But first, this week’s global vertical drama news…

👀 Spotted:

• Netflix plans to add a vertical video feed, use AI for recommendations.

• Blink49 Studios pushes into microdramas.

• TikTok pushes further into original scripted series with Sam Morgan & Vanessa Von Schwarz-led romantic drama.

• Charlie Chaplin’s ‘The Kid’ gets vertical makeover on U.K. Microdrama App TattleTV. If you’d like to learn more about TattleTV, you can watch our recent webinar here.

• Microdrama platform Verza TV shifts strategy just four months after launch.

• Why microdramas are big business.

• Buzz Leer to co-host sold-out Vertical Drama Love Fan Awards with Breakout Star Molly Anderson.

• ReelShort, Endemol Shine Brasil launch hit microdrama ‘Married at First Sight’ in Brazil.

• Spirit Studios unveils AI-Powered Channel “10 Minute History”.

• Micro-dramas become brands’ new play as they shift from virality to retention.

• The Rise of vertical storytelling as a book adaptation medium. Also, here is BuzzFeed’s take on ten books that would make addictive vertical dramas.

• Inside ‘Playback,’ a rare SAG-affiliated microdrama with a musical spin.

• Unexpected AI: Vigloo debuts fully AI-produced microdrama.

• Microdrama takes center stage at Cairns Crocodiles as FlareFlow data shows Australia is outperforming global markets.

• Casting microdramas: it’s gone Hollywood.

• Microdrama app VeYou picks up Bitz Films’ Elon Musk biopic as library grows.

You can support our work by becoming a paid subscriber. If you would like to work together, contribute a guest post, or have any vertical drama updates to share, send us an email.

Share Behind the Verticals

🎙️ Video Interview

Max Cannon has so far appeared in three verticals (Saving Nora, Princess Returns, Billionaire Twins) and Tristan in four (he appeared in Billionaire Twins alongside his brother Max, as well as in Desire Dies Hard, I Fell in Love with My Boyfriend’s Father, and alongside his real-life dad in A Virgin’s Deal with Her Sugar Daddy).

The young actors usually play younger versions of the lead actor, and in the Billionaire Twins production they play neighbour kids, where Tristan’s character is kidnapped because he is mistaken for Max’s character.

You can watch the full video interview below.

Read more

But first, this week’s global vertical drama news…

👀 Spotted:

• Issa Rae’s Hoorae Media sets first microdrama series ‘Screen Time’ in TikTok content deal.

• The National Enquirer’s archives to be mined for microdramas in new deal.

• Musical Microdrama ‘Playback’ unveils trailer and you can join the premiere tomorrow in LA. This is also an interesting BTS of microdrama editing.

• TikTok is hiring a Short Drama Content Business Partnership Manager and Script Planning & Evaluation Manager.

• Fox Entertainment CEO claps back at vertical dramas’ bad rap and looks to the future with Dhar Mann.

• Microdrama Platform ReelShort teams with Thailand’s AIS in first Southeast Asia telco deal.

• Great American Media partners with Minivela to develop and distribute microdrama slate.

• Ubisoft eyes microdrama market but considers it too ‘cheap’ to enter for now.

• A ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Top Gun’ producer is joining the micro drama craze. Read his pitch deck.

• Australian production company Ronde Media launches first reality microdrama.

You can support our work by becoming a paid subscriber. If you would like to work together or have any related updates to share, send us an email.

Share Behind the Verticals

🎙️ Interview with Jimmy Wu

Jimmy didn’t plan on pivoting to verticals. As a TV movie cinematographer, he had a career, a crew, and a pipeline. Then the industry-wide strike brought everything to a halt. When the phone stops ringing for a freelancer, he says, it etches itself into your brain.

In December 2023, he was approached to shoot the first vertical production to take place in Vancouver. The budget was low, the format was new, and he didn’t think much of it at first. But in the months that followed, he dug deeper and realized he was looking at a real, growing market.

“That’s when I knew I needed to make my pivot,” he says. “Not just for me, but for the people I work with.”

He hasn’t looked back. Today, Jimmy has around 30 vertical shows to his name and a growing reputation for bringing a cinematic eye to a format that hasn’t always demanded one.

