Vertical Content: Active Creators & Leaders Shaping The Format

Join us for a conversation with industry professionals shaping the vertical micro-drama space. Our panelists, with experience across top vertical content companies including Drama Box, ReelShort, and Alta TV, will explore the creative and production processes behind vertical series, why audiences are responding to this format now, and share actionable insights for writers, directors, and producers entering the field.

About Jenny Rosen:

Jenny Rosen is a Junior Development Executive at DramaBox, a vertical drama screenwriter, and a traditionally published author who has spoken on multiple international panels about emerging mobile-first media. Her verticals and web novels have surpassed 70 million views across Reelshort, Wattpad/WEBTOON Studio, and Alta TV. Her work has been featured in Deadline, Variety, The Guardian, The Times, ITV, and Der Spiegel (The Mirror).

About Kristen Brancaccio:

Kristen Brancaccio is a Los Angeles–based director, writer, and producer who began her career as a top 10 finalist on HBO’s Project Greenlight. She specializes in vertical dramas and has directed over 16 series for leading vertical streaming platforms, including ReelShort’s #1 hit shows The Senator’s Son and Summer Situationship. Most recently, she wrote and directed Heartstrings and Lies for DramaShorts.

Beyond vertical content, Kristen’s work spans digital, television, and music videos. Through Exit Twelve, she wrote and directed the SYFY digital pilot Resistance, co-directed the music video Baggage for Bishop Briggs, and produced the VMA-nominated music video Let’s Fall in Love for the Night for FINNEAS. Her short film Lost and Found has garnered over 3 million views on YouTube.

About Buddy Cavlo:

Buddy Calvo is a San Antonio-based director and producer and the founder of Machina Cinema, a production company specializing in narrative film and vertical micro-drama. He has produced multiple vertical projects in partnership with ReelShort and is focused on building scalable production infrastructure and workforce pipelines in Texas. Through Machina Cinema and TRL Productions (a 501(c)(3) nonprofit), he supports emerging filmmakers and helps connect students and early-career crew to real on-set opportunities.

About Kaelyn Armstrong:

Kaelyn Armstrong is a writer-producer specializing in romance and character-driven storytelling. Since graduating with honors from the University of Texas at Austin with a B.S. in Radio-Television-Film in 2021, she has been based in Los Angeles.

Kaelyn entered the world of vertical filmmaking by Assistant-Directing a set of vertical teasers in early 2024. She then served as a Production Assistant on the ReelShort series Do Not Disturb: Lady Boss in Disguise, and Casting Director for the Kalos TV series The CEO’s Contract Lover. From there, she served as Casting Director for multiple hit shows and has produced 8 shows as a vendor, including Doctor Boss is My Baby Daddy and Cohabitating Lover.

About the moderator:

Originally from Boston, Massachusetts, Ted Campbell is an award-winning screenwriter and director specializing in thoughtful, character-driven thrillers. Most recently, Ted wrote and directed the supernatural thriller "THIS NEVER HAPPENED" for Tubi. Ted is represented by Cameron Cubbison at Zero Gravity. He is a member of ISA’s Development Program and was named to ISA’s Top 25 Screenwriters To Watch list.

As a writer, Ted finds inspiration in the works of great noir writers such as Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, and Ross MacDonald, as well as his screenwriting idols Scott Frank, Shane Black, Tony Gilroy, and Richard Wenk.

As a director, Ted is influenced by New Hollywood filmmakers Brian DePalma, Francis Ford Coppola, and Martin Scorsese, as well as contemporary filmmakers David Fincher, Quentin Tarantino, and Steven Soderbergh. Ted is a graduate of Emerson College and lives in Los Angeles with his amazing wife and son.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

This panel will take place virtually over ZOOM. Ticket purchasers will receive a ZOOM link to this panel 2 hours before the published start time. If you don’t already have the ZOOM app, please make sure to download on your device before the panel start time.

If you purchase an All-Access Pass for our January Festival events prior to the date of this panel, you will also receive admission to this virtual panel, included as part of your pass.

If you are a current Annual Member of NFMLA, please email info@nfmla.org to receive a complimentary ticket to this panel. If you are not an Annual Member of NFMLA and would like to join, you can become a member here.