Let's talk about Verticals

A true Vertical Queen is my guest today: Emma Reinagel 👑✨ The action, adventure, and fighting enthusiast shines not only in werewolf verticals but also in “Kiss of the Pirate King” — and she’s nothing short of a queen in these stories. Her performances are genuinely captivating, and what makes her stand out even more is how often she portrays characters who evolve into powerful, unstoppable wome...

A great Vertical lives and dies by its story and script 🎬✨  And when you’re bringing an entirely new genre to life, creativity becomes everything. In today’s episode, I’m joined by someone who truly embodies creativity – Scotty Mullen 🎭🔥 Actor, writer, and casting director, Scotty talks to me about his latest project “Kiss of the Pirate King” (releasing May 8 on MyDrama) ⚓🏴‍☠️ We dive i...

Today, we’re once again going behind the scenes 🎬 – shining a light on the people who truly bring a Vertical to life. This time, I sat down with Amy Casazza ✨ And what can I say? Someone who is Head of Hair, Makeup & Special Effects definitely has a lot of stories to tell 💄🎨😉 Originally, Amy started out in the bridal industry 👰‍♀️ before finding her way into film almost by accident – and...

We’ve wrapped up Easter and already moved past the fourth month of the (vertical) year — and April definitely delivered a lot to unpack 📊  Beyond our usual categories, this month calls for a broader, more critical perspective. One of the most defining trends right now is the growing impact of AI on the vertical ecosystem 🤖 From content production to storytelling structures and scaling capab...

🎙️ In today’s episode, I’m joined by model and actor Volodymyr Pielikh—thanks to Bianca from UAFandom for making this conversation happen 🙌 We dive into his journey into the vertical world after years of modeling and appearing in TV commercials, his very first shoot, and his first werewolf vertical 🐺 With refreshing honesty, we talk about the acting challenges behind verticals—what can make them...

🎙️✨ In today’s episode, actress Mary Foster @mary_jacqq joins me as we dive into her journey in the vertical space, her broader acting career, and everything that comes with it. Many of you might know her from her iconic villain roles 😈 — but thanks to the wide variety within vertical storytelling, she’s also taken on the role of the best friend 💕 more than once. She truly enjoys both sides and...

A bucket list for 2026 is a beautiful thing – and it truly comes alive when you keep adding new goals to it. ✨ Max Shusterman is my guest, and together we’re adding fresh items to his bucket list. One we can already check off: recording a podcast episode together. ✔️🎙️ When his dream of becoming a professional ice hockey player didn’t work out, Max decided after college to fully focus on acting a...

🎙️ New Fan Episode – featuring Vicky from Verti. Verse What would the vertical industry be without its audience? That’s exactly what I dive into in this new episode with Vicky from Verti. Verse – and so much more. Vicky entered the vertical space quite early – like many others: she saw an ad, just wanted to take a quick look… and that was it, she was hooked. Since then, she has watched countless v...

A light European breeze runs through this episode, as American-Irish actor Aidan Farren joins me 🎙️🇪🇺 We talk about his experiences shooting verticals in China 🇨🇳, his ambition to break into European vertical productions, and what it’s really like to watch his own work on screen 🎬 Of course, we dive into the classic tropes—“Proposals” 💍 and “Towel Drops” 😏—and explore what no vertical story can...

It’s finally happening: the first pirate ship is setting sail into the rough Vertical seas! ⚓️🌊 I had the chance to speak exclusively in advance with four of the key people behind the project.  Julie Bruns Nic Westaway Steven Kammerer Rob Hunt Together, we dive into the filming process, look back at how it all began, and talk about what an incredible adventure it was to bring this Vertical...

Are you in the mood for a mix of Canada 🇨🇦, verticals 📱🎬, and a full-on food tour 🍔🍕🌭—all combined with a generous portion of humor and fun? Then you’re absolutely in the right place with this conversation between Marcus Kelly Curtis and me 😄 ⚠️ Small trigger warning: There’s a very high chance this episode will make you hungry—and might leave you with a strong urge to plan a food trip to Ge...

It’s time for a new episode featuring another actress 🎙️✨ (actors have been dominating a bit lately 😉) Shanna Sinow took the time to have a wonderful and fun conversation with me about verticals 🎬📱  She knows exactly what it’s like to get hooked by vertical ads—and then suddenly needing to watch the full story, unable to stop 😄 So she truly understands the audience better than many other...

