Before she became one of the most in-demand directors in vertical comedy, Paige Compton spent the final four years of her US Army service as Audio Visual Director for President Barack Obama. In this episode, she traces an unlikely path — running live events for two administrations, graduating from AFI into the void of 2020, and arriving in vertical drama right as the format exploded.

Paige has directed some of the biggest titles in the space, including Snatched a Billionaire to Be My Husband and Hold Me Tight, Mr. Firefighter — both #1 hits. We get into her “aha” moment watching Netflix, Warner Bros., and Fox circle the first LA vertical drama market, her surprise induction as a full voting member of the Television Academy, and her sharp, contrarian read on the craft: that right now, vertical isn’t really about storytelling — it’s about attention.

She also gets candid about the realities of the work: pay, set safety, the unions she senses forming, why she turns down projects she can’t put her name behind, and how AI is reshaping the back half of 2026. Plus practical, no-nonsense advice for anyone trying to break in — pick one lane, show up, and start now.

Whether you’re a filmmaker eyeing the vertical leap or just curious where this format is headed, this is a conversation about reinvention, momentum, and changing altitude.

Connect with Paige:
Website: paigecompton.com
Instagram: @dudette.director

He wrote the Dos Equis "Most Interesting Man in the World" campaign. Now he's one of the most interesting people writing verticals.

Thom Woodley has spent twenty years showing up early — to scripted web series, to interactive mobile, to branded content, and now to micro drama. In 2006, he created The Berg, one of the first scripted online sitcoms. He wrote hundreds of episodes for Episode Interactive. He ran branded content at CollegeHumor/Dropout. He was the first writer signed to the WGA's New Media Caucus. 

In this episode, Thom and Pauline get into the consultancy he co-founded, Hudson Vertical (https://hudsonvertical.com/), which now sits at the intersection of apps, brands, streamers, and investors trying to figure out where this space is going. They talk about why an advertising background may be better training for vertical writing than traditional Hollywood. They unpack burnout as spiritual misalignment, not overwork. They reframe disappointment as just an appointment that didn't happen.

And then comes the sea change: Thom shares why he was wrong about AI in verticals — and what shifted in the last few months that's made him a hesitant futurist.
In this conversation:

Why being early to every new medium has been Thom's accidental specialty
What the Dos Equis campaign taught him about writing for a three-second scroll
How Hudson Vertical works with apps, brands, and investors entering the space
The honest reversal on AI: why he no longer thinks audiences won't watch (or pay) for AI-generated shows
Burnout, stoicism, and the Buddhist case against expectation
His clearest advice for anyone hesitating to take a vertical leap

Connect with Thom Woodley:
Hudson Vertical: https://hudsonvertical.com/
Whether you're considering the jump yourself or trying to understand where this industry is actually going, this is a conversation worth your full attention.

What does it take to direct a feature film's worth of pages in a single day?

Thalia Kent-Egan would know. As one of London's earliest directors in the vertical drama space, she's been shooting at breakneck speeds since the format began booming in the city — where productions have tripled since January.

In this episode, Thalia takes us inside the chaotic, bonding, sometimes brutal world of vertical production. We talk about the technical adjustments — why mid-shots beat close-ups, how data shapes every creative decision, and the craft of shooting two cameras with no time for second takes. She also speaks candidly about the harder realities: industry instability, the sexism in director hiring, and how she protects her own creative voice while taking on client work that doesn't always reflect it.

As an intimacy coordinator turned director, Thalia brings a rare dual perspective — one focused as much on actor care as on craft. She shares why building lasting relationships with cast and crew matters even more in a format this fast, and how she stays grounded inside an industry that runs on adrenaline.

Plus: her own short films in development, a moment with Eve Ensler (V), and where she hopes vertical storytelling goes next.

Connect with Thalia Kent-Egan
Website: thaliakentegan.com
Instagram: @thaliakentegan

🌐 PAULINE GRAY STUDIOS
Where storytelling meets strategy.
paulinegraystudios.com | [email protected]

Carin Smolinski didn't wait for permission.

She self-funded, wrote, directed, and produced Tides of Desire, a 50-episode vertical series shot on location in Costa Rica — making her one of the few women in the world independently bringing vertical microdrama from concept to distribution.

In this episode, the WEC Films founder and ThirdWave Entertainment co-founder talks about rewriting the rules of vertical drama from the inside — reinvention at 53, the ethics gap she's pushing back against, and what she calls "the third wave" of independent, cinematic, story-first verticals.
A conversation about building something different in a space still being written.

🎬 CONNECT WITH CARIN SMOLINSKI
Website
Instagram
TikTok: @microdramamama
WEC Films: @wec.films
ThirdWave Entertainment: @thirdwaveentertainment

🌐 PAULINE GRAY STUDIOS
Where storytelling meets strategy.
paulinegraystudios.com | [email protected]

Let's tell stories that connect.

What does it take to become the go-to voice for an entire industry — right as the rest of the world is just catching on?

