HeyJaredThe Jay & Tony Show Show - Vertically Challenged
The Jay & Tony Show Show - Vertically ChallengedTwo partners. One podcast. Zero patience for stale TV.Hollywood talks a big game about "disruption," but the real shift is happening overseas, where short-form dramas, aka Verticals, aka Micro Dramas, are pulling in billions of…
- Indexed episodes, last 90 days
- 12
- Latest publication
- Sep 15, 2026
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- Earliest in this view
- Jul 7, 2026
Latest episodes
156 - Blink Like You Mean It: Acting For Verticals (opens the original)
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Jay and Tony get into the chaos of directing actors in the microdrama trenches, where forgotten lines, phone distractions, and big movements can derail an entire day. They break down how performers can actually survive fast-turnaround shoots, why vertical framing turns every eyebrow twitch into a backstory, and how the Kuleshov effect lets audiences project a whole reaction onto one controlled stare. They dive into facial recognition, stress management, and the delicate art of keeping actors emo
155 - The Vertical Drama Hype Machine: What's Real and What's Bullshit (opens the original)
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Jay and Tony unpack the gold-rush nonsense currently flooding the microdrama business, where every headline has a higher number than the last, and everyone suddenly owns a calculator from Fantasyland. They dig into the "$150 billion market" claim, how ad spend can shove AI-driven apps up the charts and make it look like a movement, and what is actual business versus beautifully packaged delusion. Along the way, they question whether big names play, and if names like James Franco are real audienc
154 - Throwback Tuesday: Don't Kill The Cast (Our Very First Podcast from 2014) (opens the original)
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Instagram : @vertically_challenged_pod_jtss It's late August, deep summer, and we're buried in production shooting a whole new slate of vertical micro-dramas. Since we didn't have time to record a brand-new episode this week, we're opening up the time capsule and taking you all the way back to September 2014. Long before AI, micro-dramas, and vertical video were things, we were just making TV and recording our very first podcast. Tune in to hear our inaugural 2014 episode, "Don't Kill the Cast,"
153 - The Production Domino Effect (opens the original)
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Jay and Tony crack open the production notebook for another unfiltered look at what actually happens when you shoot vertical micro-dramas on micro-budgets. One sick crew member triggers a full production domino effect, exposing just how fragile a skeleton crew can be. From there, things devolve into a brutally funny debate about set hygiene, communal crimes, catering politics, and the very real fury of background heavies who apparently not offered enough lean protein. Instagram : @vertically_cha
152 - In the Trenches of Vertical Drama: Heat, Hacks, and Moleskine Notes (opens the original)
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Recording on location from a sweltering Northern California ranch, Jay and Tony take you behind the scenes of shooting fast-paced vertical microdramas. Pulling direct observations from a pocket notebook on set, they break down the real-world mechanics of producing 9x16 content: why framing for vertical requires completely rethinking insert shots and cutaways, the logistical headache of turning long summer daylight into night shoots, and how the tight margins force tough decisions around AI visua
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