One of the Earliest Advocates for Vertical Talent
Interview with Maddie Grove from LEWK Management
Today's Behind the Verticals expert interview is part two of our interview with Maddie Grove, Talent Manager at LEWK Management. In case you missed part one, you can access it here.
But first, this week’s global vertical drama news…
👀 Spotted
AdAge: With brand microdramas, the talent layer is the real opportunity.
AI actors helped this micro drama app raise $100 million in financing.
Microdrama has a retention problem. Everything else flows from it.
Royal Television Society: Vertical dramas: should you be making them?
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🎙️ Interview with Maddie Grove
In the second part of our interview, Maddie shares her advice for newcomers and established actors looking to break into verticals, her predictions for where the industry is headed over the next year, and why branded content is the next big opportunity for actors. She also talks candidly about actor safety, and why having strong representation matters more than ever in this new, unregulated space.
You can follow Maddie and LEWK Management on Instagram.
For someone who wants to break into verticals right now, whether they are completely new or coming from traditional Hollywood, what does that path look like and how would they go about getting representation or building a reel?
I actually think it’s a great time if you’re brand new to the space to get in. At first, apps were really celebrating their stars and now, because of budget cuts due to AI and whatnot, they are wanting newer faces (because they’re at a lower day rate). So if you’re willing to play that game, you can win it.
So I do think if you’re a newer actor and you fit into the specs of what they’re looking for, go full force. Don’t think you’re above the script. I mean truthfully, many many scripts aren’t that amazing across all genres, so that’s not a unique-to-vertical problem. So get over your ego, get over your film school/ acting school prestige, your, “I worked on the best plays of all time” mentality- get over that. This is how you’re going to book work. Accept it, celebrate it, make creative choices. And have fun in your slate! That’s a newer trend. Now people are slating in character and that’s really resonating with vertical casting.
So yeah, now is a great time to do it. And if you’re an established actor in the horizontal space, you can make your way into verticals too. We’re seeing social media stars and reality stars as the first people who are really transitioning into the vertical space. Someone who let’s say already has a Rare Beauty campaign for digital, will probably be first in line if Rate Beauty wanted to make a vertical.
What are your predictions for the vertical drama industry over the next 6 to 12 months?
