Africa’s First Dedicated Vertical Short-Drama App CliffBox Debuts with Original Thriller
New mobile-first platform by award-winning producer Dr. Sulaiman Kassim introduces a bold format for African storytelling
A new chapter in African entertainment is beginning with the introduction of CliffBox, a mobile-first platform designed as Africa’s first dedicated vertical short-drama app.
Built specifically for how audiences increasingly consume stories on their phones, CliffBox focuses on short, serialized drama created entirely for vertical viewing. The platform aims to establish a new category of storytelling on the continent, where narratives are designed from the ground up for mobile-native engagement rather than adapted from traditional formats.
CliffBox is founded by multiple award-winning media executive and producer Sulaiman Kassim, founder of Ten Works, whose work spans over two decades across television, film, and large-scale broadcast productions. His credits include executive leadership on Nigerian Idol and Big Brother Naija, alongside hundreds of productions delivered across Africa and internationally.
Speaking on the vision behind CliffBox, Kassim said:
“Storytelling is evolving, and the way people experience stories has already changed. Across Africa, the phone has become the first screen, but the formats we build for it have not fully caught up. CliffBox is about creating stories that are designed for that reality from the beginning, not adjusted to fit it later. We are not just building a platform, we are helping shape how African stories are told and experienced in a new era.”
As part of its early development slate, CliffBox is introducing its first original title, Dead of the Night, a psychological thriller produced by Sulaiman Kassim and directed by award-winning filmmaker Imoh Umoren.
The series follows four strangers – Tara, Malik, Somto, and Leo, who wake up inside a locked luxury apartment with no memory of how they arrived. As tension builds and trust begins to fracture, the story unfolds through tightly constructed episodes designed for immediate narrative engagement and sustained suspense.
Written by Samuel Oramali, the project brings together a strong ensemble cast including Duke Elvis, alongside Debrah Victor-Okhai, Ogundele Oluwashola, and Ayomide Adefuye.
For Umoren, the project represents a deliberate creative shift. Known for his visual precision and ability to craft emotionally grounded performances, he brings a cinematic approach to a format that prioritises intimacy and immediacy.
“Vertical storytelling is not simply a technical adjustment, it is a creative decision,” Umoren said. “It changes how we frame emotion, how we build tension, and how the audience experiences each moment.”
Dead of the Night signals the direction CliffBox intends to take as it develops a slate of original content built specifically for mobile-first viewing.
With mobile video consumption continuing to rise across Africa, CliffBox positions itself at the intersection of technology, storytelling, and evolving audience behaviour, with the ambition to define a new category of digital entertainment on the continent.
