First published on February 13, 2026
The entertainment industry continues to evolve alongside rapidly changing audience behaviors, particularly in the era of mobile-first viewing and digital storytelling. As younger audiences increasingly consume content across streaming platforms, producers today are expected to navigate not only traditional filmmaking, but also the shifting relationship between storytelling, technology, and audience engagement. The growing popularity of vertical dramas has also created new opportunities for producers working across multiple formats, blending commercial awareness with creative storytelling in ways that were far less common only a few years ago.
Among this new generation of creatives is Los Angeles-based producer Jili (Gigi) Chen, a bilingual producer with an international perspective working across independent film and emerging digital formats in the United States. Drawing from a background in film production and media studies across both China and the U.S., Chen approaches producing through both a creative and analytical lens, balancing narrative storytelling with an understanding of audience behavior, platform ecosystems, and the rapidly evolving digital media landscape.
For Chen, producing has always been closely connected to the broader influence of media itself. She believes media content remains some of the most immediate and accessible forms of communication capable of shaping public perception, cultural conversations, and emotional connection. That perspective has informed her approach to projects spanning both independent filmmaking and commercially driven digital entertainment, where understanding viewers can be just as important as executing production logistics.
Over the past several years, Chen has built experience across a range of fast-paced productions, particularly within the rapidly expanding vertical drama space. Working on projects associated with production companies such as Micro Showtime Limited and distributed through short-form streaming platforms including Playlet and ReelShort, Chen has accumulated producer credits across multiple commercially successful digital series. These include Never Betray the Woman Who Built You, which reached over 103 million views, One Last Heartbeat: If You Never Heard with 86 million views, and Love Game with the Disabled Boss, which surpassed 71 million views. While these projects operate within highly audience-driven digital ecosystems, Chen views the rise of short-form storytelling as part of a broader transformation in modern entertainment consumption. In her view, vertical drama represents not a replacement for traditional filmmaking, but an evolution shaped by mobile media culture and changing viewing habits.
Working across these productions has also given Chen firsthand experience navigating increasingly international production environments within the U.S. entertainment industry. Many of the crews she collaborates with come from diverse cultural and professional backgrounds, with team members and performers from across Asia, Latin America, Europe, and the United States. As a bilingual producer, Chen often works at the intersection of creative collaboration and cross-cultural communication, balancing production coordination, client communication, casting, and creative feedback while helping teams operate efficiently across fast-moving workflows.
Beyond production management, Chen is particularly interested in how global audiences are becoming more open to stories originating outside their own cultures. She believes the rise of mobile platforms and digital distribution has significantly accelerated the speed at which international content travels, allowing audiences to discover foreign films and series with far fewer cultural and geographic barriers than in previous generations. That shift, she notes, has contributed to the growing popularity of Asian film and television content among North American audiences, particularly younger viewers who are increasingly curious about different storytelling styles, cultural perspectives, and entertainment formats.
Alongside her work in digital entertainment, Chen has also remained actively involved in independent narrative filmmaking, particularly projects centered on emotionally grounded and character-driven storytelling. While the pacing and priorities of commercial productions often differ from those of independent cinema, Chen sees the two spaces as fundamentally serving different creative purposes. “Commercial content is ultimately created to serve audiences,” she explains. “Artistic expression is more about expressing personal thoughts and emotions. The goals are different, and understanding that difference is important as a producer.”
Her independent film work reflects a continued interest in multicultural collaboration and filmmaker-driven narratives. Many of these projects also explore themes surrounding identity, emotional vulnerability, and personal autonomy. Chen served as producer on the short film In Your Eyes, In My Eyes, directed by Korean filmmaker Ji Lee. The film follows a queer individual secretly struggling with body dysmorphia who begins to find a sense of comfort and emotional healing through the unconditional love shown by their blind partner. The project went on to receive recognition at multiple international film festivals, including winning Best Korean Short at the Seoul International Pride Film Festival and screening as an Official Selection at the Perth Queer Film Festival.
She also produced Hysteria, directed by Jewish and Filipino filmmaker Zach Spitz, whose multicultural background further reflected the globally collaborative environments Chen often works within. Centered on the emotional and physical struggles faced by a woman confronting an unwanted pregnancy in a society where abortion has become illegal, the film explores themes of bodily autonomy, fear, and isolation. Hysteria received Best Short Film honors at the San Pedro International Film Festival and was later selected for the McMinnville Short Film Festival.
For Chen, one of the most essential qualities of a producer is the ability to balance creative instinct with communication. She believes strong producers are defined not only by logistical execution, but also by their ability to recognize compelling ideas, understand collaborators, and help shape an environment where creative work can succeed across different production models. That mindset has become increasingly important within an entertainment landscape where producers are often expected to navigate both rapidly evolving audience trends and the creative demands of filmmakers simultaneously.
As the boundaries between digital entertainment, streaming culture, and independent filmmaking continue to evolve, Chen represents a growing generation of internationally minded producers working across multiple storytelling ecosystems rather than a single traditional pathway. With experience spanning audience-focused vertical dramas, multicultural production environments, and festival-screened independent films, her work reflects the increasingly global and format-fluid nature of contemporary media production — one where storytelling, technology, and audience behavior are becoming more interconnected than ever before.