Bradley Bell is bringing his legendary soap opera expertise to an exciting new frontier. The three-time Emmy-winning head writer of 'The Bold and the Beautiful' (30+ years running) is partnering with aTwist to launch 'Hollywood Starlet,' proving that daytime TV's greatest storyteller can master any format while creating fresh opportunities through Red Flair Entertainment alongside his son Oliver Bell.
Industry insiders are watching closely — vertical video has been eating into traditional TV viewership for years, and now one of the last holdouts from the golden age of soaps is making his play in the space. The microseries format is notoriously fast-paced and algorithm-dependent; whether Bell's decades-spanning storytelling instincts translate to 60-second episodes remains the million-dollar question.
'Hollywood Starlet' will debut summer 2026, produced at Sunset Las Palmas Studios in Los Angeles across multiple stages. aTwist currently has over 20 series in production across scripted, unscripted, and animation formats. Bell has led 'The Bold and the Beautiful' as head writer and executive producer for more than three decades, winning multiple Emmys.
Bell's move signals that microseries are no longer just a playground for influencers — they're officially mainstream enough to attract genuine prestige talent. Whether this pays off or becomes another case of legacy media chasing digital trends remains to be seen.
Bradley Bell, the creative force behind CBS' 'The Bold and the Beautiful' for more than three decades, is making his biggest gamble yet in the rapidly evolving entertainment landscape. The Emmy-winning head writer has partnered with microseries studio aTwist (formerly MicroCo) to launch 'Hollywood Starlet,' a new vertical video drama set to premiere this summer — and industry watchers are taking notes. The series will star Bella Mraz ('Faceless'), Molly Anderson ('We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together'), and Eric Guilmette ('You Belong With Me,' 'Tails of Christmas'), with Guilmette also serving as co-producer. Production is planned for Sunset Las Palmas Studios in Los Angeles across multiple stages, signaling ambitions that extend well beyond typical microdrama budgets. Bell serves as creator, while Kristen Brancaccio takes the director and writer reins. The executive producer lineup includes Anthony Ferrari, Oliver Bell (Bradley's son), Paxton Fuller, and Graham Lawyer. The father-son pairing through Red Flair Entertainment adds a personal dimension to the venture that insiders find intriguing. 'Brad Bell is one of the most influential creative forces in daytime television,' said aTwist chief creative officer Susan Rovner in a statement. "'The Bold and the Beautiful' has defined storytelling for decades, and we're thrilled to collaborate with him as he brings that legacy into a new format with 'Hollywood Starlet.' We think fans are going to love seeing this world evolve in such a fun, fresh way." aTwist, founded by CEO Jana Winograde, Rovner, and executive chairman Lloyd Braun, has been aggressively expanding its vertical video library across comedy, drama, unscripted, horror, and romance genres. The platform currently claims more than 20 series in production across scripted, unscripted, and animation formats. Recent partnerships include a deal with BET to develop and distribute microseries across both linear and vertical platforms — positioning the company as a serious player rather than a flash-in-the-pan content experiment. The move raises questions about whether traditional television's old guard can successfully adapt their craft to the algorithm-driven, attention-fragmented world of short-form content. Bell built his reputation on serialized storytelling designed for appointment viewing — the exact opposite of how microdramas are consumed via endless scroll. But with soap opera audiences aging and younger viewers increasingly gravitating toward vertical video platforms, this partnership may represent less of a creative choice and more of an existential necessity for legacy producers trying to remain culturally relevant.
