'Banana Republic' Is the First Scripted Microseries, an Office Comedy Starring Jack Innanen (Exclusive)

In 'The Agency,' aimed at a TikTok audience, an old travel agency faces a harsh awakening when a corporate suit decides to modernize the business.

Maybelline. Crocs. Marc Jacobs These are just a few of the brands that have recently turned to the microdrama format to spin a yarn and promote their wares naturally. And now the republican banana can be added to this list.

The Gap-owned brand began production on the first episode of its scripted microdrama on Wednesday, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. Adults and Big Mistakes actor Jack Inanen stars as four different employees at an old, full-service travel agency called Travel & Tours, which is jolted by the arrival of a corporate suit (played by Inanen's Big Mistakes star Taylor Ortega) to modernize it. Milo Tucker-Meyer plays the agency intern.

Soapy, disturbing, Portuguese romances may have made the micro-drama format universally popular, but the first episode of The Agency sees the series as an office comedy with quick cuts and flashy lines. Inanen's characters in the five-part series include an executive lacking confidence, a cocky cruise expert, an adventure expert deeply afraid of adventure, and a Francophile who hasn't left American soil since the late '90s. As can be expected, each of her characters are impeccably dressed in Banana Republic clothing.

Mina Anwari, Banana Republic's chief marketing officer, said the brand decided to try the format to honor its "storytelling heritage." Travel and safari clothing company Banana Republic, as the company was originally named, was born in 1978. The brainchild of a journalist and newspaper illustrator (founders Mel and Patricia Ziegler), whose early catalogs paired travel stories with clothing for sale.

"We saw this as a really interesting opportunity and way to tap into the nostalgia of a brand that people know and love and introduce the brand to a new audience through this TikTok series, bringing humor and storytelling to it as well," Anuri said.

On whether the brand will continue to invest in miniseries or more entertainment, Anvary stated that executives want to see how the audience engages with the first attempt. But the agency is, at least, part of a larger trend as Banana Republic's parent company, Gap, Inc., recently invested in building an entertainment infrastructure amid the "entertainment fashion" push. Earlier this year, the company hired former Paramount executive Pam Kaufman as director of entertainment and Paramount alum Lord Arucho as head of licensing.

The Agency's production company, Banana Republic Productions, dates back to earlier this year, when the label collaborated with New York's Explorers Club on a short documentary about leading figures in science and exploration.

"When it comes to Gap Inc.'s fashion and entertainment platform," Anwari said. Look, the entire focus of this company is focused on that. "Especially for banana, it means we're going back to our DNA and our heritage and our storytelling." Anvary added that entertainment is especially valuable for marketing because it helps keep a brand in the minds of customers and encourages them to consider it when making a purchase decision.

Produced specifically for the TikTok audience, but available on multiple social channels, the agency will release episodes (and some behind-the-scenes content) every week.