Jimmy’s tip for those looking to enter the space: LinkedIn.

We talked about AI in vertical drama production, IP ownership, Vancouver as a filming location, and the current and future state of the industry. Read more below.

Read more

If you’d also like to contribute a guest post, feel free to get in touch via hello@behindtheverticals.com.

I Made a Workplace Comedy About a Failing Aromatherapy Brand. It Got 2 Million Views. Here’s What I Learned.

Nobody greenlit In-House.

No development deal, no network, no brand partner writing checks before we rolled camera. Just a thesis I couldn’t let go of:

Ads get skipped, stories get followed.

So we made it ourselves. Vertical mockumentary, eight episodes, 2 million views. Now we’re in development on Season 2. Here’s what I learned.

Read more

👀 Spotted:

• Australia’s blind spot: the rise of vertical microdrama everywhere but here.

• Onset Octopus claims UK vertical video first with ‘Cowboy Before Dark’ drama business model. Rewatch the recent webinar with the Onset Octopus team here. In other news: Cordula Schneider has also been appointed as Business Development Exec.

• Netflix reality star Park Min-Kyu makes vertical drama debut with FlareFlow’s ‘One Year Love’.

• Create London to unlock opportunities across vertical platforms and microdrama.

• ViX Micro is premiering seven new original microdramas in April.

• Financial Times: Chinese microdramas target US with familiar tropes for phone audience.

• Double Tap Films launches microdrama studio focused on mobile-first storytelling.

• AI-g…

Read more

If you’d also like to contribute a guest post, feel free to get in touch via hello@behindtheverticals.com.

Vertical Production Moves Fast. The Tools Didn’t. So We Reinvented Them.

Vertical drama has become one of the fastest-moving parts of entertainment, but the production infrastructure around it still feels stuck in another era. Teams are working on tight timelines, lean crews, and constant turnaround, yet prep still often happens through spreadsheets, text threads, late-night schedule reshuffles, and someone trying to manually keep the whole thing from falling apart.

That disconnect stood out to us. For a format built on speed, volume, and small teams, almost nobody seemed to be building infrastructure specifically for vertical creators like us.

And for people coming into vertical from more traditional production roles, that gap becomes obvious quickly. The workflows they’re used to were…

Read more

But first, a roundup of this week’s vertical drama news…

👀 Spotted:

• Harlequin to co-produce AI-generated microdramas.

• FlareFlow to present inaugural Vertical Drama Love Fan Awards in Los Angeles.

• Top 20 vertical drama apps in the U.S. (2026).

• Vertical dramas could replace soaps as talent training ground.

• TikTok is casting actors to make its own micro dramas as it jumps headfirst into the hot format. TikTok is also looking for a producer.

• Banijay steps into vertical storytelling.

• Inside a microdrama set as production and talent demands explode.

• Microdrama is not a passing trend but a structural shift in global storytelling.

• Report: How vertical microdramas are reshaping storytelling, monetization, and brand integration.

• A new opportunity for vertical drama creators?

• Kedoo signs microdrama production partnerships with Studio Quinze and Media Brighton.

• Why microdramas are a streaming media opportunity.

• is now a Substack Film & TV category bestseller. Thank you! You can also catch this weekend’s Short Drama Forum 2026 Q1 replay here.

  ---

🎥 Video Interview with Yuliia Vyshnevska:

Our conversation explores how Yuliia went from a single “wild west” experience on a vertical set to co-founding one of Vancouver’s fastest-growing vertical drama production companies. She talks about what it actually takes to run a lean, high-speed production and why treating your crew with respect isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s what keeps a fast-moving set on track.

Yuliia also shares how her and co-founder are thinking about AI, integrating it deliberately into post-production for things like product placements and VFX cost reduction, while making sure actor consent remains central to any use of the technology. And she offers her predictions for 2026, a year she believes will be “super, super fruitful” for verticals, with more platforms, more talent, and the first real signs of union involvement and major industry players entering the space.

Watch the video interview below.

