Mother Load

Mother Load is an adventure / thriller created and written by Stewart Magrath.

It is currently in production as a vertical drama series, planned to be available on Instagram and YouTube in 2026.

First 6 episodes on YouTube NOW! Click here.

What is a Vertical Drama Series?

A vertical series is designed to be viewed on social media platforms such as Instagram on a smart phone.

Vertical, because the filming is in vertical rather than horizontal format. Each episode is between 90 seconds and a couple of minutes, to suit the typical social media requirements.

Vertical dramas need a strong hook at the start to interest viewers, and an ending that encourages watching the next episode.

What's Mother Load?

Most vertical drama series are aimed at the Asian market, with dedicated pay per view platforms. Genres are typically romance, hidden millionaire of rags to riches. Mother Load will be shown on YouTube Shorts and Instagram, and it's an adventure / thriller story.

Trailer

Production Story

The idea for Mother Load came when Stewart was walking through fields in Leicestershire. Seeing someone in the distance, carrying what looked like a shotgun, started the thought process.

"What would I do if someone started shooting at me? Why might they do that?"

One of Stewart's favourite stories is John Buchan's The Thirty Nine Steps, particularly where Richard Hannay must survive as an outlaw in the picturesque but potentially deadly English countryside.

Vertical Drama

With no funding, Stewart wondered if such a story could be made on a minimal budget.

The concept of a Vertical drama lent itself well to this, so the thought cogs started whirring.

Using Buchan's story as inspiration, after getting to grips with Final Draft, in a fortnight a screenplay had been written and a week later the first couple of test scenes shot.