Nithya Raman Deploys Campy Microdramas to Mobilize Youth Votos for LA Leadership

It’s an unseasonably warm September day in Chatsworth, and the air conditioning at the Capital Arts soundstages has gone out. The crew has roughly one day left to produce four microdramas for Nithya Raman’s campaign for Los Angeles mayor.

They are running slightly behind schedule.

“Quiet please!”

“We’re having fun!” shouts director Ryan Wagner. “Even if we mess up, we’re having fun! Action!”

Raman, a current councilwoman, is connecting strongly with younger voters. In the latest L.A. Times poll, she leads incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, with sixty‑six percent choosing Raman and only four percent opting for Bass among residents aged eighteen to thirty‑nine. Yet reaching this group remains challenging. That is why the campaign has turned to microdramas—short‑form vertical videos designed to resonate with younger audiences—and is investing accordingly.

The production crew consists mainly of people in their twenties, all part of the burgeoning microdrama ecosystem that has emerged in Los Angeles over the past two years.

Wagner, thirty‑one, launched his career in independent film before becoming creative director at CandyJar, one of several microdrama platforms. His directing résumé includes titles such as “The Arrangement,” “Double Take,” and “Lovering My Brother’s Best Friend.” During the primary, he also tried door‑knocking, but soon grew frustrated with the approach.

“While canvassing felt ineffective and exhausting, I started wondering how else I could contribute to Nithya’s campaign,” Wagner explained in an interview.

He proposed the project himself. In his spare time, he and friends produced a handful of microdramas at no cost. Viewers could post them if they enjoyed them, or simply ignore them—no pressure at all.

“Both of our friends were enthusiastic and simultaneously skeptical about why anyone would bother,” Wagner noted. “The campaign didn’t intervene until after the videos existed, then fully embraced the format.”

“The creative concept carries some risk, yet it offers a fertile ground where viewers generate strong engagement while enjoying playful satire,” said Kemmah Filby, a producer who regularly collaborates with Wagner.

“Despite lingering confusion about the medium itself, the platform delivers compelling views and cultivates a lighthearted vibe,” Filby added. “Young people increasingly expect political figures to speak fluently about contemporary culture—and to inject a bit of silliness into the discourse.”

The series created during the primary proved remarkably popular; the campy, intentionally awkward sketches paired soap‑opera tropes with earnest discussions of transit policy, tenant protections, and rent‑stabilization. Over eight hundred fifty thousand views were recorded across the series, making it among the highest‑performing political content of the race.

The campaign allocated a modest fifteen‑thousand dollars to fund additional videos for the November runoff.

“Those clips did such an impressive job that we wanted to create four more for the general election,” said Kyle Rohrbach, who oversees video content for the operation. “Modern campaigns must meet voters wherever they reside.”

Youth supporters played a pivotal role in carrying Raman to a surprising second place in the June primary. To broaden appeal toward Hispanic voters—a critical demographic in the ultimate contest—the campaign directed one of the new sketches in Spanish. The microdrama format also resonates with Hollywood gig workers who flock to similarly low‑budget productions.

“For countless individuals whose livelihood depends on microdramas right now, this entire movement matters,” Filby reflected, recalling projects such as “Chasing Kiarra” and “I Accidentally Stole the Bad Boy’s First Kiss.” “I never imagined this industry would become a stable source of work for us—it’s honestly tremendous gratitude.”

The newly funded campaign pool enabled Wagner and Filby to cover meals and offer modest stipends to the crew, while former volunteers contributed labor whenever needed.

“This was rarely the case I encountered in my own work; every person involved genuinely enjoyed the process,” Wagner remarked. “It stands out as one of the least self‑absorbed experiences I’ve ever participated in.”

Horizontal cuts will accompany each short for distribution on Instagram and similar platforms, ensuring maximum discoverability.

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