There are many paths that can lead to a vertical career — and today’s guest, Steinar Bakke, is the perfect example. Born in Norway, Steinar started his journey in the army before moving to the United States to study Software Engineering. After successfully working as a software developer, he asked himself: why not try something completely new? This mindset took him all the way to Australia 🌏, whe...

In today’s episode, I sit down with the talented actor Douglas Jung to talk about his journey and experiences in the world of vertical storytelling 🎬📱 Almost by chance, Douglas landed his first vertical role in 2023 through a friend—and he’s been hooked ever since. Fast forward to today, he’s already contributed his acting skills to over 40 verticals! 🚀 We also dive into a topic close to his he...

The first quarter of the Vertical year 2026 is already behind us—and it really feels like things are picking up speed. There’s no shortage of exciting topics and developments across the verticals, and plenty to unpack and take a closer, more critical look at. Curious about what didn’t quite impress us this March—and what completely stole our hearts? Then you’re in exactly the right place for my mo...

This conversation is one I could have continued for hours — TJ Wilk @tjwilkofficial shared so many fascinating stories from his life that I was completely captivated and rarely felt this thoroughly entertained. 🎧✨ A born drummer, TJ has already released two music albums (including on Spotify). In 2023, he entered the Vertical World as an actor — but his journey there was anything but ordinary. F...

A brand-new episode is just around the corner, and this time I sat down with actor Kyle Colton @kyle_colton89 for a deep dive into the world of vertical storytelling. With 50+ verticals under his belt, Kyle has explored nearly every genre imaginable—earning himself a fully checked Vertical Bingo Card 🎬 🦹‍♂️ Often cast as the villain (or as he jokingly calls it, the “useless assistant”), Kyle sha...

🎙️ From the very beginning, it was a perfect match – Michaela & Michael. Maybe it started with the name 😉… but in this episode, you’ll quickly realize there’s much more connecting us than just that. In this latest episode, I’m talking to Michael J. Gwynn @michaeljgwynn , a true Patriarch of the vertical space 🎬 He’s well known for portraying a wide range of father figures – from warm and car...

It’s time for another Fan Talk 🎙️✨ to find out what the audience – the people actually watching verticals – really think 👀 In this episode, I sat down with Amanda 💬 We talked about her preferences when it comes to verticals, the genre she’s especially drawn to 🎭 and what she’s less likely to watch these days 🚫 Her reviews mainly focus on “older” verticals – although, as she points out, that t...

His life almost sounds like a fairytale ✨. He even married a real (Disney) princess 👑 and together they have three wonderful children. Richard Sharrah sat down with me for a conversation about his love for acting 🎭, his experiences on set 🎬, his life, and his plans for the future 🚀. He has taken the Vertical world and its audience by storm 🌍📱. His trademark in Vertical series? Father roles....

🌏 As we all know, Down Under has caught the Vertical fever too – which makes it the perfect time to sit down with another Australian Vertical actor: Harrison Keen . The 2025 Rising Star nominee and I talk about the many opportunities that Vertical series have opened up for actors. From working abroad in China and Istanbul to what it was like filming a Vertical production in Australia – complete w...

Today, a supporting actor finally steps into the spotlight he has long deserved — Toby S. Pruett ✨🎬 With plenty of wit and charm, we dive into the many chapters of his journey before entering the Vertical Space. From playing a pirate in a theme park 🏴‍☠️ to working as a health manager on set 🩺, to performing as a stuntman in high-energy stunt shows 💥 — Toby’s career path is anything but ordin...

🎙️✨ Just before the New Year, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Alexandria Watts to talk about her journey as an actress, her work in Verticals, and her growing passion for writing. As a child, she was completely mesmerized by Titanic 🚢 — so much so that she even took classes about it! Her dream job back then? Oceanographer 🌊🔬. That dream lasted until her mother signed her up for a theat...

When six Vertical critics come together, it’s time to recap the past Vertical month – and this time, we’re diving into February 🗓️ Joining the discussion: * Michaela (Host) @lets_talk_about_verticals * Aline @i.love.verticals * Brittany @drama_ink_diaries * Shikha Dia @verticalviewweekly * Caitlyn @verticait * Meagan @realreeldrama Was the Valentine’s month really as cozy and emotional as the audi...

⚾ He once had his sights set on the Major League Baseball.�🎭 Today, he’s bringing characters to life on screen — and since 2024, he’s also adding his energy to the Vertical scene. My guest: Bryce Tipple @brycectipple Bryce’s journey took an unexpected turn when his grandmother suggested he try acting. He gave it a shot — and that was it. Baseball ambitions moved to the back burner, and a new pas...