Read more

If you’d like to contribute a guest post, feel free to get in touch via hello@behindtheverticals.com. Guest posts will go out as an occasional additional free newsletter on Thursdays

The Matrix Era of Short-Drama Platforms: Why Companies Are Launching Multiple Apps Overseas

Over the past six months, a subtle shift has appeared in global short-drama app rankings. While familiar leading platforms remain at the top, a growing number of new apps have quietly entered the charts. Although they come with different names and icons, their product designs often look strikingly similar.

At first glance, this may seem like a wave of new competitors. However, a closer look reveals that many of these apps are launched by the same companies. Rather than simple market expansion, this trend reflects a structural upgrade in the global strategies of short-drama platforms.

Instead of relying on a single flag…

Read more

But first, this week’s global vertical drama news…

👀 Spotted:

• TikTok is testing a new micro-drama feed, and its top shows feature AI zombies and gorillas in bikinis.

• Amazon MX Player rolls out microdrama service Fatafat as vertical video gains momentum in India.

• Screenburn launches Microtone, discovery and community platform for microdrama market.

• Meet Vurt, the mobile-first streaming platform for indie filmmakers embracing vertical video.

• Maks Chmerkovskiy dishes on action hero role in microdrama ‘Wild Silence’.

• AI Influence: pet and fruit microdramas take the internet by storm.

• How to Monetize Vertical Microdrama in the US.

• Meta hosted a microdrama marketing summit: Social Feeds Are Powering India’s Micro-Drama Boom: Meta-Ormax Report.

You can support our work by becoming a paid subscriber. If you would like to work together or have any related updates to share, send us an email.

Share Behind the Verticals

🎙️ Interview with Carin Smolinski

Carin didn’t come to vertical production looking for a side project. She came looking for a way to tell stories she actually wanted to watch, work alongside her son, and prove that independent creators could forge their own path in a space largely controlled by platforms. She is an actress, writer, director, and producer, often all on the same project, and she has been making verticals since before most people took the format seriously.

“Back then people really looked down on it,” she says. “But we were working. We were being paid to do the work we wanted to do and getting far bigger roles than we would have gotten anywhere else.”

That early commitment has shaped everything since.

Tides of Desire and the Costa Rica Shoot

Carin’s first vertical series, Tides of Desire, started as a small idea and grew into something much larger. She shot it in Costa Rica over ten days, working around a rainy season that brought near-monsoon conditions. The solution was a 5:30 a.m. start, a break through the hottest part of the day, and a return to set in the afternoon. Not ideal. Worth it.

The location was a deliberate choice. There had never been a tropical surf vertical before, and Carin wanted to do something different. She brought one actor from LA, kept the rest of the cast Canadian, and made a point of hiring locally in Costa Rica as well. The result was a cast with a range of skin tones, accents, and backgrounds that reflected where the story was actually set.

“Diversity is one of our key points,” she says. “And hiring locally connected us to the community instantly.”

The production was built around a different kind of set culture too. There was a cook preparing fresh food on location. A massage therapist came in for cast and crew. Boat trips through the mangroves. Surf lessons if anyone wanted them. Everyone, from the driver to the director, was treated with equal respect.

Some of this was possible because the production was independent. Some of it was just a philosophy. Either way, Carin is clear that it sets the tone.

“You have to treat people well,” she says. “And I would do it that way regardless.”

Directing While Acting

On her productions, Carin writes, directs, and acts simultaneously. The system that makes this work is built on preparation and clearly defined roles. She and her son Indiana, her director of photography, go through every shot in advance. They know the plan before they arrive on set. When she is in a scene, her first AD calls action. She calls cut. Indiana handles the technical read. She handles the performance.

Read the full interview below.

Read more

But first, the roundup of the weekly vertical drama news.

👀 Spotted:

• The Oscars had a bit about the vertical format.

• Range Media Partners and Google’s 100 Zeros Launches Microdramas Initiative.

• Harvard Business Review published an article about vertical drama.

• Charles Band’s Full Moon Features teams up with microdrama stars to launch vertical video label FMA Productions.

• Vigloo Debuts Fully AI-Produced English-Language Supernatural Microdrama.

• Vancouver Island will be hosting a vertical drama film festival this summer.

