A new Richmond-focused musical dramedy, set in the worlds of entertainment and pageantry, is debuting as a digital short series next week.
Rags 2 Richmond is the latest addition to the vertical film industry featuring 30 digital short episodes that are about two minutes each,
The series will be released in three sets of 10 episodes on Dec. 5, 12 and 19 on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube and Little Red Book.
The story follows Nathan Song, a struggling R&B singer-songwriter, and his best friend Lando Wu, both sharing a dream of revolutionizing the music scene with their unique style, ChiDM (China Dope Music).
As they prepare to release their radio single “Low Key” — which will also launch in real life alongside the series — Lando receives a mysterious offer that tests their friendship.
Meanwhile, disgraced media mogul Raymond Ha launches a co-ed beauty pageant — a first of its kind — hoping to salvage his name and reputation. Instead, it uncovers hidden secrets within Richmond's entertainment world.
Based on both fictional and real events, Rags 2 Richmond follows the journey of aspiring artists and the behind-the-scenes drama at a fictional TV station in Richmond, set in 2005, explained Jonathan Wong, Hong Kong singer-songwriter, actor and co-producer of the series.
The digital series is a nod to early 2000s hip-hop, R&B and Asian pop culture and is loosely based on pageants from Richmond that became a "launching pad" for winners such as Maggie Cheung, Fala Chen and Michelle Reis into Hong Kong's entertainment industry.
Wong told the Richmond News the entire series is more than just about finding "your sound," rather it is about finding yourself.
"In 2005, it was the peak year of the male pageantry here as well as the peak of Vancouver sending people to become worldwide sensations in Hong Kong," said Wong.
"We decided to base our series in Richmond, B.C., Canada, as it was and still is a hub for ambitious individuals who want to make it big in the Hong Kong entertainment world."
He noted it was also around the same time when Asians felt "they had a chance," inspired by films such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and rising stars such as Stephen Chow and Michelle Yeoh.
"If you're Asian, you were like, 'Okay, it's possible.'"
The concept of the series was developed by a team of industry veterans including Wong, Justina Shih and director Simon Yin.
“Rags 2 Richmond isn’t just about music and fame; it’s about identity, representation, and the resilience of chasing dreams,” said Shih, an accomplished producer and also the daughter of renowned Hong Kong-based actress Nancy Sit.
“We’ve created a story that captures the essence of an era while highlighting the challenges and triumphs of young talent in the Asian diaspora.”
Although the idea for the series began in Hong Kong and Los Angeles, production is entirely Canadian with 90 per cent of the cast and crew from Metro Vancouver. Many cast members are local talents, including current and former contestants of the Miss Chinese International Pageant, an annual event by Fairchild Television.
Filming took place in several Richmond locations including Aberdeen Centre, Parker Place Mall and along River Road.
The cast includes Wong playing Nathan Song, Peter Sudarso as Lando Wu, Hong Kong star Nancy Sit as Nancy Shaw, Davin Tong as Janness, Yasmine Ross as Jennifer Lum, Leslie Kwan as Paulie Dong, and Darren E. Scott as Peter Dong.
Vertical digital shorts on the rise
Short digital films have grown in popularity for mobile viewers on the go.
Wong noted the popularity of vertical shorts in Southeast Asia and the U.S.'s digital market has grown over the past few years, particularly on platforms such as ReelShort, which has generated $41 million USD in revenue and more than 11 million downloads recently.
“It’s clear that short-form storytelling resonates with audiences – it’s the new wave of how people are consuming media on social media," said Wong.
"Rags 2 Richmond hopes to leverage this momentum, using this format as a proof of concept to connect with viewers globally while laying the foundation for a future feature film."
Wong told the News the team planned for a full TV series before pivoting to a movie format a few years ago.
However, with the increasingly weak film and TV market and the rise of vertical short films, Wong, Shih and Yin decided to change their format once more to short-form film.
"We thought why don't we try and prove this (series) concept another way, a less expensive way, but go straight to viewers instead of creating a thing that could possibly never have been seen," said Wong.
TV pilot series and shows are costly to produce and often never get shown, he explained.
"That's why we decided to do short form because you can shoot it just like you would a TV series, chop it up, and then you can create it for mobile users."
While most paid vertical films run on a "freemium" model — where a limited number of episodes are free and viewers have to pay to watch the rest — Wong said Rags 2 Richmond will be a completely free digital series.
He emphasized each episode stands alone while contributing to the full story to keep viewers hooked.
"There are no filler episodes, and each short has its own compelling story."
Episode drops will be announced on @rags2richmond's Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook and Little Red Book pages.
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