Closing the Gap in Vertical
Embr Entertainment and My Vertical Writing Incubator Announce First-Look Partnership
I’ve spent the last three years trying to solve the same problem in different ways.
But let me back up.
Before the five films. Before the masterclasses and the incubator and the book. Before any of this looked like a career—there were years when I didn’t know where rent money was coming from.
I was a single mom with no child support, driving for Uber between writing sessions. Delivering food with Postmates. Juggling survival and this dream that kept refusing to die, no matter how impractical it seemed.
I knew I could write. I just couldn’t find the door.
And then, somehow, in 18 months, I had five movies produced. Christmas movies. Actual budgets. Actual distribution. Things changed.
The first thing I did was start telling other writers how it happened. Not because I’d cracked some secret code, but because I’d finally figured out where the opportunity actually was. I’d found a space—Christmas movies—where writers could break in if they understood the format and the market.
So I started mentoring. Sharing what I’d learned. Helping writers see the path I wish someone had shown me.
Then came vertical series.
Same pattern. Wide-open format, scaling fast, platforms hungry for content, writers with no idea how to break in.
The money isn’t great. Let’s be honest about that. But it’s consistent. And you can get produced within weeks. Not years. Weeks.
For someone who remembers what it’s like to wonder if you can make rent, that matters.
So I built the masterclass. Then the incubator. Started writing the book. Same mission: close the gap between the opportunity and the writers who deserve a shot at it.
And it’s worked. Many of my incubator writers already have produced shows. I’ve made introductions. I’ve opened doors.
For the last few months, I’ve been meeting with producers, directors, apps—every conversation with the same goal: how do I get more of my writers to take over this industry?
So when Chris Wicke called me with this idea, I knew this was it.
Chris runs Embr Entertainment, one of the most active vertical production studios in the U.S. They’re producing for ReelShort, MyDrama, and other major platforms. They’re building at scale—40+ films slated for 2026.
And what he told me was simple: they need writers who understand how vertical actually works at a professional level.
Not hobbyists. Not people still learning what a vertical series is. Writers who can deliver production-ready material.
“What if we gave your incubator writers first look?”
Today, we’re announcing a first-look partnership between Embr Entertainment and the Vertical Series Incubator.
Writers who go through the incubator will have the option to have their work seen by an active producing studio. Not as a pitch. Not as a favor. As part of a real development pipeline.
Embr gets early access to writers and material that already understand how vertical series are actually produced. Writers get a direct line into real production.
Several incubator alumni have already been hired by Embr for paid assignments. This partnership makes official what was already starting to happen.
Vertical isn’t experimental anymore. It’s volume-driven. Platforms need content, and they need it fast. But most writers don’t know how vertical works, and most producers don’t have time to teach them.
The incubator bridges that gap. And now, it has a direct line to production.
I didn’t get into this to hoard opportunity. I got into it because I remember. I remember not knowing where next month’s rent was coming from. I remember the years of being told I was talented but never being told how to turn that into work.
When I finally figured out where the doors were—first with Christmas movies, then with vertical—I knew other writers needed to see the same path.
This partnership is how we get them through it.
To find out about the next session of the Vertical Incubator. Details and registration: 21dayscreenplay.com/incubator
If you’ve been circling this format. If you’re wondering whether there’s real opportunity here. If you’re ready to stop waiting. This is it.
Isabel Dréan is a professional screenwriter, educator, and creator of multiple produced vertical series, including the #1 series on VIGLOO, The Blind Bride of the Scarred Mafia Boss. She is the author of How to Write a Vertical Series in 10 Days and runs the Vertical Series Incubator, an intensive development program for emerging vertical writers.
This is an amazing opportunity. Your feedback and knowledge on verticals is so valuable. And a first look advantage?
This is so exciting!! What an opportunity 😁