Verticals: Love 'em or Hate 'em - They’re a $1 Billion Business - Sponsored by CineFi
MAY 1TARA THEATRE
romanceclassicforeignhorrorindie
Fri, May 1 · 11:30 AM
About
The film industry can be unpredictable. Your finances shouldn’t be. CineFi is a modern fully digital personal banking credit union built for behind-the-scenes film industry professionals who believe financial stability shouldn’t be a casualty of their creative freelance pursuits. No minimum balance requirements, monthly service fees, or foreign transaction fees. CineFi will present a 15 minute conversation on their move into the Atlanta market from LA, and how their credit union is the perfect choice for your digital banking needs as a freelancer. Creative Conference Director and Former Producer Linda Burns will chat with Daniel Arita, Senior Vice President of Digital Innovation & Transformation at First Entertainment Credit Union and CineFi, where he leads the strategy, development, and execution of CineFi’s digital‑first banking model. In this role, Daniel is accountable for CineFi’s end‑to‑end product portfolio, digital experience, marketing alignment, and transformation roadmap—driving sustainable growth, operational scalability, and differentiated member value for the brand. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ These micro-short dramas originated in Asia and if you're on any social media platform, you’ve probably seen plenty. Filled with addictive romance and melodrama, verticals are serialized into 1-3 minute segments, and meant to watch on your phone. The business model quickly hooks viewers with a few free episodes before turning them into paid subscribers on platforms like ReelShort, DramaBox, CandyJar, and ShortTV if they want to finish watching that story and find more. With indie film level budgets, tight production schedules, and fast post turnarounds, this Billion dollar business is expanding into the mainstream as Hollywood looks to capitalize on the fastest growing segment of the industry, which for now, is unregulated. Above and below the line panelists explore what to expect when working on verticals, as well as the pros and the cons, how this medium is keeping actors and crew working, and what recommendations they’d make as this new storytelling device moves into the future, because it’s not going away anytime soon. Moderator: Creative Conference Director Linda Burns Panelists: Audrey Deitz (Director, Producer, Actor), Michelle Rubinstein (Producer), Matt Brohammer (Production Designer) Drew Ater (Actor), Bisola Salimonu (Wardrobe Supervisor), and (Editor) Sophia Snyder Audrey Deitz is an Atlanta-based indie director, producer, and actor. She is the co-founder of Vertical Studios ATL , Atlanta's premiere vertical production company. Audrey and her team have collectively produced over 50 verticals in Atlanta since 2023, including some of the most-watched English-speaking series in the world. Michelle Rubinstei n is a film and television producer with a career spanning over two decades in the entertainment industry, from her role as a producer on Lifetime Television’s highest rated show, Army Wives , to producing for some of TV’s hottest scripted series Empire , Star , and Marvel's The Gifted . She is currently producing Vertical Dramas for several platforms and is developing several one-hour TV dramas. Matt Brohammer has spent the better part of this century building theatre sets, designing for independent film, and putting mechanical dinosaurs where they don't usually exist. Drew Atar is an Atlanta based actor, who has found success in the vertical space over the past year. Shooting 10+ series as a leading man. Bisola Salimonu is a Costume Designer with experience in Costume Design, Wardrobe Styling for TV, Film, Web Series, Commercials & Vertical Dramas based in Atlanta, GA. She is a first generation Nigerian-American that prides herself in representing two amazing cultures. Bisola is passionate about creating stories that can help to create a better future for the upcoming generations. Her work has an emphasis in action, horror, drama, street & contemporary fashion. Sophia Snyder is founder and editor of the Atlanta-based post-production company, Editing Aesthetics . She oversees workflows from production through final delivery. Sophia has led post-production on 50+ vertical series for platforms including ReelShort, Pixie USA, Vigloo, and Shortical. She specializes in the fast-paced vertical space where speed and consistency are critical, delivering polished, story-driven content that holds attention.
Details
Show
11:30am
Tickets
Tickets available ↗
Getting There
2345 Cheshire Bridge Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30324, USA Brookwood, GA
Five Points · 2 min walk
Deck parking · available