Today’s episode comes from our 2025 Q4 Short Drama Forum,

featuring Yamile Vaena — a bilingual best-selling author from Mexico and a screenwriter whose career spans nearly five decades of storytelling.

In this conversation, Yamile shares how she transitioned from novels to vertical dramas, why the format unlocked new creative and financial opportunities, and what she learned writing for major platforms across China, India, and the U.S.

We talk about identifying ideas that actually work in one-minute episodes, how to design emotional hooks and cliffhangers, and why the global short-drama industry is now expanding beyond romance into thriller, horror, and new genres.

Let’s dive in.

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Try my online course — f— designed for grassroots creators and newcomers who want to understand short-drama storytelling in a fun, accessible way.

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