Vertical Dramas, Straight from the Source: What Actors Should Know from the 2026 Hollywood Movie Awards Panel

If you’ve been hearing more and more about vertical dramas and wondering whether they actually matter for actors, this is one conversation you should know about.

Earlier this year, Walid Chaya—actor, director, and Director of Studio For Performing Arts LA— spoke on a Vertical Dramas panel at the Hollywood Movie Awards, alongside casting director Paul Ruddy (a name many actors will already recognize), and platform leaders Yoko Chen (GoodShort) and Jenny Rosen (DramaBox).

The panel focused on one central question: What does the rise of vertical dramas really mean for actors? One of the biggest takeaways was just how fast this space is growing. Vertical dramas are no longer experimental—they are being produced at scale, with multiple projects filming back-to-back and consistent demand for talent. Paul Ruddy spoke to this directly from a casting standpoint, noting that the volume of projects continues to increase and that this is still very early in the lifecycle of the format. In other words, this isn’t a trend that’s already peaked—it’s one that’s still building. From the platform side, Yoko Chen and Jenny Rosen offered insight into why these projects work. Vertical dramas aren’t just competing with film and television—they’re competing with social media. Viewers are scrolling, and the story has only seconds to earn attention. That reality has shaped the format into one that favors big emotional hooks, heightened stakes, and immediate clarity. For actors, that means performances need to land quickly and read cleanly on a phone screen. Walid’s perspective brought the conversation back to the actor’s long-term path. He spoke about vertical dramas not as “lesser” work, but as a modern evolution of how careers are built—drawing parallels to earlier eras of Hollywood when actors worked consistently within studio systems and built visibility through volume and repetition. Today, that model is re-emerging in a new form, driven by mobile audiences and short-form storytelling.

For actors training at SPALA, this conversation hits close to home. The skills vertical dramas demand—emotional clarity, camera intimacy, adaptability, and efficiency—are the same skills that translate across film, television, and digital work. Understanding this format isn’t about chasing trends; it’s about staying fluent in where the industry is actively creating opportunities.

Panels like this are exactly why SPALA stays closely connected to industry conversations beyond the classroom. Our goal is to help actors understand not just how to perform, but where the work is evolving—and how to position themselves accordingly.

We’re grateful to the Hollywood Movie Awards for hosting thoughtful, forward-looking discussions like this one, and we’ll continue bringing these insights back to our actor community as the landscape continues to shift. For related events and acting resources, visit studioforperformingarts.com.