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PODCAST

Inside Vertical Short Dramas

Short Drama Alliance with Maggie Han

🎙️ Go behind the scenes of the global vertical short drama boom.Hosted by producer Maggie Han, founder of the Short Drama Alliance, this podcast explores the rise of vertical short dramas through interviews with creators, producers, and industry leaders worldwide.Featuring conversations from the Short Drama Forum and the YouTube channel Short Drama Decode.Find us on Tiktok,Instagram, Facebook,X or threads — just search Short Drama Alliance.

tv & film film interviews

All Episodes

36:14

25Q4 | Vertical Dramas Aren’t TV: Kristen Brancaccio...

Inside Vertical Short Dramas ·

2025/12/18

Today’s episode features a conversation from our 2025 Q4 Short Drama Forum with Kristen Brancaccio — a writer-director who has created 16+ vertical dramas across major U.S. platforms, and one of the emerging creative voices shaping the fast-paced directing language of vertical storytelling. In this interview, Kristen shares how she transitioned from TV pilots and YouTube into vertical formats, why pacing and emotional turns matter every 10–15 seconds, and how she balances genre tropes, production

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30:26

25Q4 | The Vertical Gold Rush: Dana Protsyshak on the...

Inside Vertical Short Dramas ·

2025/12/17

Today’s episode features a conversation from our 2025 Q4 Short Drama Forum with Cypress Bai — founder of Storypod Studio, former Head of Content & Production at DramaWave, and one of the key writer-producers shaping the English-language vertical drama landscape. In this interview, Cypress shares how she first entered the vertical space, how she approaches adapting Chinese and English web novels, and why structure, rhythm, and emotional clarity matter even more in short dramas.We also talk about

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11:42

25Q4 | From BL/GL Fandom to Global Reach: Jeebok Park...

Inside Vertical Short Dramas ·

2025/12/16

Today’s episode features a conversation from our 2025 Q4 Short Drama Forum with Jeebok Park — the founder of the global micro-drama platform Shortime and Shortime Studio. Jeebok talks about what makes short dramas fundamentally different from film and TV, why emotional engagement matters more than any metric, and how BL/GL fandoms became the foundation of their global growth. We also discuss how Shortime works with creators around the world, what types of stories travel best, and why he believes

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46:33

24Q4 | Writing Vertical Stories: Cypress Bai on...

Inside Vertical Short Dramas ·

2025/12/15

Today’s episode features a conversation from our 2025 Q4 Short Drama Forum with Cypress Bai — founder of Storypod Studio, former Head of Content & Production at DramaWave, and one of the key writer-producers shaping the English-language vertical drama landscape. In this interview, Cypress shares how she first entered the vertical space, how she approaches adapting Chinese and English web novels, and why structure, rhythm, and emotional clarity matter even more in short dramas.We also talk about

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38:39

25Q4 | What Fans Want: Jen Cooper on Story Shifts,...

Inside Vertical Short Dramas ·

2025/12/14

Today’s episode comes from our 2025 Q4 Short Drama Forum,Featuring Jen Cooper — founder of Vertical Drama Love, a global vertical-drama advocate, media commentator, and one of the most influential community-builders in the space.In this conversation, Jen shares how she entered the industry as a fan and became a bridge between creators and audiences worldwide. We discuss fan behavior, global viewing trends, the rise of vertical-drama awards and festivals, and how fan feedback is shaping what gets

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22:18

25Q4 | Directing the Soap Opera 2.0 Mauricio Osaki on...

Inside Vertical Short Dramas ·

2025/12/13

Today’s episode features a conversation from our 2025 Q4 Short Drama Forum,with Mauricio Osaki — filmmaker and creative director of Lupi Films, where he develops original short dramas and leads localization for multiple global platforms. In this interview, Mauricio shares how he first entered the vertical-drama space, what makes mobile-first storytelling fundamentally different from film and television, and why he believes the essence of short dramas is a modern, mobile version of the soap opera. We

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40:19

25Q4 | How 9:16 Productions Builds High-Performance...

