COL Group International and Bomanbridge Media are partnering for a vertical premium documentary series for FlareFlow, with microdrama star Sam Myerson narrating.
FlareFlow has embarked on a “Vertical 2.0” strategy to explore vertical series outside traditional microdrama tropes.
MAPOGO: The Lion Throne (w.t.), set to premiere globally on FlareFlow in Q3, was unveiled at Owl&Co’s Vertical Media Summit. With footage filmed over several years in South Africa’s Sabi Sands Game Reserve, the series chronicles the rise and fall of the “Mapogo Lion Coalition.”
Timothy Oh, GM of the international business at COL Group and CMO of FlareFlow, commented, “Vertical storytelling has already entered its next chapter. MAPOGO: The Lion Throne is the perfect story to launch a documentary as part of Vertical 2.0 because its emotional DNA already mirrors the very best premium scripted storytelling. This is one of wildlife’s most legendary true sagas, packed with all the betrayal, power, loss and suspense that vertical audiences connect with instinctively.”
“The factual genre has always evolved alongside shifts in audience behavior and viewing technology,” said Sonia Fleck, CEO of Bomanbridge. “Following our continued expansion through international partnerships and catalog acquisitions, we saw a clear opportunity to bring premium natural history storytelling into the vertical space, an area that remains largely untapped for documentary. As viewing habits become increasingly mobile-native, we believe the next generation of factual storytelling must evolve alongside them. The true story of the Mapogo lions felt like the perfect project to launch this initiative. Their rise and fall remains one of the most legendary and emotionally powerful wildlife stories that still captivates audiences even after the end of their reign.”
Myerson, the narrator, recently starred in Oops, I Married My Bestie’s Brother, which garnered 220 million views in ten days. “The same things that keep fans hooked on microdramas, like intense drama, high stakes, and shifting loyalties, are exactly what make these lions so fascinating,” he said. “We are bringing that same fast-paced, gripping energy to a new documentary format of microdrama.”
FlareFlow has more than 33 million registered users across 200-plus countries and territories.
