The Vertical Reach Podcast

What if the story that’s been sitting in your drawer for years could become a finished show in a matter of weeks? Qiushi Zhang saw the shift coming before most of the industry did. AI video was still clunky and laughable then, but she recognized that a wave was about to hit filmmaking. She chose to build for it instead of waiting on the shore. Today she’s the founder and CEO of Leyline, an AI-native production platform where creators can take a story from first idea to finished episodes, and then find a path to an audience and an income. Pauline and Qiushi talk about how Leyline grew alongside its creator community. They also cover why cheap production turns filming itself into the development process, and what happens when a high school student, an 86-year-old filmmaker, and a longtime editor all get the same tools. Qiushi shares results from Leyline’s first creator cohort and explains how brands are starting to sponsor short-form dramas on the platform. She also makes a surprising case: creativity has no practical use, and that is exactly what keeps us human as AI grows more powerful. She gives her permission slip to anyone holding back a story they’ve been afraid to make. She also previews what’s next for Leyline: a marketplace connecting AI creators with paid production work, and a new investment vehicle, built with an outside partner, for creators ready to pitch their shows. Whether you’re a screenwriter with a vault of unproduced scripts or simply curious how AI is changing who gets to tell stories, this conversation shows how fast the barriers are coming down. Let’s tell stories that connect. Qiushi Zhang is a writer-turned-founder and the CEO of Leyline, an AI filmmaking platform built for screenwriters and storytellers. She spent years pitching scripts and waiting on greenlights. That led her to build a tool that lets creators experiment and make films without waiting for permission. Leyline describes itself as studio infrastructure for one-person media companies, starting with short-form drama. Before Leyline, Qiushi worked across investment banking, brands, film, and tech. She studied at Tsinghua University and is based in Los Angeles. GUEST LINKS Connect with Qiushi Zhang and Leyline: Website: leylinepro.ai LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/qiushi-z-37764511 AI Micro-Drama Masterclass (cohort waitlist): leylinepro.ai/events/ai-micro-drama-masterclass

What happens when the career you walked away from refuses to let you go? Luis Calvo-Ramos spent years building a filmmaking career in Spain. He wrote stand-up for public television, directed short films, and made his feature debut with Prime Time, a dystopian thriller that screened across Europe, Asia, and Latin America. After moving to the UK, he stepped away for the stability of a day job. It took a nudge from his therapist for him to admit that his creative side was still asking for space. In this episode, Luis shares how that comeback led him to vertical drama: short, binge-worthy series made to be watched on your phone. He walks Pauline through The Mutation Wave, his first vertical. It went from a first email to streaming on Ironblood, Inkitt’s new app, in about two months. The series was adapted from a popular sci-fi book and produced with AI, which pushed Luis to write like a director. He spelled out where the light comes from and whether a shirt is still wet from the rain, and he even used line breaks to signal new camera angles. They also dig into where AI is taking storytelling. Luis explains why audiences are already asking for the human touch, and why a mix of AI and real actors could be the next big opportunity. He also argues that the classic “good, fast, cheap” production rule still holds; only the price tags are changing. Whether you’re a writer, filmmaker, or creative wondering if your moment has passed, this conversation is a reminder that you’re not done yet. Stream The Mutation Wave on Ironblood. CONNECT WITH LUIS CALVO-RAMOS LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luis-calvo-ramos/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luis_calvo_ramos/ IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2265670/ CONNECT WITH PAULINE GRAY & THE VERTICAL REACH Website: https://paulinegraystudios.com/ Email: hello@paulinegraystudios.com YouTube: https://youtube.com/@theverticalreachpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/verticalreachpodcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573322699492 If this conversation got you thinking, share it with a creator who needs to hear that it’s never too late to make a comeback. New episodes every Tuesday. Let’s tell stories that connect.