Jen Cooper found out. What started as writing reviews over Christmas break has grown into Vertical Drama Love — a platform that now includes a website, YouTube channel, international fan awards with over 16,000 votes from around the world, and VertFest, a full online festival bringing together creators and fans globally. And this year, it became her full-time job.
In this episode, Jen shares how she went from stressed-out viewer to what one director called "the first ever vertical critic." We dig into the real appeal of vertical dramas — the intimacy of the format, the dopamine hit of a complete story, and why the world feeling less safe is actually making these stories more important. She also breaks down where the industry is headed: new apps launching globally, the rise of branded vertical dramas, the diversity gap that still needs fixing, and why the shock-value content won't last.
And for anyone thinking about making the leap — as an actor, writer, or director — Jen delivers the most grounded advice you'll hear: be willing to start lower, learn fast, and get on set. Because in verticals, your work could be out in under two months.
If you've been wondering whether vertical dramas are a fad or the future, this conversation settles it.

🔗 Connect with Jen Cooper:
🌐 Website
📸 Instagram
▶️ YouTube
💼 LinkedIn

What do psychology, video games, and vertical dramas have in common? Rachel Zilberg.

Rachel is the Lead Writer at Shorts, where she develops and oversees original vertical drama series with a global team based across the US and France. But her path to becoming one of the format's most prolific voices started somewhere unexpected — a college psychology lab and a job fair that led her into narrative gaming.

In this episode, Rachel breaks down how she went from writing interactive romance at Pixelberry Studios to leading through a pandemic layoff, a war that scattered her team, and a pivot into an entirely new medium. She talks about learning Chinese storytelling tropes, managing writers across three continents, and why sunk cost fallacy is the secret engine behind vertical marketing.

We also get into:
🎮 How narrative gaming laid the groundwork for vertical storytelling
🧠 Using psychology to understand audiences, not just characters
🌍 Navigating cross-cultural creative teams across the US, France, and China
🎬 The stories behind Shorts originals like Keep Your Ring I'm President Now and Forbidden Attraction to the Billionaire
🔄 Why the "jack of all trades" mindset is a creative superpower

Whether you're a writer looking to break into verticals, a creative navigating a career pivot, or just curious about what it takes to tell stories for a global audience — this one's for you.

Connect with Rachel Zilberg:
Instagram
LinkedIn

🎙 The Vertical Reach Podcast
Hosted by Pauline C. Gray | Pauline Gray Studios
paulinegraystudios.com

Listen and subscribe!

What happens when a filmmaker stops waiting for Hollywood to call—and builds her own lane on a phone screen?

Kristen Brancaccio found out. In just 18 months, she's directed 19+ vertical micro dramas, landed the #1 show on Shorts for all of 2025 with Surrender to My Ex's Dad, and built a reputation as one of the most in-demand directors in the space.

In this episode, Kristen breaks down her journey from YouTube and music videos to becoming a vertical powerhouse. We talk about why narrative on your phone actually works now (when Quibi and YouTube Red couldn't crack it), how data-driven tech companies are reshaping storytelling, and what it really takes to direct a full movie in two to three weeks of prep.

Kristen also shares why she sees verticals as Hollywood's new playground—a cheap, fast IP incubator where today's micro drama could become tomorrow's feature film. Plus, practical advice for anyone looking to break in: get on set, stay flexible, and don't wait for permission.

Whether you're a filmmaker exploring verticals or just curious about what's next in entertainment, this one's a roadmap.

🔗 Connect with Kristen Brancaccio:
Instagram
Watch Heartstrings and Lies on DramaShorts
Watch Surrender to My Ex's Dad on Shorts


🎙️ The Vertical Reach Podcast
Hosted by Pauline Gray | Pauline Gray Studios

Let's tell stories that connect.

Dana Protsyshak is the founder of Dana Productions, the LA Vertical Drama Market, and Vert-I-Go Media, and co-founder of the International Academy of Vertical Arts, introducing the Apollo Awards — the inaugural industry awards dedicated exclusively to vertical storytelling. With 30+ vertical projects across writing, development, and production, Dana is one of the leading voices shaping vertical drama in North America. She regularly evaluates series and creators for festivals, studios, and acquisition platforms, and develops original vertical projects with international teams across North America and Europe. This May, she's launching the 2nd Edition of LAVDM and the Vert-I-Go app, a creator-friendly platform built specifically for vertical drama.

In this episode, Pauline and Dana discuss what it means to build industry infrastructure from scratch in a space most people were dismissing just a year ago — and how Dana moved from web novels and script supervising to becoming one of the vertical world's most prolific builders. Dana shares how she overcame the fear of launching the market when people told her to cancel, why she gave up steady script supervising work to bet on herself, and how telling people her plans before she was ready became her strategy for commitment. They explore why verticals sit at the intersection of technology, human behavior, and entertainment, how real-time data gives creators an advantage traditional studios can't match, and why the deepest creative work requires writers to stop hiding behind glass and live through their characters.

Connect with Dana: 

Instagram

LinkedIn

Dana Productions

Vert-I-Go Media