LOS ANGELES—Hoping to tap into the popularity of short form content, Cineverse and Banyan Ventures, the venture arm of former ABC Entertainment Group and WME Chairman Lloyd Braun, have announced a new joint 50/50 venture MicroCo.
They are billing the JV as the first U.S.-based studio and AI-native platform built specifically for high-quality “microseries” i.e. serialized, short-form, mobile-first content.
The consumer-facing name of the soon-to-launch platform will be announced at a later date.
The two companies said that MicroCo will produce low cost, high-quality content and deliver it directly to genre-driven audiences with an AI native platform built to foster and engage passionate fan communities.
"The average person scrolls through hundreds of feet of content a day, but almost none of it is built to last," said Braun. "We're merging the storytelling rigor of series television with the pace, energy, and intimacy of short-form—creating addictive, emotionally rich, quality series that are developed specifically for this format and speak directly to how people consume content now."
MicroCo said it would focus on original Microseries running approximately 1–3 minutes per episode in multiple genres, from romance to horror. They will produce both live action and animated series.
"MicroCo will combine a new style of storytelling that engages fans and creators alike, with state-of-the-art technology that we have spent years developing, and an elite leadership team that includes some of our generation's most successful media and content executives,” added Cineverse chairman and CEO Chris McGurk. “The end result will be a category defining studio and platform. Early results in the space have underscored the massive strategic upside of this new format, including the opportunity to build an original IP engine with global monetization opportunities, to integrate brand partnerships, and support a robust creator economy flywheel."
The partnership will draw on tech and content assets from Cineverse, including Cineverse’s Matchpoint, the AI-powered streaming infrastructure; a massive data engine of more than two million titles featuring AI-generated metadata that enables smart discovery and curation; and an expansive library of 71,000+ assets, including films, series, and podcasts—some of which may be adapted into Microseries.
The joint venture will also draw on Cineverse’s extensive reach with 150 million users of its streaming services.
The company also announced its executive leadership team:
- Lloyd Braun, Chairman of the Board for MicroCo: Co-Founder and Partner (with Sarah Bremner & Noah Oppenheim) of independent production studio Prologue Entertainment (backed by Jeff Zucker and Redbird Capital). Former Chairman of ABC Entertainment, Chairman of WME and President of Brillstein-Grey. A visionary strategist with deep experience in both creative and operational leadership, Braun is behind some of the most iconic and successful series in television, including The Sopranos, Lost, Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, and Jimmy Kimmel Live!
- Chris McGurk, Chairman and CEO of Cineverse: A respected studio executive and entrepreneur with decades of leadership experience, McGurk has served as President and COO of Universal Pictures, CFO and President of The Walt Disney Motion Picture Group, Vice Chairman and COO of MGM, and Founder and CEO of Overture Films. At Cineverse, he has spearheaded a transformation into a next-generation entertainment and technology powerhouse.
- Erick Opeka, President and Chief Strategy Officer of Cineverse: A pioneer in streaming and digital entertainment, Opeka has launched more than two dozen streaming channels, overseen a robust indie studio business that released the most successful unrated film of all time, Terrifier 3, less than a year ago, and has been integral in the development of Cineverse's award-winning Matchpoint™ streaming infrastructure and AI initiatives. He brings unmatched insight into audience behavior, content discovery, and monetization across emerging formats.
- Jana Winograde, CEO of MicroCo: Former President of Entertainment for Showtime Networks, where she greenlit and launched the network's most successful streaming series including the zeitgeist hit Yellowjackets. Previously Head of Business Operations for ABC's Network and Studio, Winograde has built her career at the intersection of creative excellence and strategic execution. Her hybrid expertise across content, strategy, and operations uniquely positions her to lead MicroCo as a premium, scalable platform and studio for the mobile era.
- Susan Rovner, Chief Creative Officer of MicroCo: A veteran studio and network executive with one of the most decorated résumés in television, Rovner served as Chairman of Entertainment Content for NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, and as President of Warner Bros. Television. She has overseen more than 18 series that reached the 100-episode milestone, including Shameless, Gossip Girl, Riverdale, The Flash, Supernatural, and The Voice. She will join MicroCo in October while continuing to lead her production banner, AHA Studios.