What do you do when someone offers you $2 million to change what your story stands for? Mysti Cozart Smith walked away. In this episode of The Vertical Reach Podcast, Pauline Gray sits down with the award-winning writer, producer, director, actress, and songwriter behind COZY Faith & Family Films. Mysti's path runs from nearly two decades in the Nashville music scene to the Tisch School of Film, and from 28 years in nursing to building her own studio in Texas, where she creates uplifting, family-friendly stories she is proud to put her name on. At the heart of this conversation is Mysti's testimony of faith. She shares how she was raised in her father's small-town church, how she drifted from her faith while chasing a music career, and how rededicating her life to God became the foundation for everything she creates today. Her faith and her values are her north star: they shape which stories she tells, which deals she takes, and which ones she walks away from. Her simple gut check says it all: would my husband, my dad, and my son be proud of this? For Mysti, reaching higher doesn't mean letting go of what grounds her. It means rising while staying rooted. In this episode, we talk about: Why she funds her own films instead of taking on investors How her faith-adjacent holiday romance Love Comes Home to Holly landed a distribution deal, and why she wrote it as a three-film franchise Ash & Pine, her East Texas mystery series made for the whole family to watch together The advice Willie Nelson gave her at 19: write what you know The story behind the COZY name and the father who inspired it Her motto: live deliberately, and never let a challenge become a defeat Whether you're an independent filmmaker, a creator wondering if you have to compromise to get ahead, or a viewer who wants stories the whole family can enjoy, this conversation is a reminder that you can reach higher without losing who you are. Be in the world, but don't live the drama. Connect with Mysti Cozart Smith: 🌐 Website: https://www.cozyfaithandfamilyfilms.com 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mochaandtheflame 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mochaandtheflame 🎬 IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10947246/ ✉️ Email: info@cozyfaithandfamilyfilms.com

What does "data" actually mean in the world of vertical dramas, and how do the apps behind these short, addictive video dramas decide what to make, where to launch, and how to get paid? Pankaj Uniyal is the Business Development Lead for India and the US at SocialPeta, a global advertising intelligence platform. He works with mobile app, gaming, and short drama companies. Before SocialPeta, he worked with real-time market data at a global investment banking firm. That experience taught him that great stories need a sound business behind them to last. In this episode, Pauline asks the question many of us have been afraid to ask: what exactly is data? Pankaj explains it in plain terms. He covers why more than 60% of short drama content is in English, why North American viewers spend the most, and why "romance" means something very different to a 21-year-old than to someone over 50. He also explains one of the format's biggest advantages over traditional film and TV: creators can see how audiences respond to each episode and adjust the next one. We also dig into India's fast-growing market. In its early days, short drama there mostly meant Chinese dramas dubbed into other languages. Now a new wave of original stories is being made for specific regional languages and cultures. Pankaj walks through the three ways these apps make money right now: brand stories woven directly into the plot small pay-per-episode payments, made easy by India's fee-free UPI payment system subscriptions He also names the core teams every short drama company needs in order to grow. Whether you're a writer, producer, marketer, or just curious about where entertainment is heading, this conversation shows how data and storytelling work together. It also explains why early adopters who are willing to test new ideas stand to gain the most.

