Vertical storytelling has moved from novelty to how we actually watch on our phones. Rags 2 Richmond stands out: a purpose-shot, elevated vertical comedy set unapologetically in Richmond, British Columbia, created by a Hong Kong–based duo. Not a smartphone project, but a mobile-optimized production that became one of the first vertical series to gain mainstream international attention. Watch the trailer on Instagram.
Here is our conversation with Justina Shih and Jonathan Chee Hynn Wong.
Jonathan Chee Hynn Wong: Justina and I are from Hong Kong. About a year ago, we started developing, shooting, and building a pipeline in Vancouver. Really getting to know the community.
HNMAG: How did you meet?
Justina Shih: Jon and I have been working together for fifteen years. I am his artist manager, and we have also been producing in Asia for a while. During the lockdown, work everywhere had halted–including in Los Angeles, where we were–so we pivoted to developing new scripted projects. The story is primarily based on our experience working in the industry. Last year, we came to Vancouver with Rags 2 Richmond–which we initially pitched as a feature film. After months of pitching in America and realizing the market had not fully recovered from the pandemic, we decided to prove the concept as an elevated vertical series before going long-form. That became the package and business model we pitched at EXNW. Buyers were intrigued but not completely hip to the idea yet, so we bootstrapped it and made the vertical series with what we could afford. We filmed in October 2024 over nine days, and it was released in December. Each episode lasts one to two minutes, with a total of twenty-eight episodes. We received over nine million views on Instagram in one month. Its success led investors to see the IP’s potential, which helped get the movie greenlit.
HNMAG: How did you initially become interested in film and TV?
Jonathan Chee Hynn Wong: Let me share the intention. That is from our many years working in Film and Television. I’ve been acting and music since 2009. Early on, I worked within Hong Kong’s traditional TV and film system–for years, the industry was slow to react to international trends. Film and TV became risk-averse. Costs were becoming too high, and markets were shrinking. We saw vertical dramas pop up three to four years ago and then become really popular in the West. We wondered if we could use this quicker, less expensive model to popularize an intellectual property (IP) and then build a bigger production. This is how we started Rags 2 Richmond.
HNMAG: When did you get interested in entertainment, Jonathan?
Jonathan Chee Hynn Wong: I have always been interested in the Arts. I studied music, dance, and acting. I majored in modern dance and psychology at Cornell.
HNMAG: Why did you study in Upstate New York?
Jonathan Chee Hynn Wong: For my generation, the US universities were the ones to be in. Students in Asia looked at the Harvards, Cornells, the Yales, the Dartmouths. That was the grail for us. Cornell also has a strong modern dance faculty. That’s something that I love. I dabbled in investment banking after university.
HNMAG: Were you at Cornell in 2010?
Jonathan Chee Hynn Wong: I graduated in 2008.
HNMAG: There was a character Andy Bernard played by Ed Helms on The Office. That character went to Cornell.
Jonathan Chee Hynn Wong: Cornell has a very strong A cappella culture. He is making fun of an old school version of A cappella. More Barber Shop Quartets. By the time I was there, we were cutting records and borderline Electronic Dance Music (EDM). Our A cappella was quite modern.
HNMAG: Justina, was your journey into film and TV a more linear transition?
Justina Shih: I started at MTV in New York.
HNMAG: Ok, you went to the US as well.
Justina Shih: I wanted to break away from what I grew up with and create something on my own. After graduation, I joined MTV as a summer associate, which led to a role in marketing for the Network. From there, I entered the agent trainee program at William Morris. It used to be far tougher for Asians to break in—think of early adaptations where Asian leads were overlooked. Times have changed, and we’re committed to centering authentic representation in the stories we make.
Jonathan Chee Hynn Wong: One of the reasons we want to do this is because for years, Vancouver has been filmed to be somewhere else. This story is specific to Richmond. The people, the culture, and the area deserve to be shown. It’s important that it’s an authentic story. Richmond has already appeared in different shows internationally, scripted and unscripted, just rarely as itself. Richmond has birthed talents that have made their mark in Hong Kong over the decades, and its stories are as universal as any part of the world that has become a melting pot for cultures finding themselves.
HNMAG: Did you have a connection to Richmond prior to working on this show?
Jonathan Chee Hynn Wong: Sure, there’s the term Hongcouver. A mass immigration to Vancouver from Hong Kong starting in the 80s and continuing through the 90s. It works the other way around. People born in BC go to Hong Kong to gain a platform. A lot of my contemporaries were from Richmond, and a lot of them came from pageants. Part of the lore of Rags 2 Richmond is inspired by that talent quest and pageant world.
HNMAG: Did you also visit Vancouver before then?
Jonathan Chee Hynn Wong: For just work. I had been invited to perform as part of the satellite TV stations with Fairchild for singing contests in Vancouver and Calgary over ten years ago. My first work experience in Vancouver was being a guest performer at a talent show hosted by Canadian TV and radio station Fairchild, which has a base in Richmond, BC.
HNMAG: You’re also working on a feature film. Will that be set in Vancouver as well?
Justina Shih: The vertical series was a proof-of-concept. Because of its success, we are now able to produce the feature film. So yes, it’s set in Richmond as well. There is also interest in turning it into a TV series. All under the same IP. Canadian studios have shown interest in developing a TV series for Rags 2 Richmond, but we cannot divulge details. We’re going to focus on the movie for now and see what the future looks like for our IP.
Jonathan Chee Hynn Wong: We will be going into production pretty soon. It will be one year from proof of concept to a movie. That is miraculously quick.
HNMAG: How does Vancouver compare to Hong Kong?
Jonathan Chee Hynn Wong: It’s like a time capsule. Our show is set twenty-five years in the past, and we didn’t have to dress the sets for Hong Kong very much. Richmond has a very strong movement to protect tradition.
HNMAG: Is there an international appeal for Richmond on TV?
Jonathan Chee Hynn Wong: It’s important to know that Canada is worth seeing by the world as Canada. Richmond needs to be seen as Richmond. There are so many wonderful stories that need to be told. There’s a reason why Hollywood loves to shoot here. It’s beautiful, the crews are great, and the weather is amazing. Even winter is not harsh. It drizzles and snows for one day. It’s on us as creators to take ownership of what we believe in. Put Canada on the pedestal and find the stories that need to be told. There is also so much great talent here.
Justina Shih: We can see from data on Instagram that the interest is from around the world. People in Canada, the U.S., Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, and, of course, Hong Kong. International fans are telling us how much they are drawn to the series. This proves that people want to know more about this story, but also about Richmond.
For years, we have been emphasizing setting more films and TV shows in Canada. Our reasoning has been sound, but here are producers who grew up in Hong Kong who also recognize that and are actually making it happen. We are very excited for Justina Shih and Jonathan Chee Hynn Wong. Rags 2 Richmond will make a great movie that we all want to see. Perhaps there will also be a television series that broadcasts around the planet. We will keep you posted.