Inside Vertical Short Dramas ·

2025/12/12

Today’s episode comes from our 2025 Q4 Short Drama Forum,featuring Max Jiang and Joy Quinn, co-owners of 9:16 Productions, one of the most organized vertical-drama teams in the U.S. In this interview, they discuss how they approach performance, pacing, casting, and localization for mobile-first audiences—and why new genres like horror and thriller may be the next frontier in vertical dramas. Let’s dive in.📘 Want to dive deeper into the storytelling logic behind global short dramas?Check out my book

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29:22

25Q4 | Inside Vertical Casting: How Monika Dalman...

Inside Vertical Short Dramas ·

2025/12/11

Today’s episode features a conversation from our 2025 Q4 Short Drama Forum,with Monika (Whitney) Dalman — a Casting Director, industry consultant, and producer who has worked on more than 80 vertical microdramas across multiple global platforms. In this interview, Monika breaks down how vertical casting really works, what production teams often overlook when adapting film/TV workflows to microdramas, and why performance, safety, and communication matter even more in this fast-turnaround format. We

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10:09

25Q4 | AI Motion Comics & the Next Wave of Short...

Inside Vertical Short Dramas ·

2025/12/10

Today’s episode comes from our 2025 Q4 Short Drama Forum, featuring Lucas Zhang, CEO & Founder of Daogu Entertainment and co-founder of Dramago. Lucas has been at the forefront of China’s short-drama evolution — from live-action vertical series to AI-powered motion comics — and his teams have worked across the full pipeline: writing, production, post, distribution, and long-tail monetization. In this conversation, he breaks down:what truly differentiates short dramas from traditional film &

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33:40

25Q4 | From Viral Roles to Producing: Kasey Esser on...

Inside Vertical Short Dramas ·

2025/12/10

Today’s episode features a conversation from our 2025 Q4 Short Drama Forum with Kasey Esser — an actor and producer recognized by Rolling Stone as one of the breakout stars of the vertical drama industry. Kasey shares how he entered the U.S. vertical-drama space early on, what he’s learned from starring in viral hits like Fated to My Forbidden Alpha and Love in the Shadows, and why pacing, romance, and emotional clarity matter so much on a mobile screen. We also talk about the rise of

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51:11

25Q4 | DramaBox’s Creative Engine: Jenny Rosen on...

Inside Vertical Short Dramas ·

2025/12/09

From the Short Drama Forum 2025 Q4In this episode, we share a conversation from our 2025 Q4 Short Drama Forum with Jenny Rosen —Junior Development Executive at DramaBox, vertical drama screenwriter, and traditionally published author.Jenny’s vertical dramas and web novels have generated over 70 million views across ReelShort and Wattpad/WEBTOON Studio, with her work featured in The Guardian, The Times, ITV, and Der Spiegel.In this interview, Jenny discusses:How she approaches writing for

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43:54

S2E14 | Forum 25Q3 — Inside Platform Playbooks:...

Inside Vertical Short Dramas ·

2025/09/21

📘 New release: Short Drama Writing 101: From Industry Logic to Social Psychology — a 36-page practical guide on short dramas. Covers audience psychology, social trends, scriptwriting methods, paywalls, and ad-driven business models.Available in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese👉 Get your Eng copy here: 🔗 https://payhip.com/b/K82oz👉 Available in multiple languages: payhip.com/ShortDramaAllianceIn this episode, we speak with Jeannie He, a short drama producer with over 8 years of experience

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15:56

S2E13 | Forum 25Q3 — Latin America’s Rise in Short...

Inside Vertical Short Dramas ·

2025/09/20

📘 New release: Short Drama Writing 101: From Industry Logic to Social Psychology — a 36-page practical guide on short dramas. Covers audience psychology, social trends, scriptwriting methods, paywalls, and ad-driven business models.Available in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese👉 Get your Eng copy here: 🔗 https://payhip.com/b/K82oz👉 Available in multiple languages: payhip.com/ShortDramaAllianceChristy Wang is a PGA producer, angel investor, and entrepreneur. She is the founder of Tiklatam,

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50:10

S2E12 | Forum 25Q3 — Cracking the Code: Localizing...

