Meet Lameng Bei of New York

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lameng Bei.

Hi Lameng, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
When Voyage LA first spoke with me, I had just graduated from USC and was taking my first steps as a producer. I shared about growing up in Chengdu in a literary family—my father a novelist, my mother a playwright—and about how my Tibetan background shaped my way of looking at culture and storytelling. My childhood was filled with books, films, and imagination, and I carried those influences with me as I moved from writing into filmmaking.

What has surprised me most in the years since is how all those threads eventually came together. Entering the vertical drama industry gave me a chance to bring creativity, structure, and cross-cultural perspective into one space. This is not just a niche—it has already proven itself as a billion-dollar sector with tens of millions of daily users, blending the energy of social media with the depth of cinematic storytelling. For me, it felt like stepping into the future of entertainment.

In just a few years, I moved from being a new graduate learning the ropes to becoming Head of Studio in New York. That transition was fast, but it also gave me an opportunity to grow into leadership very early: not just producing projects, but building a studio, shaping systems, and guiding teams.

The biggest change for me has been in mindset. I started out seeing myself primarily as a filmmaker; now I also see myself as a builder and leader. My creative roots are still at the core, but I’ve realized my real strength is in designing environments where many different people can succeed together. In a way, everything from my upbringing—heritage, art, structure—aligned with this new industry at just the right moment. And that alignment has given me the chance to shine far earlier in life than I ever expected.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely wasn’t smooth. When I first graduated, it was right in the post COVID and then the industry strikes that followed. Jobs were scarce—everyone in film was struggling. I remember sending out applications and wondering if I had chosen the wrong career altogether. For a few months I felt completely stuck, and then I landed on my very first vertical drama project. At that point, no one even knew what a “vertical show” was. I honestly thought, okay, let’s just treat this as a gig and see where it goes. I never expected it to become the foundation of my career.

The industry side was just as bumpy. We were literally inventing everything from scratch. Imagine being told: “Here’s a 100-page script, you have ten days to shoot it.” There was no handbook, no standard workflow. Traditional film people doubted us, union rules weren’t designed for us, and the entire approach felt impossible. We were pioneers, figuring it out as we went.

What kept me going was the challenge of creating a system where people could work at high speed but still feel respected. We didn’t want burnout or exploitation—we wanted to prove this could be a real, sustainable way of making content. Balancing efficiency, quality, and people’s well-being was messy at first, but it shaped the DNA of the industry.

Looking back, those struggles were what made everything click. The lack of jobs pushed me into a new space, and the uncertainty made me braver. We came out of it with a whole new storytelling format—and I came out of it having grown up much faster than I expected.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I was born and raised in China, and my passion for storytelling started very early. I studied at Peking University for my undergraduate degree, and later pursued my Master’s at the USC School of Cinematic Arts in Los Angeles, where I was trained in film producing. During that time, I developed a strong foundation not only in the creative side of filmmaking but also in the structure and systems behind bringing stories to life.

After graduation, I joined ReelShort (CMS), which was at that time a new player in the emerging vertical drama industry. I started as a producer in Los Angeles and quickly found myself drawn to building systems and managing teams. One of my early projects, Forbidden to My Alpha, became a huge hit and is now recognized as a pioneer in the North American werewolf drama genre. That success, combined with my role in building production pipelines and recruiting creative talent, led to my promotion to Executive Producer for ReelShort’s New York branch, where I set up the entire production team from scratch.

In 2024, I made the transition to DramaBox, another fast-growing platform in the vertical drama space, where I currently serve as the Head of Studio, New York. My role is both creative and operational: I oversee a team of producers, writers, and directors, and I also ensure that our studio runs as a scalable system capable of producing 100+ shows a year. I’ve always believed that storytelling should combine both artistry and structure, and my career has been about creating environments where both can thrive.

Looking back, my path has been a mix of creative passion, management training, and entrepreneurial drive. I never thought I would enjoy building pipelines and teams as much as I do, but it turns out that enabling other creatives to succeed is one of the most fulfilling parts of my journey.

How do you think about luck?
I think luck definitely played a role in my story, but the way I see it, luck only matters if you’re willing to step into it without bias. When vertical dramas first started to rise, a lot of people—especially those with traditional film backgrounds—looked at it with skepticism. Coming from USC’s film school, I heard all the doubts too: “Is this really cinema?” “Will this ever be taken seriously?”

But I made a very conscious choice early on: to treat this new format with full respect, not as something “less than” film but as a new storytelling language. That decision, combined with being at the right place at the right time, turned out to be one of the biggest “lucky breaks” in my career.

I was also lucky to have mentors who trusted me with responsibilities far beyond my years of experience. After just one year working as a producer, they promoted me to lead the New York studio—a role that usually wouldn’t go to someone so early in their career. That was luck in the sense of timing and trust. But once I was given the chance, I proved myself, and that’s what turned their risk into a success story.

And of course, there’s been bad luck too—projects that didn’t land, or sudden shifts in the market. But even those moments forced me to be more resilient and build stronger systems. In the end, I’d say the real luck wasn’t just timing—it was also having the courage to embrace a new industry without bias, and the chance to be trusted early enough to grow into a leadership role.

On an ending note: When I first started producing in New York, there wasn’t really a short-form industry here yet — no ready crews, no shared language for how these stories should be told. We had to build everything from scratch: training new talent, creating systems, and proving that this city could carry the same storytelling ambition as anywhere else.

But what drew me to New York wasn’t just opportunity — it was the city itself. LA has its rhythm — fast, efficient, and beautifully chaotic — but New York has a different kind of pulse. It’s dense, alive, and full of contradictions. I’ve always felt that if short-form storytelling is about capturing life in its most condensed, electric form, then New York is the perfect canvas for it. What I want to build here isn’t just another studio; it’s a creative home that reflects the city’s raw energy and turns that chaos into something cinematic.

Contact Info:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lameng-bei/