Let's talk about Verticals

🎙️✨ 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...

Have you ever wondered what a production company actually does in the vertical space — the exciting opportunities 🎬, the creative wins ✨, and the real challenges behind the scenes? I had the chance to sit down with Austin Herring @austinherring , CEO of Snow Story Productions @snowstoryproductions , for an in-depth conversation. With more than 60 verticals produced to date — alongside numerous c...

🎊✨ It’s Lunar New Year — and we’re celebrating with a very special XXL episode! ✨🎊 In this multicultural deep dive, we explore the cultural differences and backgrounds between Eastern and Western verticals — in the best possible company: Jieun and Tiffany from the podcast "Talk Drama to Me" @talkdramatome 🎙️🌏 While Jieun has been part of the vertical space for quite some time, Tiffany is stil...

In today’s episode, it’s practically a conversation among eight eyes 👀👀👀👀 — because Evan Camacho @evancamachoofficial and I are each joined by our dogs, Nero and Dion 🐶🐶 Evan tells me that he was anything but thrilled about his very first vertical shoot 🎬🔥 Low pay 💸, incredibly hot weather ☀️, a wasp nest 🐝 and plenty more made it a challenging experience. Understandably, he didn’t feel...

Today’s episode is officially hijacked — by Vertical pirate Nick Ritacco @nick.ritacco 🏴‍☠️ Fresh off wrapping the second pirate vertical ever (after @beneathcrimsonsailsvertical ), Nick joins me to talk about one of the most special experiences of his career so far. What little kid doesn’t dream of becoming a pirate at least once? Nick used to love dressing up as one — and now he’s managed to co...

It’s time for new storylines in the Vertical Space — and my guest Teig Sãdhãna and I couldn’t agree more: My heart surgery story deserves a full cinematic Vertical adaptation. With everything. Included. This story has it all:  ❤️ Drama  💞 RomCom  💔 Heartbreak (in the most literal way possible 😂) Teig immediately volunteered to play my cardiologist (casting = perfection). And we’v...