Heading to LA this November? LAVDM 3.0, the LA Vertical Drama Market, runs November 5 to 7, 2026 in Los Angeles. Get your tickets here: https://ticketbud.com/events/48dd3234-a0c1-11f1-bba2-42010a717021 It started with about 15 people at a mixer. Now it's the first industry event dedicated entirely to vertical drama. Pauline's very first podcast guest is back. Dana Protsyshak, founder of the LA Vertical Drama Market (LAVDM), returns to The Vertical Reach Podcast for a catch-up on everything that's happened since they first met for lunch just over a year ago, the same day as one of Dana's early mixers. Dana shares how a monthly meetup for people curious about vertical dramas (short, addictive video dramas made to be watched on your phone) grew into a market with 300+ attendees in its first year and 400+ people across three floors and 50+ events in its second. She also opens up about the summer that shook the industry, when AI arrived fast, productions paused or shut down, and even the people who thought they were ahead of the curve had to learn how to adapt. Pauline and Dana also get into: How AI is opening up new kinds of stories, from dragons to elves to fantasy romance, and why it still needs human creativity Why script supervisors may be one of the most important roles in AI production What "pivot or perish" means to Dana, and why staying committed to your choice matters Why brands have been slow to enter the vertical space Dana's personal win: finishing her first novel after nine months of writing every day Dana also gives a first look at LAVDM 3.0 this November: more business panels on financing, marketing, and distribution; new roundtable discussions; speed networking; and a live-action boot camp where creators can bring a vertical script, work with a mentor, shoot their pilot on real studio sets, and present it to a live audience, all in three days. If you're a filmmaker, writer, actor, or creator curious about vertical storytelling, this is the room to be in. Don't miss it. 🎟️ LAVDM 3.0 | November 5–7, 2026 | Los Angeles Tickets: https://ticketbud.com/events/48dd3234-a0c1-11f1-bba2-42010a717021 ABOUT DANA PROTSYSHAK Dana Protsyshak is the founder of Dana Productions, the LA Vertical Drama Market (LAVDM), and Vert-I-Go Media, a creator- and community-friendly vertical drama platform. With 35+ vertical projects across writing, development, and production, she is one of the leading voices shaping vertical drama in North America. Through Dana Productions, she runs a writers' room spanning original development, adaptation, and localization, produces AI-driven vertical series, and evaluates series and creators for festivals, studios, and acquisition platforms. She is the author of four novels and the creator of OtheR, a dystopian series in development for both vertical and long-form formats. Dana also founded the VertIGo Vertical Pitch Competition and hosts the ongoing Vertical Mixers in Los Angeles. ABOUT THE VERTICAL REACH PODCAST The Vertical Reach is about that moment when you stretch upward, personally and professionally, to meet what's above where you are. Host Pauline Gray, award-winning screenwriter and narrative strategist, talks with creators, founders, and storytellers who are reinventing themselves in real time. New episodes every Tuesday. Subscribe so you don't miss one.

From swinging a dolly on theater sets to directing some of the biggest vertical dramas on ReelShort — Jen Parkhill's path into this industry wasn't planned. It just took off. In this episode, award-winning filmmaker Jen Parkhill (JP, they/she) joins Pauline Gray to trace their journey from professional actor and Tisch School of the Arts theater training to becoming one of the most acclaimed directors in vertical storytelling. JP opens up about the leap from stage to screen, what theater taught them about pulling a single, committed take out of an actor, and the creative problem-solving that comes with directing on tight vertical-format budgets and schedules. We also get into the weight — and the honor — of being one of the first openly queer directors entrusted with a major LGBTQ vertical series, the responsibility that came with helming Poolboy, and why JP believes queer stories need queer creators behind the camera to get them right. JP speaks candidly about identity, representation, and the lifelong process of refusing to be boxed in — creatively, culturally, and personally. Looking ahead, JP shares what's next: developing original vertical series of their own, a recent writers' workshop through a Sundance and TikTok collaboration, and a long-held dream project — a girl-love story they're determined to bring to the screen. Whether you're new to vertical dramas or already know the genre, this conversation is a look at what it takes to build a directing career on instinct, craft, and refusing to fit the mold. About Jen Parkhill Jen Parkhill "JP" (they/she) is an award-winning filmmaker based in Los Angeles and Austin. A graduate of Tisch School of the Arts, NYU, and a proud member of the Latinx and LGBTQIA+ communities, JP's narrative approach is passionate, poetic, and playful, drawing on their background as a professional actor to cultivate inspired performances and holistic artistic collaboration. JP's vertical directing credits include a progression of award-winning YA vertical dramas for ReelShort: Waterboy (Vertical Drama of the Year, The Vertical Drama Love Fan Awards 2026), Poolboy (Best LGBTQ Vertical of the Year, The Vertical Critics Circle Awards), Stableboy, and Waterboy: Second Down, the first sequel created within ReelShort's Boys Love franchise. Connect with Jen Parkhill Website Directing Reel Instagram LinkedIn

