The Vertical Slate Refinery Media will roll out seven scripted dramas and three unscripted reality series, all designed natively for the 9:16 format. Five of the titles will be developed for FlareFlow, with releases scheduled from Q2 2026 . Shopee and Nippon Paint have signed on as brand partners, signaling a deeper integration model where commercial partnerships are built into the narrative structure rather than layered in post-production .
Brand Integration “We’re not treating brand integration as an add-on,” said Karen Seah, founder and CEO of Refinery Media. “Our approach embeds brand narratives into story architecture from day one, so the integration becomes indistinguishable from the content itself. That’s what we’re bringing to vertical” .
The company is also leaning on influencer-led casting to drive reach on mobile-first platforms. It is working with talent and management partners to bring digital-first personalities into both scripted and reality formats, a strategy aimed at converting existing social followings into viewership .
AI-Enabled Production On the production side, Refinery Media is using its in-house virtual production studio X3D Studio alongside AI-assisted workflows through GENGIS AI . The company claims the setup enables production timelines to be around 20% faster and costs roughly 30% lower compared to traditional vertical production models .
The anchor title in the slate is SupermodelMe: Make It or Break It, a vertical reimagining of the long-running reality franchise first launched in 2009. The format has previously earned nominations at major awards ceremonies, with its final season distributed on Netflix .
Market Opportunity Refinery Media’s decision to focus on English-language vertical content is designed to address a gap in the market, particularly in Southeast Asia, while also appealing to U.S. audiences where demand for alternatives to Chinese-language vertical dramas is growing .
“We’re positioned to serve both markets simultaneously,” Seah said. “That’s not an accident—it reflects 17 years of building content that travels” .
