KDS Entertainment × Goldstrand Media
Three days. Three hours. Three seconds. The truth sets you free.
Format
9:16 Vertical
45–60 seconds per episode · 60-episode complete story
Target
Mobile-First
Ages 18–30 · Broad thriller and mystery appeal
Series Premise
After a wrong turn onto HWY 515, five friends become trapped in a living forest that weaponizes their memories, secrets, fears, and deepest emotional lies. Escape is possible—but only when each of them stops believing the lie that has shaped who they became.
THE WOODS is a premium vertical psychological thriller built for relentless mobile viewing. Roads move, loved ones call from impossible places, time fractures, and comfort becomes more dangerous than fear. The Woods do not simply hunt their victims—they study them and turn private lies into physical traps.
The Engine
Key Characters
Five friends, five factual secrets, and five emotional lies—plus the former survivor who knows the rules.
The Protector
Played by Justin Sweat
Athletic, charismatic, and instinctively protective. Jason has built his identity around being useful after witnessing a murder as a child and denying what he saw.
Drives the Story
Being Needed vs. Being Chosen
The Thinker
Played by Sekou Ade
Grounded, analytical, and loyal. Jason’s best friend and the group’s pattern-reader, Thomas mistakes control for love when he interferes in Andy’s relationship.
Drives the Story
Love vs. Agency
The Heart
Played by LaShae Monique
Independent, resilient, intelligent, and guarded. Her chronic asthma turns psychological pressure into immediate physical danger.
Drives the Story
Abandonment & Agency
The Spark
Played by Alyssa Raquel
Vibrant, impulsive, funny, and emotionally expressive. Beneath her energy is the fear that she ruins everything she loves.
Drives the Story
Mistakes vs. Identity
The Wild Card
Played by Erik Peterson
Sarcastic, adventurous, restless, and outwardly fearless. Nick uses humor and rebellion to hide a profound fear of failure.
Drives the Story
Failure & Self-Sabotage
The Mythology Keeper
Played by J.R. Holther
A weathered former survivor and oracle-like protector. Initially mistaken for a threat, he knows how the Woods tempt, imitate, and isolate.
Drives the Story
Rules & Sacrifice
The Guide
Played by Silia Randall
Calm, gentle, compassionate, and strangely timeless. A former survivor visible only to Jason at first, Cecille knows there is a way out.
Drives the Story
Hope & Forward Motion
Opening Arc
The protector. The warning. The wrong turn.
The Setup
Jason’s protector identity is established as the five leave for their trip, stop at Hollow Creek, encounter the first Cecille clue, and are diverted onto HWY 515.
The Cliffhanger
An impossible fallen tree forces them onto the road that does not want to let them leave.
Investment Opportunity
The vertical drama market crossed $1B in 2024 and is projected to triple by 2027. The Woods is built to capture that wave.
$0.50–$2.00
Avg CPM, Vertical Drama
ReelShort, DramaBox, and ShortMax deliver some of the lowest acquisition costs in streaming — with watch-through rates rivaling premium TV.
70%+
Episode Completion
Vertical micro-drama averages 70–85% per-episode completion vs. 30–50% for traditional streaming pilots. Built-in cliffhangers compound retention.
$1B+
Category Revenue (2024)
The vertical drama market crossed $1B globally in 2024 and is projected to triple by 2027. Early IP positions sponsors at the front of the wave.
Multi-Tier
Sponsor Integration
Product placement, branded episodes, end-card spots, and character-driven integrations — engineered into the script, not bolted on.
Executive Team
Executive Producer | Creator
Associate Producer | PLAYS LEAD ROLE: Jason
Executive Producer | Writer
Director | Executive Producer | Writer
Three days. Three hours. Three seconds. The truth sets you free.
A Goldstrand Media Production · Casting by Aisle One Entertainment