 million views across platforms in the first week of its launch.

“Following the success of Screen Time… we've seen how powerful community-driven discovery can be in helping stories break through, and we're excited to partner with Sundance Collab in continuing to champion original voices,” Dawn Yang, Head of Entertainment Partnerships at TikTok, said in a statement.

Sundance Collab director Patty West said the format offered creators an opportunity to experiment with storytelling in new ways.

"The micro-series format is genuinely exciting to us because its constraints produce exactly the kind of creative pressure that generates the most original work," she said. "We want creators to see this format not as a lesser version of film or television, but as its own distinct craft that is wide open for new voices to define."

Applications for the programme are open globally until 1 July.