Beyond The Hook

Canadian Vertical Film Festival

Beyond the Hook is a podcast about the vertical film space, brought to you by the Canadian Vertical Film Festival. Every episode is a conversation with someone working on the ground floor of vertical drama and vertical films: actors, producers, directors, cinematographers, writers, platforms, apps, and anyone else building a career in 9:16. We talk about how vertical series get made, what it takes to break in, what audiences are actually watching, and where the format is headed. Recorded live at the Canadian Vertical Film Festival in Victoria, BC, with new episodes and Vertical News articles rolling out year-round. Beyond the Hook is made possible by our sponsors IATSE Union Local 891, theWorkbook, ActSafe Safety Association, Blink49 Studios, ACFC West Union. Subscribe for new episodes, and find full write-ups and additional links to every conversation at verticalfilmfest.ca.

Episodes

  1. Oct 26

    I Started Acting at 50 and the Camera Was Sideways | Carin Smolinski

    Carin Smolinski booked her first acting job at 50. Five days into the shoot, she realized the camera was turned sideways. Recorded live at the Canadian Vertical Film Festival 2026 in Victoria, BC, host Tarak Kjartanson sits down with Carin Smolinski, actor, writer, director and producer at WEC Films (Tides of Desire). Two years and more than 20 verticals later, she is proud of the format: "V is not a dirty word for me," she says. Carin talks about leaving the billionaire roles behind to make a vertical that reflects her values, taking a four-person idea to a 31-person shoot in Costa Rica with her son, cinematographer Indiana Wilson, producing with ADHD, and opening doors for young crew and first-time actors. And her answer to our finish-the-sentence question: "The perfect filming day always includes..." This episode is sponsored by IATSE Local 891. Beyond the Hook is brought to you by the Canadian Vertical Film Festival. Media sponsor: Townley Visual Media Special thank you to our sponsors: IATSE Local 891, Victoria International Marina, ACFC West Local 2020, Actsafe Safety Association, theWorkbook, Blink49 Studios, Townley Visual Media, Volare Media, MAMM, Vancouver Asian Film Festival, Helijet, Free Lance Industries, The Vertical Buzz, VertiGals Podcast, T-Stop with Tim Townley, Write Rocket IQ, Hotel Zed, Accent Inns, Posh Intertainment and Phillips Brewery. Full article and links at verticalfilmfest.ca.

  2. Oct 23

    Does Safety Slow Down a Film Set? The Math Says No | Tamara Tulloch, Actsafe

    Two workplace accidents nearly ended Tamara Tulloch's career. Now she makes sure everyone on set gets home safe. Recorded live at the Canadian Vertical Film Festival 2026 in Victoria, BC, host Farrah Simpson sits down with Tamara Tulloch, Regional Safety Specialist (Vancouver Island) at the Actsafe Safety Association. Tamara shares the accidents that changed her life, and why safety never has to slow a production down. "A preventable incident costs far more time, effort and money than doing the work safely in the first place," she says. She brings the numbers: Canadian research shows returns of 24% to 114% on health and safety investments, and $2.18 back for every dollar spent on workplace mental health. Plus the one habit every production should start on day one, and why a strong safety plan is never actually finished. And Tamara's answer to our finish-the-sentence question: "At the end of the day, success means..." This episode is sponsored by the Actsafe Safety Association. Beyond the Hook is brought to you by the Canadian Vertical Film Festival. Media sponsor: Townley Visual Media Special thank you to our sponsors: IATSE Local 891, Victoria International Marina, ACFC West Local 2020, Actsafe Safety Association, theWorkbook, Blink49 Studios, Townley Visual Media, Volare Media, MAMM, Vancouver Asian Film Festival, Helijet, Free Lance Industries, The Vertical Buzz, VertiGals Podcast, T-Stop with Tim Townley, Write Rocket IQ, Hotel Zed, Accent Inns, Posh Intertainment and Phillips Brewery. Full article and links at verticalfilmfest.ca.

