HOLYWATER TECH was founded in Kyiv in 2020 as a digital startup company by Bogdan Nesvit and Anatolii Kasianov and in its first year it developed five applications before shifting its focus to building a new content ecosystem first with the launch of My Passion, a mobile application for books, in 2021, and four years later with the introduction of My Muse, an AI-powered platform for generating series. That very same year, the company started hitting the headlines of the international press announcing its partnerships with FOX Entertainment and Dhar Mann Studios as well as a successful January 2026 funding round worth $22 million led by Horizon Capital.

In this interview, the CEETV team talks exclusively with the two co-founders and co-CEOs of HOLYWATER TECH about the strategies that make the company’s content and platforms so successful. Sasha Tkachenko, Head of Studio, My Drama, also joined the conversation to talk about the development of original content for My Drama, what types of stories and partners is HOLYWATER TECH looking for, and how actual “rating” of each story is being evaluated, in order to accelerate the success of the stories that will follow suit.



Bogdan, HOLYWATER TECH has grown from a Kyiv tech startup into a global player in vertical video and microdramas. Why did you choose that name for the company?

Bogdan Nesvit, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of HOLYWATER TECH: It’s funny, but the company name came together well before we officially launched. It’s made up of two words that, together, reflect the broader mission behind HOLYWATER TECH.

HOLY represents a community united by shared values and purpose, while WATER symbolizes adaptability and strength in constant motion. Together, HOLYWATER reflects our mission today: building a resilient, people-first company that can evolve quickly and reshape how stories are created and distributed. The recently added TECH underscores our technology-first identity—an emphasis that has been central to the company from the very beginning.

Looking back at your journey from founding the company in 2020 to now, what strategic decisions do you feel were most pivotal to your success?

Bogdan Nesvit: Forgive the pun, but one of the most pivotal moments for HOLYWATER TECH was when we pivoted our strategy toward building a content ecosystem and sold our consumer app portfolio. That decision set us on the path to developing My Passion, a book platform that has since become our largest engine for IP generation and testing. Through My Passion, we’re able to test hundreds of books each month and greenlight the most promising titles for live-action production.

In 2024, we launched My Drama, our vertical streaming platform, which has since become the biggest product in our ecosystem. In just one year, the platform grew 3×, becoming the top vertical streaming platform among U.S. and European companies and earning the Webby Award for Best Streaming Service in 2025. In 2025, we also launched My Muse, an AI-generated streaming platform that allows us to create series in days and test pilots quickly before scaling them on My Drama.

Together, these products form an AI-first entertainment network that spans across 85 million users, where IP is discovered, created, adapted, and distributed to global audiences in the formats they engage with most. It’s a flexible ecosystem designed to collaborate with creators and studios worldwide, helping them bring stories to life and reach new audiences.


In October 2025, FOX Entertainment acquired an equity stake in HOLYWATER TECH and committed to producing more than 200 original vertical video titles for My Drama over the next two years. What were the key motivations for Holywater in entering this strategic partnership with a major Hollywood studio?

Anatolii Kasianov, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of HOLYWATER TECH: From the very launch of My Drama, our goal was to move vertical series beyond soapy microdramas and build a truly mainstream entertainment format. To do that, we needed more original IP across genres and the ability to scale high-quality production.

That naturally led us to Los Angeles, where we met with studio executives and producers interested in exploring new formats and reaching new audiences. FOX was one of the first studios we connected with, and they immediately saw value in the technology and ecosystem we were building.

The partnership works because it brings together the strengths of both sides: HOLYWATER TECH’s data-driven IP discovery, deep user insights, and mobile-first distribution, combined with FOX’s storytelling expertise and production scale. We see it as an evolution for both Hollywood and vertical storytelling.


What have been the biggest creative or operational challenges you’ve encountered working with FOX on such a large and diverse vertical-video slate?

Sasha Tkachenko, Head of Studio, My Drama: When working with studios, one of the most important factors is alignment—a shared vision, openness to experimentation, and a genuine eagerness to create great stories. FOX Entertainment has been an excellent partner in this regard, bringing deep expertise and a strong IP foundation. Together, we’ve already created standout titles such as Swapped Bodies With My Secret Crush and Her Heart Held Hostage, and we’re genuinely excited about what’s coming next.


You are also actively cooperating with companies from Ukraine. Tell us more about your relationship with Starlight Production and Megogo. What are your plans for the Ukrainian market?

Sasha Tkachenko: We also collaborate with a major Ukrainian production company, AMO Pictures. HOLYWATER TECH is a global company that has Ukrainian roots, so working with partners from Ukraine feels natural and comfortable for us. Ukrainian production companies offer a very high level of content production at a relatively accessible cost.

With Starlight, we produced our first reality project and are currently exploring ways to continue collaborating going forward. With Megogo, our relationship is that of a licensing partnership through which they distribute our content.


Are you also looking for partners coming from CEE? Have you seen interest in your content from players in the region?

Sasha Tkachenko: We are a global company, and our content is available across the CEE region. When it comes to interest and audience size, this is historically linked to a country’s population. Within the CEE market, Poland stands out as a historically large market in terms of both content production and consumption. We also collaborate with production companies across the region.

Continues with Part 2