• Visionary Vertical Productions is looking for vertical producers. Also, keep an eye out for a Behind the Verticals interview later this month.

• ‘SupermodelMe’ makes history as first Reality franchise to go vertical with FlareFlow microdrama series.

• Daniel Kolitz is working on a story for the The New York Times Magazine about the rise of microdrama. He will be in LA from today until the end of the month and is open to hearing from people across the entire ecosystem. His email is here.

• Entries for the 2nd year of the VertIGo Vertical Pitch Competition are now open.

• Behind the Verticals is now also on Instagram and TikTok. Follow along if you like.

You can support our work by becoming a paid subscriber. If you would like to work together or have any related updates to share, send us an email.

Share Behind the Verticals

🎙️ Video Interview

From co-founding the Vertical Film & Short Series Alliance (VFFSA) and running Type Eh Media, to Monika Dalman's work in vertical casting and Alicia Read's work as a vertical actor, these two are leading by example and have generously shared tips, tricks, and insights in the video interview below. Some takeaways are:

• The Alliance exists because no one else was going to build it. When the vertical space started gaining traction, it came with a lot of skepticism about whether it was a legitimate industry at all. Monika and Alicia founded the Alliance to answer that question with action.

• Canada is more central to this industry than most people realize. The nexus of film and TV isn’t only Hollywood anymore. Vancouver in particular has become a serious hub, and Monika was instrumental in facilitating the first performers’ union agreement for vertical content there which was a global first. Navigating tax credits across provinces is its own challenge, but the infrastructure is being built, including outreach to government officials about what this industry actually is and what it needs.

• The primary vertical drama audience is women aged 30 to 65 and the industry is only starting to act like it. They’re the decision-makers for household TV consumption. And yet, as Monika pointed out, they’re rarely the ones producers and networks are calling. Most writers in the space are women. Most senior executives are not. That gap is the whole conversation.

• Women accept the posted rate. Men negotiate up. When roles go out, rates are a starting point, not a ceiling. Monika has watched this pattern play out consistently: female talent and their agents accept what’s offered or ask for less, while male talent pushes for more. Part of the Alliance’s work is changing that culture, both by setting minimum rates and by encouraging women to be more selective about what they sign on for.

• The male lead problem is real. There’s no shortage of talented women for lead roles. There is a shortage of suitable male actors which paradoxically makes it easier for clients to walk away from female leads who push back on rates, because the pool of replacements is larger. Monika was direct about this: knowing your negotiating position matters, and the math isn’t always in women’s favor.

• It’s not that older women get paid less, it’s that there are almost no lead roles for them. A clarification worth making: age-related pay gaps in this industry aren’t typically about lower rates for older actors. They’re about older women being funneled into supporting villain roles while lead roles go to younger talent. The problem is access, not just compensation.

Watch the full interview below.

Read more

The result is My Husband Led a Triple Life, a suspense drama with 40+ episodes in Season 1, a Season 2 scripted and ready to shoot, and active distribution negotiations underway.

But first, the vertical drama news of the week.

👀 Spotted:

• Monika Dalman has taken the most common questions she gets asked and created a pocket guide. If you have Kindle Unlimited, it is free. Next week, will also feature an in-depth video interview with Monika and her business partner Alicia Read.

• Lifetime gets into microdramas with Taye Diggs-produced series.

• muVPix is looking for vertical drama writers.

• AI Is changing how stories are developed and Vigloo launches AI-powered creator dashboard, setting a new industry standard for microdramas.

• Microdrama boom reaches the Nordics.

• How South Korean microdramas are trying to break into a China-dominated market.

• Meet the microdramas drawing in viewers and creating entertainment jobs in Canada.

• VERZA TV expands into sports.

• Chris Cannon spoke with Evan Shapiro about vertical drama and the creator economy.

• COL Group opens ‘Microdrama In A Box’ turnkey app solution at FilMart. got additional information from General Manager Timothy Oh: While most of the content is in English, it comes with subtitles and in some cases dubbing. Creators can also upload their own titles that they produce, and acquire additional shows either through COL Group or independently. The starting budget is around USD100k, which includes both the technology solution and a curated content package.

