What turns a good idea into a truly captivating story — and how do you create real depth in a format built around speed, hooks, and cliffhangers? ✍️🎬

In this episode, I’m joined by screenwriter, director, producer, and bestselling author Isabel Dréan. Isabel’s fascinating journey has taken her from horror and psychological thrillers to Christmas movies 🎄and ultimately into the fast-growing world of Vertical storytelling.

We talk about how storylines for Verticals are developed, what separates a compelling story from a collection of familiar tropes, and why emotional depth and multidimensional characters still matter — even when episodes are only a few minutes long. 📱✨

Isabel is especially passionate about bringing powerful female characters to life and creating women who are strong, complex, and capable of driving their own stories. 💪👩 But she also speaks openly about the darker side of the industry: the shockingly low and unfair rates sometimes offered to screenwriters, predatory contracts, and platforms that take advantage of writers who are under financial pressure and desperate for an opportunity. 💰⚠️

Having explored digital and episodic storytelling long before today’s Vertical boom — including developing and producing more than 50 original web series — Isabel already understood years ago that audiences would embrace stories told in short, addictive episodes. Today, she shares that knowledge through her work, her masterclasses, and her bestselling book How to Write a Vertical Series in 10 Days. 📖

What does Isabel love most about writing? What gives a story genuine emotional depth? Why did she believe in episodic storytelling before the industry fully recognized its potential? And what needs to change so that writers are finally valued and paid fairly for the stories on which this entire industry depends? 🎙️

All of that — and so much more — in this honest, insightful, and incredibly important conversation. 🎧✨

Verticals from Isabel Dréan:

The Summer I Turned My Sexiest (Gamma Time)

The Prince and the Royal Wedding Planner (Gamma Time)

When Love Finally Found Me (Kalos TV)

The Blind Bride of the Scarred Mafia Boss (Vigloo)