Chris Wicke, founder and CEO of vertical drama studio Ember, joins The Vertical Reach Podcast to talk about vertical drama, micro drama, and how generative AI is reshaping the vertical storytelling industry almost overnight. Chris built Ember from a single $70,000 vertical drama film for Flex TV into a studio behind 22 vertical films with a combined audience approaching 2 billion views, working alongside major vertical drama platforms like ReelShort and DramaBox. In this episode, Chris breaks down "gray boxing," a hybrid production technique where real actors are filmed against blank backdrops while AI generates the backgrounds and world around them, and explains why he expects the current rush toward fully AI-generated vertical drama content to eventually swing back toward live-action vertical storytelling. He and Pauline also dig into how two decades editing reality TV shows like Naked and Afraid prepared him for vertical drama production, the moment he realized vertical drama wasn't a lateral career move but a true vertical leap, and his advice for creators and editors weighing their own reinvention. Before Ember, Chris spent 25 years in entertainment, producing for networks and brands including Discovery, CNN, MTV, Samsung, Sony Music, and the History Channel. He was one of the first American producers to enter the vertical micro drama space, back in early 2023. That leap started with a strange Upwork post looking for "American filmmakers that like making movies very much" — a listing from Flex TV, a company already producing melodramatic, low-budget vertical soap operas in China and Eastern Europe. Chris took the gig, pulled every favor he had in Los Angeles to shoot a film on a $70,000 budget, and watched it earn $10 million in six weeks and reach tens of millions of viewers. That single project changed the trajectory of his career. Chris and Pauline talk through what's actually happening inside the industry right now: platforms moving anywhere from 75% to 100% AI-generated content almost overnight, the current estimate that the U.S. is about 18 months behind China's vertical drama industry, and recent signals — like ByteDance pulling back a large share of AI-generated titles from TikTok — that audiences may already be tiring of fully AI content. Chris explains why he thinks the pendulum will swing back toward live-action and hybrid production, even if the industry never fully returns to the frantic pace of the format's earlier boom years. They also get into "gray boxing," the hybrid technique Ember is using on upcoming projects — shooting real actors in a white or green room with AI-generated wardrobe, backgrounds, and even background characters layered in afterward. Pauline shares her own experience with a similar hybrid technique on a branded commercial project, and the two compare notes on how this approach is essentially replacing traditional CGI at a fraction of the cost. On the craft side, Chris reflects on what carried over from two decades as a reality TV editor and how that background — being scrappy, fast, and comfortable finding story in limited resources — turned out to be better preparation for vertical drama than a traditional scripted film background. He and Pauline also nerd out on the mechanics of reality editing: multi-camera reality shoots, how footage gets organized by camp and by story producer, and how that intense, story-driven editing process shaped his instincts once he moved into scripted vertical work. Chris also opens up about the industry-wide disruption that pushed him toward vertical drama in the first place — a wave of reality TV editors and producers going unexpectedly quiet on work in early 2023 — and the moment he realized this wasn't a lateral career move, but what Pauline calls a true "vertical reach." He shares his "permission slip" advice for anyone standing at their own reinvention point: that it's okay to start over, even at the bottom, and that continuously reinventing yourself is becoming a requirement across every industry, not just entertainment. Looking ahead, Chris teases what's next for Ember, including a shift toward acquiring IP and partnering with investors to produce slates of films rather than working purely as a vendor. He also previews upcoming titles: a branded vertical drama with Fox Entertainment called Saddled with My Nemesis, dropping September 22nd, along with NBA Dropout to Tennis Ace (originally titled Second Serve) on Flex TV, and Rise the Sun Without You on DramaBox. Whether you're following the vertical drama and micro drama industry closely, curious about how generative AI is reshaping entertainment production, or standing at your own reinvention point, this conversation is a real-time look at an industry — and a career — being built as it's lived.

Grace Gao graduated film school the same day a major industry strike was announced. Two years later, she runs her own studio. In this episode, Grace — founder of Celestine Pictures — talks about what it was like to watch her career stall right out of the gate, and how she built something new instead of waiting for the industry to recover. She and Pauline dig into the short, addictive video dramas taking over phones right now (you've probably scrolled past one without realizing it), and how Grace went from writing them for free to running a studio that's produced hundreds of them. They also get into how AI actually fits into her creative process — what it helps with, what it doesn't touch, and why "AI-native" doesn't mean what most people assume. The conversation opens up further from there: growing up between three countries, what it's like being the child of immigrants who fully backed a risky creative career, and Grace's honest breakdown of risk — how she decides when to take a leap and when to hold back. It closes with Grace's own "permission slip" moment: her advice for anyone waiting for someone else's approval to start. If you've ever felt stuck waiting for the "right time," this one's for you. GUEST LINKS Connect with Grace Gao: Instagram LinkedIn Celestine Pictures: Instagram TikTok YouTube

