Joey Jia is the Founder and CEO of Crazy Maple Studio (CMS), a Silicon Valley-based global leader in mobile entertainment that pioneered the vertical microdrama format in North America through its breakout app ReelShort.

Joey earned a BS in Electrical Engineering from Harbin Engineering University and a Master's in EE from the University of Utah, then built a career spanning telecom, internet services, and digital publishing, including executive roles at ZTEUSA, Changyou.com, and ChineseAll Digital Publishing Group.

Recognizing the shift from desktop to mobile and an untapped market for immersive storytelling, Joey launched CMS in 2017 from the Palo Alto Public Library with just a two-person team, driven by the belief that everyone has a story to tell.

Under Joey's leadership, CMS launched ReelShort in 2022 to distribute short-form vertical dramas after traditional Hollywood channels showed no interest, and leveraged AI tools to reduce production costs by roughly 90% while scaling content output globally.

ReelShort has surpassed 286 million app downloads and 70 million monthly active users worldwide, earned a spot on TIME's 2024 TIME100 Most Influential Companies list, and was recognized by Fast Company as one of the Most Innovative Companies of 2026.