• More info on the Loop Premium open call featured last week: The platform is seeking completed or near-completed vertical micro-drama series from creators, producers, and studios, distributing them through a 50/50 net revenue share on a non-exclusive licensing basis, meaning creators retain full IP ownership. Creators handle their own production, while the platform focuses purely on distribution and audience growth. AI-generated content is not part of their model. They exclusively support creator-driven productions.

You can support our work by becoming a paid subscriber. If you would like to work together or have any related updates to share, send us an email.

Share Behind the Verticals

🎙️ Video Interview

Shannon K. Dunn and Ena Rodriguez O’Rourke navigated SAG before there was even a vertical contract. As union actors, they needed formal approval before filming. Since an official vertical agreement didn’t exist yet, they applied under a new media contract. This meant forming an LLC, submitting a partnership agreement, and going through the full SAG-AFTRA process. It worked. If you’re a union actor thinking about producing your own vertical, the path exists. It just requires paperwork.

Watch the full interview below to hear how Shannon and Ena navigated SAG contracts, intimacy on set, funding, and what comes next for their vertical drama.

Read more

Recently, had the opportunity to sit down with the team behind the highly anticipated new vertical app.

But first, a roundup of this week’s vertical drama news…

👀 Spotted

• The Vertical Drama Love Fan Awards 2025 ceremony will be held in-person in LA.

• Room 418 is open to reviewing horror and true crime projects (including early-stage concepts).

• AMO Pictures produces first vertical drama in Australia.

• GammaTime & Idilio partner on five Latin American vertical drama series.

• Microdrama platforms spend up to 90% of budgets on marketing.

• Microdramas in MIP London focus.

• Vertical Leap: Growing the free vertical drama business at Streaming Media Connect.

• Vertical d…

Read more

But first, this week’s vertical drama news and some more ideas from our matchmaking trial. If you are interested in connecting with the writers, just hit reply and will put you in touch.

👀 Spotted

• COL Group International expands microdrama distribution network with new regional partners, 1,700 title slate.

• MIP London 2026: microdramas overtake streamers in mobile engagement.

• VERZA TV appoints Ex-CBS Director of Daytime Programming Wendy Fishman to Vice President of Development, Micro-Dramas.

• Maksim Chmerkovskiy To Lead Vertical Series ‘Wild Silence’ For Holywater Microdrama Platform My Drama.

• Berlinale 2026 just confirmed what indie filmmakers already know.

• BuzzFeed jumps on the topic.

• Taye Diggs on vertical drama and CandyJar.

• Former NBA champs launch unscripted microdrama with Hidden Empire Film Group.

• Microdrama apps stand out on mobile: Here’s what the numbers say.

• Germany’s Constantin Entertainment’s vertical drama plans and some Berlin International Film Festival takeaways.

• Veteran vertical actor Buzz Leer has a vertical drama podcast.

• An entertaining take on vertical drama.

• LA Vertical Drama Market is looking for speakers.

• Vertical drama was mentioned in mainstream British media & vertical drama in the UK webinar recap.

• will be a guest on two podcast recordings this week.

You can support our work by becoming a paid subscriber. If you would like to work together or have any related updates to share, send us an email.

Share Behind the Verticals

🤝 “Matchmaking Service”

Evidence Left Behind

Logline: When a meticulous crime-scene cleaner discovers a piece of evidence the police missed, keeping it puts her and her small crew into a deadly cat-and-mouse between a ruthless killer and the lead detective obsessed with solving the case.

Bound to the Person I Hate

Logline: After a reckless Ouija ritual meant to bury their guilt over the death of someone they both loved, Anna is magically bound to Leo, the man she hates most, and who hates her back. If they move more than ten meters apart, their bodies shut down. Forced to live side by side, the curse escalates with every lie and accusation, turning survival into an exercise in unwanted intimacy. To break the spell, Anna must uncover the truth of the night that made them enemies, and learn to trust the last person she ever wanted to need.

Blood Moon Heiress

Logline: She’s half wolf, raised in the wild and hunted by the crown. He’s the cursed prince of Paradise End, forbidden to love her. Under the blood moon, their forbidden love could break an ancient curse and reveal a secret that could ignite war… or unite a kingdom.

