Eric Roberts, Merrick Hanna & Neela Jolene Starring In Vertical Drama ‘It’s My Party And I’ll Die If I Want To’

Oscar-nominated star Eric Roberts is leading the first vertical drama to be revealed from Alon Shtruzman and Scott Einbinder‘s nascent Hollywood outfit New Short Media.

Created by Gev Miron and Charlie Parker, It’s My Party and I’ll Die If I Want To will be released as both an episodic vertical series and feature film intended for theatrical release.

The project follows Anna, who races to conceal the shocking truth about her best friend’s death on the night of her 21st birthday. As guests arrive and long-buried secrets begin to surface, Anna confronts betrayal and family revelations that threaten to turn a celebration into a night of lies and fatal consequences. Roberts, who was Oscar nominated for 1985’s Runaway Train, stars alongside Merrick Hanna (America’s Got Talent), Neela Jolene (Acting Coach Nightmare) and Ryker Baloun (Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy).

Roberts is already featuring in a separate vertical project, Billionaires’ Broken Vow, which premiered at America’s first microdrama festival earlier this month.

Former Keshet International boss Shtruzman and ex-Cristal Pictures Co-CEO Einbinder launched New Short Media earlier this year, one of a new wave of vertical drama platforms tapping into the in-vogue medium.

Shtruzman said: “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.”