Los Angeles mayoral candidate Nithya Raman has found a new way to talk about public transit, tenant protections and rent stabilization: she is putting them inside soap-operas. Variety reports that Raman, who is currently polling better than incumbent Karen Bass in the hotly contested race, has started running microdrama-style ads. The videos pair soap-opera plotlines with detailed policy discussions, and they are drawing huge numbers of viewers.
The campaign commissioned a new set of four ads for the election proper. This time, Raman loans herself out to appear in them. The videos include parodies of Mean Girls and The Pitt, along with a lot of nods to the importance of the film industry. The genre is notoriously absurd, but Raman’s team sees it as a way to reach voters where they scroll.
The Slide Down the Pop Culture Sled
Pop culture phenomena tend to follow a familiar arc. First comes the moment nobody has heard about it yet, when the thing is at its coolest and most insulated. Then comes the slow slide down the hill of public awareness, as the format spreads across social media, enters mainstream entertainment, and finally gets co-opted by politicians. The final stop is the brick wall of cultural relevance known as “shows up in a Wendy’s ad.”
Microdramas have now reached that politician stage. Raman is the latest example, and she is not alone. The report assumes three more candidates will try this before the whole concept is permanently poisoned.
Raman’s Campaign and the Microdrama Ads
Raman started running microdrama ads earlier this year. Her campaign was approached by a supporter who runs his own production company dabbling in the nascent form. The supporter revealed that both sides were supportive but skeptical. “They were both very supportive and also quite skeptical of… ‘What even is this?'” he said.
The early videos did not feature the candidate herself. Instead, they paired soap-opera plotlines with detailed discussions of Raman’s positions on public transit, tenant protections and rent stabilization. They were genuinely successful, snagging 850,000 views during the run-up to the race’s primary back in June. That number is notable, especially compared to rival candidate Spencer Pratt’s turn to full-blown AI slop, which the report calls evidence that the 2020s are a remarkable time for public political discourse.
For the election proper, the campaign commissioned a new set of four ads. This time, Raman loans herself out to appear in them. The videos include parodies of Mean Girls and The Pitt, along with a lot of nods to the film industry.
Why Film Professionals Are Turning to Microdramas
The genre’s absurdity is part of the appeal. Microdramas are available on prominent sites like ReelShort, which carries shows with titles like Rented A Billionaire Husband For Christmas and Claimed By My Ex’s Alpha Brother. The report notes that it is actually pretty hard to make up fake titles in this genre that sound noticeably more absurd than the genuine stuff.
But the genre has a serious side too. Many film professionals have turned to microdramas to keep the rend paid amid Hollywood’s various ongoing woes. The ads borrow that format while inserting policy discussion. The campaign’s approach is to treat the genre as a tool rather than a joke.
The Skepticism Behind the Support
The supporter’s admission captures the tension. Both sides were supportive, but both were also skeptical of what even is this. The genre is new enough that nobody fully understands it yet. That uncertainty is part of the story.
“They were both very supportive and also quite skeptical of… ‘What even is this?'”
The campaign took the risk anyway. The early numbers suggest it paid off.
The Numbers Behind the Run-Up to the Primary
The early microdrama ads ran ahead of the race’s primary back in June. They featured soap-opera plotlines paired with detailed discussions of Raman’s positions on public transit, tenant protections and rent stabilization. The videos attracted 850,000 views during that period. That number stands out against the experience of rival candidate Spencer Pratt, whose own turn to full-blown AI slop the report describes as evidence that the 2020s are a remarkable time for public political discourse.
What Comes Next for Microdramas
The report assumes three more candidates will try microdramas before the whole concept is permanently poisoned. Raman is already leading the pack. She is polling better than incumbent Karen Bass in the hotly contested race, and her microdrama ads have drawn huge numbers of viewers.
The genre’s future remains uncertain. But for now, the trend is real, and the numbers back it up.
See the video the story is built around at The A.V. Club.
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