Meet the CandyJar Hunks Everyone Is Talking About: From Joseph Purcell to Nick Skonberg
Filled with steamy tropes and tension, CandyJar’s “mini movies” and their swoony leading men are taking over the internet!
Romance enthusiasts can’t get enough of classic tropes. At the heart of every cherished romance novel, series or film is an exquisitely executed trope. From enemies-to-lovers (hello, Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice) to fake dating, brother’s best friend and academic rivals, these popular plot devices signal familiar patterns in love stories. And lately, amid the ongoing boom of Romancelandia, there’s a new storytelling format taking tropes to exciting new heights: microdramas, or serialized video “shorts” with soapy over-the-top plots. At the forefront of this new craze is CandyJar—a short-drama streaming app that’s winning hearts on the Internet and launching a slew of rising stars.
So whether you’re wondering what these bite-sized romance shorts are or find yourself asking What is CandyJar? or if you’re already a devoted fan of microdramas, you’re in the right place! Here, we gathered up everything you need to know about CandyJar, the “mini movies” or “shorts” worth checking out and the handsome hunks at the center of it all—from Joseph Purcell to Nick Skonberg and Luca Pietro. Keep scrolling to find out more!
But first, what is CandyJar?
CandyJar (formerly known as GalateaTV) is a short-drama streaming app that delivers bite-sized serialized romance and drama episodes—often called “microdramas”—to viewers. The microdramas are often broken up into short episodes, adding to the addictive quality of this type of storytelling. And CandyJar has become a go-to hub for these viral “mini movies.” In general, these dramas are highly trope focused, put a heavy emphasis on romance as the central plot and typically guarantee an HEA (happily ever after).
Is CandyJar free to watch?
CandyJar and other apps like it such as ReelShort and DramaBox are at the forefront of this blossoming microdrama obsession. One of their main draws? The apps offer viewers the chance to watch hundreds of titles in a shorter amount of time than average films or long-form TV series. But subscriptions aren’t exactly like Hulu or Netflix—where you pay and have access to thousands of movies and shows.
Verticals like CandyJar rely mostly on promotional ads and free episodes (you’ll see them pop up a lot on Instagram Reels, TikTok or Facebook to get nonsubscribing viewers interested—and then there’s a charge to finish a series). But you can subscribe for an ad-free experience, according to CandyJar’s website. Per the site, a CandyJar subscription offers ad-free access to any romance series, costing around $58.30 per year for an individual plan, or you can pay monthly which comes out to about $4.86 per month. Prices can vary slightly, with in-app purchases also available, but the primary way to get unlimited access is through these annual or monthly subscriptions for their ad-free content.
Keep scrolling to find out the top must-watch CandyJar shorts and meet the handsome hunks starring in each!
Meet Nick Skonberg, Star of ‘Loving My Brother’s Best Friend’
Nick Skonberg, 23, is an actor from Chattanooga, Tennessee, who recently had a viral moment after countless fans of Loving My Brother’s Best Friend took to Twitter, Instagram and Reddit to praise his performance and on-screen charisma. In LMBBF, Skonberg stars as Luca Finley, acting opposite Victoria Adrunik who portrays Henley Jones. The plot follows Henley, who returns home after a summer away with a “glow up” that her brother’s best friend Luca can’t help but notice—even though he knows she’s totally off limits.
Skonberg currently lives in Los Angeles and has appeared in other shorts such as The Cheer Scandal and Apollo.
In a recent interview with Cosmopolitan, Skonberg weighed in on the CandyJar craze and how these microdramas are created with female viewers in mind. “CandyJar’s the only company I’ve worked with, but they really know their audience and what their audience wants. CandyJar [projects] are very directed from the female gaze and from the female point of view,” he said. “You see that the scripts follow a lot of romance tropes and character tropes, but also how they do the costumes and how they shoot the scenes and light the scenes. And we had a great intimacy coordinator, Sasha Smith. She was specific about: ‘Okay, this is a moment when you stop her with a hand grab or you stop her with your voice.’”
