Hollywood’s major studios — including Disney and Fox — are investing in micro dramas, the fast-growing format of vertical smartphone episodes generating billions globally.

Micro drama productions are filming hundreds of projects in Los Angeles, creating jobs for struggling actors, writers and crew members amid industry slowdowns.

The rapid, low-budget format is largely non-union, prompting some writers and actors to work under pseudonyms to avoid union sanctions.

SUNNYVALE, Calif. — A young woman is desperate to raise $50,000 for her mom’s life-saving medical treatment. She will get the money, but only if she agrees to her stepsister’s unusual proposal: to marry her wayward fiance, who comes from a wealthy family but also has a rap sheet.

That’s the plot line for an episode of “The D

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