Sano's path into film started with an open casting call for "fit Japanese males in the Lower Mainland." Two weeks later he was at boot camp for Shogun, learning 1600s weaponry and etiquette, and spending six months on set beside the main cast. Then IATSE 891 asked why he was there. Today he's the union's lead organizer, and in this episode of Beyond the Hook, host Tarak sits down with him at the Canadian Vertical Film Festival to talk about the people behind the camera.

Sano explains why IATSE 891 chose to back the very first CVFF as a gold sponsor (his answer is the Victoria filmmaking community), why safety is the first thing to go on lower-budget sets and what unions can do about it in a new medium, and how vertical storytelling can open the door to communities that have never had the resources to tell their own stories, from Indigenous communities across BC to the Italian families who settled in Trail. He also walks through what IATSE 891 actually does for someone trying to turn a passion into a career, from the application and credential process to training, health benefits and retirement. Plus his one-line answer to what the future of the industry depends on.

Beyond the Hook is brought to you by the Canadian Vertical Film Festival. 

Media sponsor: Townley Visual Media

Made possible by Victoria International Marina, IATSE Local 891, ACFC West Local 2020 and the Actsafe Safety Association. Full article and links at verticalfilmfest.ca.

John McLean, president of theWorkbook, on why vertical drama is here to stay, where the money is going, and what actually builds an acting career.

In the first episode of Beyond the Hook, host Shera Skinner sits down with John McLean, president of theWorkbook, recorded live at the Canadian Vertical Film Festival 2026 in Victoria, BC. John explains how a wave of casting calls for vertical actors in late 2024 pushed theWorkbook to research the format, and why by the end of 2025 they had concluded vertical is not a fad but a new media type that will live alongside film and television. 

He walks through the two gaps his team found in the vertical space, education and investment capital, and how theWorkbook is now filling both: a dedicated magazine edition streamed to 21 countries, and Creator Capital, a fund that invests alongside producers so they own a share of the IP instead of just earning a fee. He also shares what platforms are really looking for when you pitch them (hint: one project is rarely enough), why he would become a creator if he were starting today, and what separates actors who build lasting careers from those who don't. 

Plus a look at My Performance, theWorkbook's new Moneyball-style dashboard that gives actors data on their own auditions, and John's answer to what makes vertical storytelling so addictive.

Tune in now to "Beyond The Hook!"

Beyond the Hook is brought to you by the Canadian Vertical Film Festival. 

Media sponsor: Townley Visual Media

Made possible by Victoria International Marina, IATSE Local 891, ACFC West Local 2020 and the Actsafe Safety Association. Full article and links at verticalfilmfest.ca.