He also noted the short-form style is always top of mind when filming. “They’re also very conscious of the clickbait, because you get to watch 15 episodes for free [before subscribing]. Whenever you’re shooting the 15th episode, it’s, like, we gotta end this thing with a hook,” he continued. “So the consciousness of the audience is very present, which is really interesting. They’re very aware of how they hook you.”
Meet Joseph Purcell, Star of ‘His Nerd’
Joseph Purcell, 26, is an American actor from Los Angeles, and the son of Prison Break‘s Dominic Purcell and stepson of Tish Cyrus (yes, he’s Miley’s stepbrother!). Purcell is a recent internet sensation, thanks to a series of microdramas that went viral, including His Nerd and Private Lessons. In His Nerd, Purcell stars as soccer star Hunter who strikes up a fake-dating relationship with Ava (Amanda Troya). As their fauxmance blossoms, real feelings take hold.
Purcell recently appeared on the Sorry We’re Cyrus podcast, where he talked about the concept of verticals or shorts. “A vertical is basically like a medium-length movie, but it’s split up into one-minute episodes. So you get the first 10 episodes free, and then you pay like $5 to $10 for the rest of the movie,” he explains, noting that it’s broken up in the editing process. He also opened up about his acting journey.
“I’ve been taking acting classes for about a year and a half, two years, but I’ve had a year of auditioning and doing short films. But the verticals, they’re such a good way for young actors to get into the industry kind of, and for me, it’s honestly such good practice being on a set. The way they run it, they’re going 4 to 5 scenes a day and it’s like Bootcamp.”
Meet Luca Pietro, Star of ‘Coming of Age’
Known for the leading role in fan-favorite short Coming of Age, Luca Pietro started acting at 10 years old. The CandyJar short centers on a high school neighbors-to-lovers trope. In a recent interview on Medium, Pietro was asked which character he resonated most with. “Definitely Nathan from Coming of Age on CandyJar—it felt most like me!” he said. “Don’t get me wrong I like getting out of my comfort zone, but playing a grungy high schooler really hit close to home. Also, just the references and similarities to 2000’s rom-coms were fun to bounce off of.”
Meet Tyler Scherer, Star of ‘Did You Have to Be a Hockey Star?’
Tyler Scherer’s name is another one popping up all over social media. Fans are particularly drawn to his character Tyler from CandyJar’s Did You Have to Be a Hockey Star?. In this CandyJar short, the plot relies on the classic enemies-to-lovers story between Kate, a driven new female hockey team owner, and Tyler, the team’s star player. Fun fact: Scherer’s a Pittsburgh native with classical training in both acting and singing.
Meet Giovanni DeVal, Star of ‘Conflict of Interest’
Giovanni DeVal is known for his work on FBI: Most Wanted, The Equalizer and Law & Order: Organized Crime. DeVal’s name is another favorite on social media and various “shorts” Reddit forums, thanks to his pitch-perfect role as Bryce O’Connell in CandyJar’s Conflict of Interest. In this microdrama, the plot centers on the sharp-witted assistant Poppy, who is desperately trying to ignore her attraction to her boss, Bryce O’Connell. This one is perfect for fans of tropes such as office romance and forced proximity! Sweet fun fact: DeVal describes himself as a proud “dog dad.”
Meet Augustin De Beaumont, Star of ‘My Sexy Devil’
Augustin Alexander De Beaumont is an Argentine-American actor. Born in Burbank in 2004, he grew up in California, Connecticut and Buenos Aires. His role in CandyJar’s My Sexy Devil is considered a fan-favorite across various romance-adjacent Reddit forums. One fan raved: “I couldn’t believe the chemistry in this short. Augustin De Beaumont is one of my new favorite actors—in fact, lately so many of my favorite actors are from microdramas. I believe these microdramas are the future of the industry—and I truly feel like they’re launching rising stars. Oh, also the lasagna scene in this short was adorable!”
To learn more about CandyJar, follow them on Instagram or visit their site to start streaming!
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