Inside Vertical Short Dramas ·

2025/09/20

📘 New release: Short Drama Writing 101: From Industry Logic to Social Psychology — a 36-page practical guide on short dramas. Covers audience psychology, social trends, scriptwriting methods, paywalls, and ad-driven business models.Available in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese👉 Get your Eng copy here: 🔗 https://payhip.com/b/K82oz👉 Available in multiple languages: payhip.com/ShortDramaAllianceIn this episode, we talked with Brandan Dennehy, a pioneer in serialized audio and vertical

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48:40

S2E10| Forum 25Q3 — “Makeup Sex" & short dramas: How...

Inside Vertical Short Dramas ·

2025/09/19

📘 New release: Short Drama Writing 101: From Industry Logic to Social Psychology — a 36-page practical guide on short dramas. Covers audience psychology, social trends, scriptwriting methods, paywalls, and ad-driven business models.Available in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Turkish.👉 Get your Eng copy here: 🔗 https://payhip.com/b/K82oz👉 Available in multiple languages: payhip.com/ShortDramaAllianceThis episode comes from the Short Drama Forum 2025 Q3 Edition, a global roundtable

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19:39

S2E9 | Forum 25Q3 — From Hollywood to Vertical Hits:...

Inside Vertical Short Dramas ·

2025/09/03

Today’s episode features Chris Wicke, a 25-year veteran of the film and TV industry and the founder of Embr Entertainment. Chris has been producing vertical mini dramas for platforms like ReelShort and Salty TV, with hits such as Truth or Dare (which ranked #4 on Salty TV) and Married to the Assassin. Before founding Embr, he produced vertical dramas at Be Here Media and has since built Embr Entertainment to focus exclusively on short drama production. With a background spanning film, television,

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18:52

S2E8 | Short Drama Forum 2025 Q3 — Steph: A Canadian...

Inside Vertical Short Dramas ·

2025/08/30

In this episode, we feature a conversation from the Short Drama Forum 2025 Q3 Edition with Steph, a Toronto-based multi-hyphenated director and producer reshaping vertical storytelling with cinematic flair, emotional depth, sharp pacing, and a no-compromise approach to short-form drama. With nearly 15 years in film and media, Steph entered vertical dramas two years ago and has since worked on multiple series across Canada. She brings both creative and critical perspective, especially on how female

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37:05

S2E7 | Short Drama Forum 2025 Q3 — From Boys’ Love to...

Inside Vertical Short Dramas ·

2025/08/30

In this episode, we feature a conversation from the Short Drama Forum 2025 Q3 Edition with Emma Wang, Executive Producer and Head of Content, and Ben Pengilly, CEO and Founder of On Set Octopus.Emma Wang is the Executive Producer and Head of Content at Onset Octopus, where she leads the project-based writer team and oversees the full process from development to release. As an award-winning screenwriter, she has created multiple hit vertical dramas and brings strong bilingual expertise in both

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30:14

S2E6 | Short Drama Forum 2025 Q3 — Drama Shorts:...

Inside Vertical Short Dramas ·

2025/08/29

In this episode, we sit down with Leonid (Leo) Ovdiienko, Co-Founder and CEO of Drama Shorts, one of the fastest-growing vertical drama platforms outside of Asia. Leo started with Alpha Novel, a marketplace for web novels, and quickly pivoted into producing short dramas based on popular IP. Today, Drama Shorts is ranked among the top 15 players worldwide, with an ambitious goal to break into the top 3 this year. The company is producing over 50 exclusive titles across Europe, the U.S., and Ukraine —

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22:22

S2E5 | Short Drama Forum 2025 Q3 — Dana Protsyshak on...

Inside Vertical Short Dramas ·

2025/08/29

Today’s episode features a conversation from the Short Drama Forum 2025 Q3 Edition, where I interviewed Dana Protsyshak, a Los Angeles-based filmmaker, former screenwriter, and founder of VertIGo. After years of writing and producing vertical content, Dana is now shifting her focus to building bridges across the global vertical drama industry. In this episode, Dana shares her journey from storytelling to community-building and introduces the LA Vertical Drama Market, the first-ever in-person

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73 results

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