Interview with Monika Dalman & Alicia Read
Leading by example
Monika Dalman and Alicia Read are two trusted resources and pioneers in the vertical drama space. Behind the Verticals sat down with them to discuss their various ventures and the state of the industry.
But first, the roundup of the weekly vertical drama news.
👀 Spotted:
Range Media Partners and Google’s 100 Zeros Launches Microdramas Initiative.
Harvard Business Review published an article about vertical drama.
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.
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.
🎙️ 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.
