Scripted

New Short Media has wrapped production on It’s My Party and I’ll Die If I Want To, a horror-comedy set to be released as both a vertical episodic series and a traditional horizontal feature film for theatrical release. The project was created by Gev Miron and Charlie Parker, with Albertino Matalon (Bunraku) and Alon Shtruzman serving as executive producers. The production is among the first titles from the mobile-first entertainment studio’s expanding slate to move into production.

The cast includes Academy Award nominee Eric Roberts (Runaway Train, The Dark Knight), actor and digital creator Merrick Hanna (America’s Got Talent, Dumb Money), actress and digital creator Neela Jolene (Acting Coach Nightmare, The Goldbergs), Ryker Baloun (Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy, The Conners) and actor and digital creator Nicholai Perrett. The story follows Anna, who attempts to conceal the truth about her best friend’s death on the night of her 21st birthday. As guests arrive and buried secrets emerge, betrayal and family revelations threaten to turn the celebration into a night of fatal consequences.

New Short Media was founded by Shtruzman, whose career includes launching international cable channels with FOX and Viacom and serving as the first CEO of Keshet International, alongside Scott Einbinder, whose credits include Killer Joe and The Hitman’s Bodyguard. The two also operate under the 5X Media banner. The studio’s dual-format strategy is built around developing original intellectual property for both mobile-first and traditional screens, treating vertical entertainment and conventional film as complementary viewing experiences.

“Vertical drama isn't replacing Hollywood. It's adding a new engine at a time when traditional television and streaming are contracting. Micro-vertical is a new language of storytelling, and this fast-growing category is bringing new investment and new jobs into the entertainment industry. We are screen-agnostic: our goal is to tell each story in both vertical and traditional horizontal formats, creating multiple distribution paths for the same IP,” Shtruzman said.
Einbinder added: “For us, vertical and traditional film aren’t competing products but can co-exist, as two different ways of experiencing the same intellectual property. The opportunity is much bigger than just making shorter shows for smaller screens. It’s about discovering talent, building intellectual property and creating franchises, regardless of the viewing ratio.”