Building for the Fandoms Gaming Forgot: Inside Dorian's No-Code UGC Platform

May 5, 2026

Julia Palatovska, Co-founder and CEO of Dorian, builds a no-code platform turning fans into creators. She discusses creator-driven interactive storytelling, free-to-play monetization that pays creators, analytics-led iteration and A/B testing, and why female-first fandoms and niche microdramas can scale into major IPs.

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ADVICE

Democratize Free To Play Monetization For Creators

Democratize free-to-play monetization so solo creators can monetize without upfront sales or publishers.
Let fans try for free and convert via patronage mechanics where fans pay for extra storylines or characters as they engage.

INSIGHT

Optimize Unit Economics Not Just Volume

UGC platforms must shift from optimizing volume (episodes created) to optimizing commercial unit economics.
Dorian focused on creator revenue and repeatable unit economics before scaling, not just counting episodes.

ADVICE

Give Creators Studio Grade Data And Fast A B Testing

Provide creators accessible, in-platform analytics and A/B testing so they can iterate like studios.
Let creators push 10–100 versions of an episode and A/B test conversion, completion, and monetization points without new builds.

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In this episode, host Kalie Moore sits down with Julia Palatovska, Co-Founder and CEO of Dorian, to explore one of the most underappreciated shifts in entertainment: the convergence of user-generated content, interactive storytelling, and female-first fandoms. As microdrama consumption explodes globally, Julia argues that the real opportunity isn’t just in passive viewing but in turning audiences into creators and stories into interactive, monetizable experiences. She breaks down how Dorian is building a no-code platform that enables creators from cosplayers to webcomic artists, to launch games, iterate in real time, and generate meaningful income through free-to-play mechanics typically reserved for professional studios.

They also dive into why most UGC platforms fail to translate creation into commercial success, how Dorian shifted from volume to unit economics, and what it takes to build a true creator marketplace from scratch. Along the way, Julia challenges long-standing assumptions in gaming from the industry’s blind spot around women players to the over-indexing on mechanics over narrative and shares why human-made content still outperforms AI in creator-driven ecosystems. The conversation ultimately paints a picture of a new kind of platform: one where the next billion-dollar IP for Gen Z women might not come from a studio, but from a solo creator with a laptop and a deeply engaged fandom.

We’d also like to thank Medal.tv for making this episode possible. If you're a PC gamer and want to clip your moments or a studio, publisher, or marketer looking to reach a high-quality gaming audience and get your game in front of the right players, check out all Medal has to offer at https://grow.medal.tv.

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Who’s On:

Guest - Julia Palatovska: https://www.linkedin.com/in/palatovska/

Host - Kalie Moore: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaliemoore/

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Sound design by Gavin Mc Cabe.