🎙️ Interview with D’Arcy Smith

The change didn’t come from trend-chasing. It came from students.

About a year ago, D’Arcy Smith met with recent graduates in Los Angeles and asked how auditions were going. Their answer surprised him: nearly all of their auditions were now for vertical projects. At the time, Smith admits he barely understood the format. But once he began reading sides and watching the content, the need for formal training became obvious.

Vertical drama, Smith says, isn’t simply traditional acting reframed. The phone-sized image compresses physicality, intensifies emotion, and demands immediate clarity. Pacing is faster, scenes are shorter, and cliffhangers are essential.

“Even just switching from landscape to vertical changes performance,” Smith explains. “It changes how emotion reads, how bodies exist in the frame, everything.”

Read the full interview below.

Read more

​This webinar couldn’t have come at a better time, with both Channel 4 and The Guardian covering vertical drama in British mainstream media this week.

A big thank you also to our all-female panel (lovingly I referred to us as the Vertical Spice Girls 🇬🇧 #girlpower) consisting of Samantha Sun from ReelForce, Marina Elderton from EMC Productions and Tattle TV, as well as Octavia McKenzie and Liyanne Marie from ONSET Octopus.

This makes me excited for March, where we will be highlighting even more amazing women in the vertical drama industry around International Women's Day.

Read more

But first, a roundup of this week’s vertical drama news, and a friendly reminder that our first live webinar takes place tomorrow.

👀 Spotted:

• The Vertical Drama Love Fan Awards 2025 shortlists are officially out and voting is open until February 22.

• Filmology Labs, a $250 million studio built for content creation like vertical micro-dramas and AI-driven media formats is set to open in New Jersey.

• Why micro dramas might be the next radio content move hiding in plain sight.

• Microdramas’ breakout star: how Joseph Purcell found success amid the billion-dollar boom of vertical TV.

• Cal State LA partners with DramaBox to launch a groundbreaking microdrama academic course. In this context, next week is excited to share with you our recent interview with early adopter D’Arcy Smith.

• Crocs take step into microdramas with CAA.

• Instagram looks to tap into the mini drama trend.

• Netflix adds animated micro series.

• Actor John Lewis launches vertical entertainment app muVpix.

• Jill Maxcy is looking for financial partners.

• The vertical drama industry is at the core a tech industry using skillsets from traditional film and television. Just one of the takeaways from last week’s Center Stage Vertical Microdrama Panel. For the rest, see here.

• The late deadline for LA Vertical Fest submissions is February 21. The list of judges is here.

• Disney Launches ‘Locker Diaries’ vertical drama with characters from ‘Zombies’, ‘Descendants’ & ‘Phineas & Ferb’.

• Japan’s Nippon TV launches vertical video division Viral Pocket.

• Some food for thought.

• Thank you for making #7 and #4 Rising in Film & TV on Substack over the weekend!

You can support our work by becoming a paid subscriber. If you would like to work together or have any related updates to share, send us an email.

Share Behind the Verticals

🎙️ Interview with HOLYWATER:

HOLYWATER’s ecosystem uses AI for creation and incubation. What parts of storytelling do you still believe must remain strictly human, and why?

Bogdan Nesvit: For context, HOLYWATER TECH’s ecosystem reaches over 85 million users and includes My Passion (digital publishing and IP discovery), My Muse (AI-supported video experimentation), and My Drama (live-action vertical streaming). Together, these platforms form a fluid, multi-format content pipeline.

HOLYWATER TECH builds its products around a close synergy between creators and AI. AI is used to streamline processes and accelerate execution, while creators remain responsible for original ideas, storytelling, and creative direction.

In practice, AI delivers the most immediate impact in adaptation—moving stories from books to scripts to video—as well as in production and post-production, where data, automation, and tooling allow content to be created up to 10× faster and at a fraction of traditional costs. On My Drama, AI is primarily used in post-production and localization to scale content efficiently across markets. On My Passion, writers use AI to support research, planning, and drafting, while maintaining full creative control. My Muse sits at the center of experimentation, where AI enables rapid visual iteration, storyboarding, and format testing.

