Dwight Howard Stars in Tap In Shorts' First Series
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- Dwight Howard is starring in and executive-producing vertical series 'The Escape Room: Truth Or Dis,' the debut title for new short-form streaming platform Tap In Shorts, founded by producer-director Artisha Mann-Cooper.
- 'The Escape Room' follows 'a group of strangers [who] find themselves trapped in a dangerous psychological game where survival depends on uncovering hidden truths and confronting their deepest fears,' per the series description, with executive producers Mujaahid Abdul Baasit and Carlos Omar Hassan and The Gym Agency also attached.
- Tap In Shorts plans to let audiences 'help greenlight future seasons of their favorite series and shorts' and give creators the chance to 'share in the profits of licensed content,' according to founder Mann-Cooper.
- Additional launch titles on the platform include 'Play Me Slowly,' directed by Tammany Hall's Steve O'Reilly with original music from him; 'Falling For His Dangerous Rhythm'; 'The Vampire Legacy'; coming-of-age drama 'Functioning' executive-produced by and starring Disney Channel's Ava Kolker; 'One More Rain Man' featuring Joe Mantegna; and 'Action Kings of Triad: Uprising' starring Kevin Le.
- Howard, a former NBA champion and eight-time All-Star nicknamed 'Superman,' described this as 'among his first acting gigs as a different character' after years of appearing as himself in screen projects.
- Mann-Cooper said Tap In Shorts was 'created to meet audiences where they are on their phones without sacrificing cinematic storytelling' — building 'a sustainable ecosystem where creators can grow, monetize their work, and tell the stories audiences want to see.'
Why it matters: Tap In Shorts is entering the crowded short-form video market with a creator-revenue-share model — letting audiences greenlight future seasons and letting creators share in profits of licensed content — a structure founder Mann-Cooper describes as 'a sustainable ecosystem' for filmmakers working 'beyond the festival circuit.' Pairing the platform's launch with a marquee NBA star in an actual (not self-cameo) acting role gives it cross-audience reach most vertical-only startups lack.