What does it actually take to shoot 15–20 pages a day? Scott Di Lalla started out making backyard documentaries, directed a Super 8 horror thriller, and spent years as a reality TV camera operator — then walked into vertical micro-drama production almost by accident, when a friend needed help on a project he couldn't fully explain. Scott didn't understand it either, until he saw the comments. In this episode, Scott breaks down what it's really like directing and producing vertical drama: the 25-minute location scouts with no tech scout, the blocking tricks that save hours on set (camera stacking, shooting "half-moon" or "taco" setups instead of multiple flips), and how he redesigns a scene's geography — moving furniture, repurposing doorways — to avoid re-lighting an entire room. He also talks candidly about the learning curve of moving from traditional directing to a format with its own language, pace, and rules. The conversation goes beyond craft, too — into why vertical storytelling earns attention differently than any other medium, how creator-to-audience power has flipped in a data-driven industry, and where Scott sees the space heading next: premium storytelling, new genres, and his new venture, Paintbox Shorts, built to bring underserved voices and cultures — including Black, Brown, and Spanish-speaking audiences — into the vertical space. Whether you're already working in verticals or wondering if this is your next pivot, Scott's approach to preparation, adaptability, and craft is a masterclass in making fast-moving production work for you. GUEST LINKS Connect with Scott Di Lalla: Instagram: @scottdilalla Reel: vimeo.com/manage/videos/1218044850 IMDb: imdb.com/name/nm2010464 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/scottdilallaA FOLLOW THE VERTICAL REACH PODCAST Instagram: @verticalreachpodcast Facebook: The Vertical Reach Podcast

What does it look like when a husband-and-wife team runs a set together — and runs a household together, too? Quinn and Morgan Gardner are that team. Quinn is a Showrunner and Director ("Bound by Blood"), a Producer and 1st AD (PocketFM's "Insta-Empire"), and an AD on Vigloo's "Shaping Soulmates" — alongside feature work like "Marriage Bites," "Don't Answer," and "Amy's F-It List," plus credits on "One Battle After Another," "Chasing Mavericks," "Unsolved Mysteries," "Will Trent," and commercials for Toyota, Ford, Adidas, Apple, and Google. Morgan is a Key Hair & Makeup Artist and Special FX Makeup Artist across the same world of verticals and features, including "Insta-Empire," "Mistress Manager," "Don't Answer," and the upcoming horror comedy "Come Back Alive," plus commercial work for Honda, Toyota, Thuma, and Jackson Rancheria Casino. In this episode, Quinn and Morgan talk about how the vertical drama boom found them, what a real shoot day looks like when you're packing 27 pages into 24 hours, and how they've built a life — and now a family — around an industry that rarely stops moving. They get into pivoting without perishing, what it means to give your crew "permission" to speak up, and a first look at their upcoming Celtic-mythology horror project, "Come Back Alive." Whether you're balancing a creative partnership of your own or just curious what it takes to make verticals at this pace, this conversation is equal parts masterclass and love story. Connect with Quinn Gardner: Website Instagram Facebook IMDb Connect with Morgan Gardner: Website Instagram TikTok

What happens when the biggest brands in the world hand you their playbook — and then you take it somewhere they never expected? Austin Herring did. As CEO of Snow Story Productions, the largest vertical-focused production company in North America, he's brought the white-glove standards of working with Disney, Walmart, and Fortune 500 clients into the wild, fast-moving world of vertical microdrama. In this episode, Austin traces his path from freelance commercial director to leading a company that's shot with talent like The Rock, Tom Holland, and Zendaya — and he's candid about the early days, when nobody knew what a "vertical" even was and the whole industry was figuring out the rules in real time. We get into the mechanics of what makes verticals work: the shift from broad, communal viewing to something deeply personal; the double-edged power of app-level data; and why Austin believes this is the biggest shift in entertainment since silent films became talkies. He also shares where he sees the format heading next — including dual-format production built for both your phone and your TV. And in this episode's permission slip moment, Austin offers some of the most direct career advice we've heard on the show: however hard you think you're working, you have to work harder. Whether you're already in the vertical space or just curious how an entire new entertainment format gets built from scratch, this conversation is a front-row seat to an industry writing its own rules. GUEST LINKS Connect with Austin Herring: Instagram: @austinherring LinkedIn: austinherring Snow Story Productions: Instagram: @snowstoryproductions LinkedIn: snowstoryproductions Website: www.snowstory.com

