I've played a werewolf and billionaire in buzzy 'mini-dramas.' It's the first time acting has been my primary income.

• Luke Charles Stafford is a popular actor for leading mini-drama purveyor ReelShort.
• The feature-length sagas are divided into short clips that play in TikTok-like succession.
• The scenarios are otherworldly, but for some, the career opportunities are real.

This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with 30-year-old Luke Charles Stafford, based in Los Angeles, about his experiences on the burgeoning mini-drama circuit, which has its roots in China. In the US, popular platforms like ReelShort and DramaBox have climbed up Apple's free app charts. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

Growing up in the Midwest, I've dreamed of being an actor and musician since age three.

One of my first big jobs in college was a bit part in a Carrie Underwood music video. I moved to Hollywood in 2017 and started getting my foot in the door with a couple of Lifetime movies and even a Broadway show.

But just as my career was gaining steam, the industry slowed down because of the strikes.

Things were in a lull last February when my manager sent me an audition for the lead in a serialized soap opera with a wild title: "Taming the Lion: Billionaire on Bikes." I didn't realize it was a vertical format that had become a phenomenon in China. I could just tell it was high drama. I got the job and ended up flying to Atlanta to film.

On set, I remember being confused during the first couple of shots, because the camera was vertical. Later, I began researching the app, ReelShort — which is one of many that's sprouted up in the space. And when the series aired and got tens of millions of views, I grasped the impact.

Mini-dramas are feature-length soaps broken up into about 90 different segments, each roughly a minute long — and they play in succession, kind of like TikTok. People love the crazy scenarios. I've played everything from a werewolf to a billionaire to a British prince.

Right now, verticals are my primary source of income. It's the first time in my life that I've been able to lean completely on acting as a primary source of income — though I do still operate a fitness business, monetize my music, and regularly audition for other roles.

It's also helped amplify my social following from 4,000 Instagram followers in July to 28,000 today.

Finding the gold in the midst of craziness

A year later, I'm about to shoot my 12th vertical. At ReelShort, I'm part of a smaller roster of signed talent that's exclusive to the platform. We can't work with competitors — though I've gotten lots of offers — but we have free rein outside of the vertical space.

One of my craziest and most viral roles was in "Accidental Surrogate for Alpha." I played a werewolf who inadvertently impregnates what seems to be a human woman via insemination — who ultimately turns out to be another werewolf herself.

One of the challenges — and one of my biggest strengths, I've been told — is being able to ground the wild scenarios and crazy dialog into something human. There's a lot of joy finding the gold in the midst of such craziness.

Filming can be intense — not unlike what I've heard it's like on a traditional soap opera. It can take roughly nine days for a 90-page script.

And you might only get one or two takes, just because there's so much to do. ReelShort wants to get to the drama as quickly as possible because people tend to get hooked within the first 20 episodes.

I've shot in Atlanta, New York, and Los Angeles in rented mansions and greenscreen warehouses. They're even beginning to experiment with AI.

On set, there's a mix of corporate folks from China and local crews who work on other major sets. And production is ramping up. ReelShort is trying to get to a place where they can release one film per day.

For my part, I plan to stick with it for as long as it's working, but hope to eventually transition to traditional film. But because it's so popular, I can see bigger streaming platforms — like Netflix, Max, and Disney+ — starting to make vertical content themselves one day.