TikTok and Sundance Institute announced a new micro-series writing program through Sundance Collab, the institute’s digital learning and community platform. The initiative expands TikTok’s support for micro-series storytelling by pairing the platform’s creator community with Sundance Collab’s filmmaker education resources.

The free, four-week live online course will focus on scriptwriting for micro-series, offering participants tools, frameworks, and industry guidance for developing serialized, story-driven content for digital audiences.

The announcement builds on a partnership between TikTok and Sundance Institute earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival. Sundance has expanded its engagement with the Creator Economy in recent years: the 2025 festival featured BrandStorytelling’s inaugural Creator Day, described at the time as Sundance’s first dedicated Creator Economy section.

Dawn Yang, TikTok’s Head of Entertainment Partnerships, announced the program at the Vertical Media Summit on June 3. “TikTok has become a home for serialized storytelling, where original micro-series find audiences faster and more authentically than ever before,” Yang said. She cited “Screen Time,” a micro-series produced by HOORAE Digital, as an example of community-driven discovery on the platform.

Removing Barriers to the Format

Patty West, Director of Sundance Collab, said the program aims to eliminate financial barriers for creators interested in the micro-series format. “Partnering with TikTok allows us to bring this opportunity to writers around the world entirely for free, removing the barrier between curiosity and action,” West said.

West described micro-series as a format with creative constraints that generate original work, and positioned it as a distinct craft from film or television. “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,” she said.

Sundance Collab operates as a digital learning platform for storytellers and is recognized within the industry for supporting emerging talent and helping shape careers within independent film.

Applications are open globally through July 1 on the Sundance Collab website.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Check Out Our Podcast