What happens when the biggest technology shift in history collides with the way we tell stories? Guy Gadney has spent his career at that intersection. He's the CEO and Founder of Charismatic.ai, a company at the forefront of Creative AI for over 15 years, and has built and led digital businesses across international media and telco organizations through three startups. With Charismatic.ai, Guy is transforming how AI is used in film, television, and video games — always asking how technology can serve better storytelling, not replace it. In this episode, Guy and Pauline dig into the cultural fault lines of AI adoption: why some cultures embrace it and others resist, the bias baked into early AI datasets, and why "human in the loop" might be the wrong way to think about creative collaboration with machines. They trace the throughline from Shakespeare's touring troupes to interactive CD-ROMs to today's mobile-first, vertical storytelling — and unpack why the writers' strikes were never really just about AI. Guy also shares the origin story behind Charismatic.ai, the philosophy of "computer in the loop," and a closing thought that reframes the whole AI conversation: it's not about technical brilliance, it's about whether a story makes you feel something. Whether you're riding the tsunami or still standing on the beach, this conversation will change how you think about AI's place in creative work. GUEST LINKS Connect with Guy Gadney: Website LinkedIn X (Twitter)

What does insurance and risk management have to do with producing hit vertical dramas? More than you'd think. Maryna Bogdan spent nearly a decade in insurance while writing scripts and shooting short films on nights, weekends, and vacation days. Today, she's a Los Angeles-based producer whose credits include narrative films, music videos, commercial campaigns, and vertical dramas for Fox Entertainment — including Saddled with My Nemesis and The Secret Billionaire Garbageman , both co-executive produced for My Drama. In this episode, Maryna traces her path from a small town in eastern Ukraine to the LA film industry, and explains how her insurance background gave her an edge most producers don't have: an instinct for evaluating risk on every project, from stunts and animals to something as simple as where the equipment sits overnight. She and Pauline also dig into the realities the industry doesn't always talk about — the financial instability of freelancing, the physical toll of long shoots, and what work-life balance actually looks like for filmmakers. Maryna shares why she believes vertical storytelling has room for more chick-flick energy, and why she thinks verticals are poised to move beyond the app and back into mainstream, horizontal formats. The episode closes with Maryna's permission slip: her message to anyone standing at the edge of their own comfort zone, deciding whether to take the leap. Connect with Maryna: Instagram Tiktok

What happens when the person integrating AI into an industry is also the person most worried about what it might replace? Bethany Thomson has been sitting with that question all year. As Creative Lead at Sea Star Productions, she's spent the past year and a half helping build one of the UK's leading vertical drama studios — after landing in the space almost by accident, as a social media hire who'd never heard of microdramas before her first day. In this episode, Bethany and Pauline dig into the AI conversation shaking up the vertical drama world: the flood of AI-generated titles coming out of China, why the UK and US are responding so differently, and where the line sits between adopting new tools and protecting the craft. They trace a surprising throughline from old-school filmmaking — avid editing suites, pencil-and-paper script notes — straight to today's phone-shot verticals, and make the case for branded storytelling as the format's next real opportunity, including why a $150K micro-drama series can outperform a single day of traditional commercial shooting. Bethany also shares her own "next swipe up": moving from marketing into development, and helping brands find their place inside vertical storytelling. This one covers a lot of ground — the future of AI in entertainment, the economics of branded microdrama, and what it actually takes to build a career in an industry that's still inventing itself in real time. About Bethany Thomson Bethany Thomson is the Creative Lead at Sea Star Productions, where she pioneers storytelling in the emerging microdrama world and works to advance the industry in the UK. With a background spanning locations, short films, marketing, and music videos, she now leads the business and marketing side of Sea Star Productions while supporting production processes that reshape how audiences engage with stories on mobile platforms. Passionate about the future of vertical dramas, she works to inspire the next generation of filmmakers to think beyond the traditional screen and into an industry that is constantly growing and seeking new creatives. Connect with Bethany Thomson: Sea Star Productions Instagram Sea Star News Instagram Sea Star Productions LinkedIn Bethany Thomson LinkedIn