At every stage, storytelling remains human-led: books on My Passion are written by human authors; My Drama series are created by human writers, directors, crews, and cast; and on My Muse, stories are written and directed by people, with AI supporting the visual layer.

Overall, AI acts as a force multiplier across the pipeline—enhancing speed, scale, and learning—while creativity, narrative judgment, and taste remain firmly human-driven..

What’s the most surprising insight your data gave you about what audiences actually connect with and how did it impact your decisions?

Sasha Tkachenko, Head of Studio at My Drama: We see these insights on a daily basis. Some stories resonate strongly in books, but when adapted into series, audiences often respond better to different visual settings, new twists, or even entirely reworked dialogue. We’re very responsive to audience feedback and data, because it gives us the freedom to create stories that people genuinely want to watch.

You’ve expanded beyond fiction. What genres do you see fitting (or not fitting) the microdrama mold and creating your next frontier for vertical storytelling?

Read more

Sandra here. This Valentine’s Day, I wanted to express my sincere gratitude for your continued support.

As a token of appreciation, I’m sharing bonus content with you that was originally exclusive to founding members. Thank you for making this work possible.

I've conducted many in-depth interviews, both in-person and on video, that are waiting to be released over the coming weeks with more on the way. I'm thrilled for you to experience over the coming months. In March, we'll also be spotlighting exceptional women in the industry around International Women's Day.

Lastly, our first live webinar is on February 18 with more to come. The first webinar will focus on the UK, a market I have worked in extensively, where lots of exciting developments are currently happening. If can’t wait until Wednesday, we have also spoken with with Bethany Thomson from Sea Star Productions recently.

See you again in your inbox on Tuesday with an exciting interview and lots of vertical d…

Read more

But first, a roundup of this week’s vertical drama news, plus we’re hosting our first live webinar. More on that below.

👀 Spotted:

• Isabel Dréan's Vertical Series Incubator has secured a first look partnership with Embr Entertainment (platform partners include ReelShort, AltaTV, and MyDrama/Fox Entertainment), creating a one-of-a-kind direct pipeline from classroom to production. The March 13-22 cohort sold out immediately, though a few limited spots were just added. The next incubator session after this will run in April 2026. Alumni success stories include Alison Bonn, whose vertical drama series Love Score was recently produced by Embr for MyDrama. You can read our recent interview with Isabel here.

• Vertical fan favorites are officially going mainstream. Kirby Ellwood has shot her first network co-star role, while Noah Fearnley appears this week in the highly anticipated Love Story, inspired by John F. Kennedy Jr.’s and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s story.

• Center Stage is hosting a vertical drama panel later today.

• Watch Club is producing short video dramas and building a social network around them.

• L.A. microdrama studio launches with SAG-AFTRA vertical video project.

• Telemundo Studios launches mobile-first version of hit series Armas de Mujer on ReelShort. Also, ReelShort enters multi-year partnership with AR to support APAC expansion.

• CONECTA Magaluf–Mallorca has opened its international call for vertical projects.

• Platform voices wanted for the next next Short Drama Online Forum.

• Jill Maxcy is actively looking for the next company ready to test featuring brands in a microdrama.

• First German vertical drama series for TikTok launches.

• Holywater acquires AI-assisted VFX Company Jeynix, rebrands as Holywater Tech.

• Christina Richardson is looking for marketing support.

• ‘Television is dead’: Inside the rise and rise of vertical dramas.

• Harbour Rights has entered a strategic partnership with the vertical drama leader COL Group International.

• Lots of great vertical drama productions are currently in the works. Some BTS here, and here, and here.

• Join for a live webinar on Wednesday, February 18, 2026 at 9:30pm GMT (4:30pm ET / 1:30pm PT), Vertical Drama in the UK: Present and Future, featuring producers, writers, and casting executives working at the forefront of the UK microdrama and vertical storytelling space. More info and the registration link can be found here.

You can support our work by becoming a paid subscriber. If you would like to work together or have any related updates to share, send us an email.

