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The Vertical Reach Podcast
Hosted by Pauline Gray, an award-winning screenwriter and narrative strategist with over thirty years in commercial production, this podcast brings together the creators, innovators, and visionaries shaping the future of vertical film and microdrama.
As a Marshall Scholar with dual master's degrees from the London School of Economics and the University of Bristol's Film & Television program, Pauline brings both academic depth and industry insight to every conversation. Through her studio, Pauline Gray Studios, she has championed vertical storytelling as a powerful medium for brands, streaming platforms, and cultural institutions — proving that short-form content can deliver cinematic precision and emotional intelligence.
Each week, Pauline sits down with directors, writers, producers, platform executives, and creative leaders who are redefining how stories are told in a swipe-up world. Together, they explore the craft, strategy, and future of vertical content — from the creative process behind compelling microdramas to the business of building audiences in the mobile-first era.
Whether you're a filmmaker looking to expand into vertical formats, a brand seeking to understand the power of short-form narrative, or a storytelling enthusiast curious about where the industry is headed, The Vertical Reach Podcast offers the insights, inspiration, and connections you need.
Because great stories deserve to reach everyone — one vertical frame at a time.
Episodes
15 episodes
Ep 16. AI, Brands & the Future of Vertical Drama: Bethany Thomson
What happens when the person integrating AI into an industry is also the person most worried about what it might replace?Bethany Thomson has been sitting with that question all year. As Creative Lead at Sea Star Productions, she's spent...
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Episode 15. Vete Para La Calle: Angelina Barbieri's Vertical Hustle
Angelina Barbieri is a first-generation Latin American actress with a career spanning film, TV, and comedy, including Transporter 2, HBO's Ballers, NCIS: Los Angeles, Anger Management, NBC's The Night Shi...
Episode 14. Doug Vermeeren: Building the Cannes of Vertical Drama in Las Vegas
Here are the clean Buzzsprout show notes (matching the standard template format, with guest links kept as their own section rather than folded in):Doug Vermeeren: Building the Cannes of Vertical Drama in Las VegasWhat happe...
Episode 13. The Vertical Reach: How One Writer Moved UpUntitled Episode
Jessica Burkhart went from publishing 30 novels to writing full-time verticals in a year. She shares her pivot from books to games to screenwriting, how she learned to work within tight budgets, and why moving vertically—not horizontally—change...
Episode 12. From Shanghai to the Screen: Inside the Vertical Drama World the West Is Just Discovering
What does it look like to be inside a revolution before the rest of the world catches on?Daniel D. Newman found out — not by accident, but by spending 15 years living and working in China, where he watched vertical drama go from a niche ...
Episode 11. The Writer Is King: Adrion Trujillo on Who Really Runs Vertical Drama
What if the most important person in vertical drama is the one no one's putting in the credits?Adrion Trujillo would argue that's exactly the case — and he'd know. An award-winning writer, Adrion has shaped standout series and format-defini...
Episode 10. Kyle Maddox on Why the Police Genre Is Vertical Drama's Untapped Frontier
What happens when the cop arresting the actors becomes one?That's the story Kyle Maddox tells on this episode of The Vertical Reach Podcast. While working as a sheriff's deputy in southern Utah, Kyle spent a night on shift — in uniform, rea...
Episode 9. Paige Compton: From the White House to Vertical Drama
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 — runnin...
Episode 8. The Most Interesting Pivot: Thom Woodley on Verticals
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 ...
Episode 6. 20 Pages a Day: Inside London's Vertical Drama Boom
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 b...
Episode 5. The Indie Trailblazer Rewriting Vertical Drama's Rules
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 bringin...
Episode 4. From Fan to Industry Voice: The Rise of Vertical Drama Love
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 pl...
Episode 3. The Psychology of Vertical Storytelling with Rachel Zilberg
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. B...
Episode 2. Kristen Brancaccio on Why Verticals Are Hollywood's New Playground
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 ...
Episode 1. Dana Protyshak on Vertical Drama's Next Big Leap
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 exclusi...