Angelina Barbieri is a first-generation Latin American actress with a career spanning film, TV, and comedy, including Transporter 2 , HBO's Ballers , NCIS: Los Angeles , Anger Management , NBC's The Night Shift , Rosewood , and HBO's How to Make It in America . After an eight-year break from the industry, she returned two years ago and pivoted into vertical drama, booking eight roles since October 2025 across platforms including ReelShort, FlareFlow, Shortical, GammaTime, MicroCo (aTwist), and PocketFM — and winning the Visionary Award for her role in Santos . In this episode, she talks with Pauline about reinvention, the immigrant hustle behind her career, the rise of brand integration in vertical storytelling, and what success looks like now. Connect with Angelina: IG Handle : @angelina_barbieri Facebook

Here are the clean Buzzsprout show notes (matching the standard template format, with guest links kept as their own section rather than folded in): Doug Vermeeren: Building the Cannes of Vertical Drama in Las Vegas What happens when a lifelong love of movies turns into building the biggest event vertical storytelling has ever seen? Doug Vermeeren has been on movie sets since he was a kid — from background extra work to stunt performing, from indie documentaries shot on Betacam to vertical dramas streaming on ReelShort. In this episode, Doug traces that path: growing up broke and sneaking snacks into the movie theater, learning the business from the inside while renting a room from a studio executive, and eventually building a career that's spanned drama, action, and horror across both traditional film and the emerging vertical space. We talk about what drew him to verticals — the speed, the built-in audience, the sense that this is a new format sitting alongside cinema and TV rather than replacing it — and why he believes the genre is only beginning to expand beyond its early "melodrama" roots into horror, comedy, documentary, and more. The heart of the conversation is Doug's newest project: the Vertical Micro Drama Market (VMM), a first-of-its-kind event taking over the Sahara in Las Vegas. Doug walks through what makes it different from the smaller festivals and educational panels that have served the space so far — a full trade show floor, major distributors ready to acquire projects, live casting sessions, and investors (including Doug's own Real to Real Capital) with real capital to deploy. Doug also shares hard-won advice for actors and filmmakers: how casting decisions really get made, why "tell, sell, and service" matters as much as talent, and why the smartest people in the industry are the ones who show up as collaborators rather than egos. He closes with some of his favorite origin stories from film history — George Lucas, James Cameron — and a challenge to anyone sitting on an idea: stop waiting for permission and start making something. This is a conversation about movies, about reinvention, and about what it takes to build something the industry hasn't seen before. Let's tell stories that connect. Connect with Doug Vermeeren: Website Instagram IMDb

Jessica Burkhart went from publishing 30 novels to writing full-time verticals in a year. She shares her pivot from books to games to screenwriting, how she learned to work within tight budgets, and why moving vertically—not horizontally—changed her entire definition of success. In this conversation, Jessica walks us through her creative journey: from middle-grade and YA novels to mobile games (Pixelberry's Choices, Chapters app) to becoming a Silver Telly Award-winning vertical drama screenwriter with 17 produced shows on DramaShorts, Shorts, and ReelShort. We talk about the biggest challenges (relearning pacing and economy of language), the biggest surprises (creative freedom without traditional boundaries), and the real work of balancing creative ambition with shoestring budgets. Most importantly: we talk about permission. Permission to try. Permission to pivot. Permission to move up instead of across. If you're at a creative crossroads or you've hit a ceiling somewhere, this conversation is for you. GUEST Jessica Burkhart is a Silver Telly Award-winning vertical drama screenwriter, best-selling author of 30+ novels, and mobile game writer. Her vertical drama series have been featured on most-watched charts across major platforms. Recent credits include The Sweetest Challenge (DramaShorts) and The Quarterback's Secret Princess (Shorts). Website Instagram

