The acclaimed thriller earned three awards at the 2026 VERTIES, while muVpix’s newest original series is quickly emerging as another fan favorite
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — muVpix, the U.S.-based vertical entertainment platform owned by BlackForge Distribution, celebrated a landmark weekend as its original series Swipe Left: Dying for Love was named Vertical of the Year at the 2026 VERTIES on Saturday, August 22.
The hit series also received the awards for Best Script and Best Edit, earning three major honors and further establishing muVpix as an emerging creative force in vertical entertainment.
Directed by Casey Jackson and starring Sarah Moliski, Felix Merback and Tyler Scherer, Swipe Left: Dying for Love has become an industry and fan favorite through its addictive combination of romance, mystery, suspense and psychological thrills.
In the series, Maya, a young professional recovering from a devastating breakup, downloads LOVEZAP, an AI-powered dating app that promises to find her a perfect match. But when the men she connects with begin dying under mysterious and increasingly brutal circumstances, every swipe pulls Maya deeper into a deadly conspiracy where love, technology, and obsession become impossible to separate.
“Winning Vertical of the Year is an incredible honor, but this recognition belongs to the entire team that brought Swipe Left to life,” said John Lewis, producer of the series and founder of muVpix. “Casey Jackson gave the series a bold and distinctive vision, our cast delivered extraordinary performances, and every member of our production service team, Snow Story Productions, brought tremendous talent, passion, and commitment to the production. Sarah, Felix, Tyler, and the entire ensemble made audiences care about these characters, while the writer, editors, and production team made every episode impossible to turn away from. I could not be prouder of what this team accomplished together.”
Romeo & Juliet, Reimagined Arrives on muVpix
The awards follow the August 20 launch of the new muVpix original series Romeo & Juliet, Reimagined, which is quickly becoming another fan favorite.
Set in the criminal underworld of modern-day Los Angeles, the series transforms Shakespeare’s legendary tragedy into a dangerous contemporary story of forbidden love, family loyalty and organized crime. When the heirs of the rival Montague and Capulet families fall in love, their relationship threatens to end a decades-long war – or destroy everyone they love in the process.
The 45-episode series stars Gabrielle Faith Brown as Juliet and Crayton Carrozza as Romeo, alongside Yolanthe Cabau as the Nurse, Mustafa Speaks as Captain O. Viral, supermodel and actor Jordan Barrett as Mercutio, TravQue as Tybalt, Mitch Arbor as Father Lawrence, and an expansive supporting cast.
Latino filmmakers Max Decker and Darío Herrera co-wrote the story. Decker directed the series, while Herrera served as creative director. BlackForge Distribution, the parent company of muVpix, is attached as production company and co-financier alongside executive producers Mustafa Speaks of Blue Meridian Studios and Liz Fuller of ST8RM.
Produced in both vertical and horizontal formats, Romeo & Juliet, Reimagined is the first series released through the strategic partnership between muVpix and BuzzFeed Studios. The collaboration combines muVpix’s proprietary platform, technology and wider distribution capabilities with BuzzFeed Studios’ vertical storytelling experience, production infrastructure, marketing resources and global cultural reach.
“Through our partnership with BuzzFeed Studios, we are reaching even broader audiences while raising the bar in creativity and production quality,” Lewis said. “This partnership allows us to bring premium storytelling to a format that audiences are already showing up for in massive numbers – and to do it at a scale and quality level the space hasn’t seen before.”
Romeo & Juliet, Reimagined is now available exclusively on muVpix. Follow one of the links below to watch it.
Watch or download through social media:
- TikTok: Watch on muVpix
- Facebook: Watch on muVpix
- Instagram: Watch on muVpix
Download the muVpix app:
Go to the muVpix website:
About muVpix
muVpix is a U.S.-based premium vertical entertainment platform and original-content studio owned by BlackForge Distribution, a division of JLE Cinema Group. Created for mobile-first audiences, muVpix develops, produces, and distributes cinematic short-form series that combine the immediacy of social entertainment with the storytelling ambition and production quality of traditional film and television.
Launched in 2026 with the original series Whispervale and the award-winning Swipe Left: Dying for Love, muVpix is building a diverse global library spanning romance, thriller, action, horror, fantasy and reimagined classics. Through strategic relationships with leading production, marketing and distribution partners, including BuzzFeed Studios and TikTok, muVpix connects original storytellers and premium live-action entertainment with audiences across mobile, social, digital and emerging global platforms.
muVpix is committed to championing creative talent, producing high-quality live-action entertainment and helping define the next generation of vertical storytelling.
About BuzzFeed Studios
BuzzFeed Studios delivers premium content across social, digital, film, television, and streaming platforms, powered by digital media juggernaut, BuzzFeed, Inc., and its portfolio of beloved brands — BuzzFeed, Tasty, HuffPost, and more. Led by industry veteran Richard Alan Reid, BuzzFeed Studios develops, acquires, produces, distributes and markets genre-spanning scripted and unscripted programming covering film, series, video, animation, podcasts, vertical micro dramas, and licensing. A digital powerhouse that leverages insights and data from its massive global audience to create and market premium, cost-efficient projects, BuzzFeed Studios drives creative excellence with content built for today’s most sought-after demographics.
Contact: j.lewis@muvpix.com
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SOURCE JLE CINEMA GROUP