  3. Sep 23

    Samurai to Union Organizer: Sano of IATSE 891 on Crews, Safety and Vertical Films

    Sano's path into film started with an open casting call for "fit Japanese males in the Lower Mainland." Two weeks later he was at boot camp for Shogun, learning 1600s weaponry and etiquette, and spending six months on set beside the main cast. Then IATSE 891 asked why he was there. Today he's the union's lead organizer, and in this episode of Beyond the Hook, host Tarak sits down with him at the Canadian Vertical Film Festival to talk about the people behind the camera. Sano explains why IATSE 891 chose to back the very first CVFF as a gold sponsor (his answer is the Victoria filmmaking community), why safety is the first thing to go on lower-budget sets and what unions can do about it in a new medium, and how vertical storytelling can open the door to communities that have never had the resources to tell their own stories, from Indigenous communities across BC to the Italian families who settled in Trail. He also walks through what IATSE 891 actually does for someone trying to turn a passion into a career, from the application and credential process to training, health benefits and retirement. Plus his one-line answer to what the future of the industry depends on. Beyond the Hook is brought to you by the Canadian Vertical Film Festival. Media sponsor: Townley Visual Media Special thank you to our sponsors: IATSE Local 891, Victoria International Marina, ACFC West Local 2020, Actsafe Safety Association, theWorkbook, Blink49 Studios, Townley Visual Media, Volare Media, MAMM, Vancouver Asian Film Festival, Helijet, Free Lance Industries, The Vertical Buzz, VertiGals Podcast, T-Stop with Tim Townley, Write Rocket IQ, Hotel Zed, Accent Inns, Posh Intertainment and Phillips Brewery. Full article and links at verticalfilmfest.ca.

  4. Sep 16

    Casting Calls to Creator Capital: theWorkbook Bets on Vertical Filmmaking

    John McLean, president of theWorkbook, on why vertical drama is here to stay, where the money is going, and what actually builds an acting career. In the first episode of Beyond the Hook, host Shera Skinner sits down with John McLean, president of theWorkbook, recorded live at the Canadian Vertical Film Festival 2026 in Victoria, BC. John explains how a wave of casting calls for vertical actors in late 2024 pushed theWorkbook to research the format, and why by the end of 2025 they had concluded vertical is not a fad but a new media type that will live alongside film and television.  He walks through the two gaps his team found in the vertical space, education and investment capital, and how theWorkbook is now filling both: a dedicated magazine edition streamed to 21 countries, and Creator Capital, a fund that invests alongside producers so they own a share of the IP instead of just earning a fee. He also shares what platforms are really looking for when you pitch them (hint: one project is rarely enough), why he would become a creator if he were starting today, and what separates actors who build lasting careers from those who don't.  Plus a look at My Performance, theWorkbook's new Moneyball-style dashboard that gives actors data on their own auditions, and John's answer to what makes vertical storytelling so addictive. Tune in now to "Beyond The Hook!" Beyond the Hook is brought to you by the Canadian Vertical Film Festival. Media sponsor: Townley Visual Media Special thank you to our sponsors: IATSE Local 891, Victoria International Marina, ACFC West Local 2020, Actsafe Safety Association, theWorkbook, Blink49 Studios, Townley Visual Media, Volare Media, MAMM, Vancouver Asian Film Festival, Helijet, Free Lance Industries, The Vertical Buzz, VertiGals Podcast, T-Stop with Tim Townley, Write Rocket IQ, Hotel Zed, Accent Inns, Posh Intertainment and Phillips Brewery. Full article and links at verticalfilmfest.ca.

    Casting Calls to Creator Capital: theWorkbook Bets on Vertical Filmmaking
  • 4 Episodes

About

Beyond the Hook is a podcast about the vertical film space, brought to you by the Canadian Vertical Film Festival. Every episode is a conversation with someone working on the ground floor of vertical drama and vertical films: actors, producers, directors, cinematographers, writers, platforms, apps, and anyone else building a career in 9:16. We talk about how vertical series get made, what it takes to break in, what audiences are actually watching, and where the format is headed. Recorded live at the Canadian Vertical Film Festival in Victoria, BC, with new episodes and Vertical News articles rolling out year-round. Beyond the Hook is made possible by our sponsors IATSE Union Local 891, theWorkbook, ActSafe Safety Association, Blink49 Studios, ACFC West Union. Subscribe for new episodes, and find full write-ups and additional links to every conversation at verticalfilmfest.ca.

Information

  • Creator
    Canadian Vertical Film Festival
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    4
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Beyond The Hook
  • Show Website
    Beyond The Hook