What does it look like to be inside a revolution before the rest of the world catches on? Daniel D. Newman found out — not by accident, but by spending 15 years living and working in China, where he watched vertical drama go from a niche format on metro screens to a global industry. Now back in the UK and fully embedded in the Western vertical space, he's leveraging everything he knows to build bilingual stories that travel. In this episode, Daniel walks us through the birth of vertical drama in China — from the dominance of Hongguo to the ecosystem behind platforms like Drama Box and the mechanics of a market years ahead of the West. He shares what surprised him as a filmmaker making the shift from landscape to vertical: the reframing of space, the dirty singles, the cliffhanger every 90 seconds. We also get into the real economics of the indie vertical filmmaker — what it means to have platforms willing to pay after a film is made, but not before. And how Daniel is navigating that gap as he develops three new vertical concepts and considers whether to lead with proofs of concept or go straight for the 50-episode mark. His background is unlike anyone else in this space: bilingual in Mandarin, bicultural by experience, and entrepreneurial by necessity. That combination has given him what he calls a "back door" — direct relationships with both the LA and China sides of the biggest vertical platforms in the world. If you're watching the vertical space and wondering who's already ahead of the curve, this is that conversation. Connect with Daniel D. Newman: Website IMDb Instagram Facebook TikTok X LinkedIn YouTube Watch Shanghai Sherlock on ReelShort: https://www.reelshort.com/episodes/episode-1-shanghai-sherlock-6a05e459cd4097f64401ce53-chbns769vv?play_time=1

What if the most important person in vertical drama is the one no one's putting in the credits? Adrion Trujillo would argue that's exactly the case — and he'd know. An award-winning writer, Adrion has shaped standout series and format-defining experiments across Pocket FM, Drama Box, and Pine Drama, from top-performing male-frequency sagas to bold creative swings. His most recent show, Chained to My Nemesis, is currently #1, arriving right off the back of Keep Your Ring, I'm President Now. In this episode, Adrion takes us from the years of writing specs and entering contests that never materialized, to a single Twitter post that opened the door to Pocket FM — and the moment he realized that "TV on your phone" wasn't a step down from his dream job. It was his dream job. From there, he and Pauline get into the real mechanics of the format: how a vertical writer's room actually works, why writers pitch from marketing moments before anything else, and why he believes the writer is the true author of vertical storytelling — even though the industry hasn't woken up to it yet. They also dig into the credit and compensation struggles carried over from traditional Hollywood, whether there's any such thing as "life after verticals," and what happens when Hollywood tries to walk into this space and add water. Adrion closes with grounded, specific advice for directors, writers, and producers looking to break in — and a reminder to stop internalizing the "no's" and build your own path. Whether you're already deep in the vertical world or just discovering it, this is a rare, candid look inside the machine from someone running at full speed within it. Connect with Adrion Trujillo: Instagram: @Trujelloforever TikTok: @Tru_jello If this one made you think, send it to someone standing at their own crossroads — a writer waiting for permission, a creator wondering if it's too late to change altitude. Let's tell stories that connect.

What happens when the cop arresting the actors becomes one? That's the story Kyle Maddox tells on this episode of The Vertical Reach Podcast. While working as a sheriff's deputy in southern Utah, Kyle spent a night on shift — in uniform, real handcuffs, real squad car — arresting actors for a feature film shooting in his city. Six months later, he'd moved to LA to pursue acting. Today he's an actor, writer, and police technical advisor who's been working in vertical drama since 2022. In this conversation, Kyle traces his path from law enforcement to celebrity bodyguard to vertical lead — and makes the case that the police genre is the format's most untapped frontier, one he believes will explode once it's done right. We get into what carries over from the badge (discipline, muscle memory, and the comfort of an on-set command structure), shooting The Duke's Obsession in Beijing, and why he's writing and developing a SWAT vertical with himself in the lead. We also talk about redefining success as fewer moves with higher leverage, and what it really takes to step outside your comfort zone. Whether you're eyeing your own reinvention or building in the vertical space, Kyle's advice is simple: trust who you've become, and just do it.