Share Behind the Verticals

🎥 Video Interview with Jessica Jacoby:

For nearly two years, Jessica has been on the front lines of vertical drama creation. In our conversation, she pulls back the curtain what is equal parts an exhilarating opportunity and a creative pressure cooker.

From the mental gymnastics of shooting 30+ scenes a day to her vision for bringing genuine character complexity to a medium often dismissed as “snackable content,” Jessica makes a compelling case that vertical isn’t just a format. It’s the future. Just the stories need to change.

Watch the full video interview (46+ minutes) below, where we also discuss her current projects, what it's like to work in vertical and horizontal formats, her vertical-focused agency, and what's next for her.

Read more

In this 60 minute conversation, our panel will break down what is happening in the UK market right now, how producers are working with international platforms, and what the future could hold for vertical first storytelling.

We will cover production models, creative considerations, audience behavior, and commercial realities, with practical insights for producers, writers, actors, and creatives curious about entering this space.

Register for webinar

Panelists
Samantha Sun from ReelForce
Team members from Onset Octopus
Marina Elderton from EMC Productions/Tattle TV

Read more

Read more

Below you can find our video coverage but first, a roundup of some of the vertical drama news from the past few days...

👀 Spotted:

• Final Draft now includes a Microdrama template.

• WriteRocket IQ helps vertical drama producers and platforms analyze engagement and drop-off risk.

• Monika Dalman’s thoughts on branded integrations in microdrama.

• Carin Smolinski is hiring a vertical writer.

• Tattle TV & Ben Pengilly’s Onset Octopus Team For British Vertical Video Pact.

• Love the work, hate the slaps: Creators and fans wrestle with the dark side of the micro drama boom.

• New Digital Creator Africa Academy Targets Global Vertical Video Market wi…

Read more

But first, an exclusive offer for the Behind the Verticals community and a roundup of this week’s vertical drama news.

Women-only Vertical Writing Retreat Cruise: Exclusive 20% off Discount for Behind the Verticals Community Members + $200 donation

At a glance:
✨ Her Plot Twists at Sea
📅 April 27 – May 1, 2026
🛳️ Sailing from Los Angeles to Catalina Island & Mexico
✍🏽 Mentored by vertical storytelling expert Isabel Dréan
🎬 Focused on understanding how vertical series work, and actually writing one

Full details can be found here. Registration closes February 10.

To claim your 20% discount, simply note Behind the Verticals during registration. What’s more, Once Upon a Script will donate $200 for every storyteller who joins through Behind the Verticals.

👀 Spotted:

• Dhar Mann enters microdramas in new deal with Fox and Holywater.

• Alfred Hitchcock reframed for the microdrama generation.

• Microdramas go global: Meet the new wave of vertical video creators

• The rise of micro drama and why UK producers need to take vertical seriously

• How microdramas are influencing ad strategy—media lessons marketers should know

• Microdramas available for leasing.

• First speakers confirmed for the Vertical Programming & Microdrama Summit at Create London.

• Vertical drama genres are expanding to Fantasy, Musical, and more.

• Gammatime is looking for experienced writers.

• Laurie Catherine Winkel on filming vertical drama in Kyiv.

• Raw Ventures vertical content grant updates.

• Credits in vertical drama. If you missed our video interview with Bethany Thomson from Sea Star Productions, see here.

• A micro-reality series based in Austin, TX is hiring crew.

• Netflix is testing vertical video features for mobile.

• Beyond the hype: what the 2025 H1 overseas short drama report really tells us.

• Microdrama whitepaper produced by Ampere Analysis for MIP London.

You can support our work by becoming a paid subscriber. If you would like to work together or have any related updates to share, send us an email.

Share Behind the Verticals

🎥 Interview with Julie Tucker:

“The Golden Pear Affair” is a 55-episode vertical series, with most episodes under two minutes, featuring product integration for P&G’s Native Global Passport line to be sold at Target. The vertical series is currently viewable on its dedicated website.

Julie Tucker describes the integration as organic and “tongue in cheek.” Her background writing promos for soap operas like General Hospital and All My Children also proved valuable in striking a balance between entertainment and brand messaging.

What makes this project interesting

Read more