Breaking The Meta

Mike Winson
  • 3.7 (3)
  • Society & Culture

Welcome to Breaking The Meta, where we dive headfirst into the heart of difficult conversations. In a world filled with noise and division, we refuse to shy away from the tough topics. Whether it's politics, religion, or social issues, we confront the complexities with open minds and dialogue. Hosted by Mike Winson, each episode brings together diverse perspectives, fostering an environment where authenticity and empathy reign supreme. So grab a seat at the table, buckle up, and prepare to confront the issues that matter.

  1. 2d ago

    Can You Be the Nicest Person and the Best Villain? | Theresa Croft

    Vertical drama villain Theresa Croft (ReelShort, DramaWave) on why the nicest actors play villains, swearing off mobisodes, and the 2023 strike. Theresa Croft has been in vertical dramas since 2023, the first year the format took off in the US. She booked her first one, Love Me Bite Me on ReelShort, during the SAG-AFTRA strike. Since then she's played the lead in The Return of the Genius, where she got to tap dance in a dream sequence, and the villain in Oops, I Lied About Sex with My Stepbrother, Blood Doesn't Make You Family, and Betrayed Alpha Queen Rises from the Ashes. In this episode of Breaking the Meta, Theresa talks about: • Going from a tap-and-ballet kid in Michigan to musical theater in Los Angeles • The vertical audition that turned out to be a 90210 knockoff (and shot at the real high school) • Why she swore she'd never do a "mobisode," and what changed her mind • Why the nicest actors keep getting cast as villains, and what parasocial fans get wrong • The perks of playing the villain: more freedom and better wardrobe • Shooting 20 pages a day: why verticals are an actor's boot camp • The script lines she couldn't believe she was asked to say, and the one she refused to record • Writing songs at 11, LA open mics, a Nina Simone cover, and her new single "Elevation" • Speed round: iced matcha, snickerdoodle pancakes, a 10-pound red mini poodle, and her dream duet partner Follow Theresa Croft: Music: Theresa Croft on Spotify, YouTube Music & all platforms Instagram: @theresacroft_ TikTok (music): @thelavenderladybug TikTok (tea shop reviews): Theresa's Tea YouTube: Theresa Croft

  2. 6d ago

    Trinity Johnston: 19 and Already Did ALL This?

    Trinity Johnston is 19 and already a vertical drama lead. She talks Heartbreak High, playing villains, a silicone pregnancy suit, and starting at 5. Trinity Johnston, star of Heartbreak High: Revenge on My First Love, Falling for My Nemesis Stepbrother, Cancel the Wedding, Queen Moves On, and Sex Education by My Best Friend, sits down with Mike Winson on Breaking the Meta. She played Miss Hannigan at 5 and Annie at 6, made her own YouTube series during the pandemic, moved to LA in August 2025, and booked her first vertical drama (a DramaBox villain role) two weeks later. We get into why producers told her to be more mean, filming four vertical dramas back to back, getting through a week in a silicone pregnancy suit, her first intimacy scenes, her dream of doing a vertical in ASL, and what happened when the work slowed down this summer.

  3. Oct 26

    Vertical Actress Claudia Hawkins on Plus-Size Roles & Cruel Scripts

    Vertical drama actress Claudia Hawkins (The Genius and the Bad Boy) on plus-size roles, brutal bullying scripts, and the scene she refused to cry in. Claudia booked the first real audition she ever got, and it turned out to be a vertical drama. She didn't even know they were called "verticals" until her chemistry read. One year and three verticals later, she sits down with Mike Winson to talk about what it's actually like inside the microdrama industry. In this episode: • Reading her first vertical script as a plus-size character and realizing how harsh the bullying was • The day a neighbor and former teacher showed up on set as one of her bullies, and the meltdown that followed • Why vertical drama production pulled out of Atlanta and the East Coast for LA, and whether she'll have to move • Shooting 32 to 36 pages in a single day • What real plus-size representation in vertical dramas would look like (hint: don't make the whole story about her weight) • The vulnerable scene she played with no tears, and the producer who needed a tissue • Her dream vertical: a National Treasure–style treasure hunting adventure • Plan B: museum director, history degree, and a thesis on Oppenheimer and Wernher von Braun • Speed round: matcha over coffee, a coleslaw phobia, competitive puzzling, and Rascal Flatts karaoke Follow Claudia Hawkins: Instagram: @claudia_hawkins_1218 TikTok: @kim._.claudashian

  4. Oct 21

    Is This The Career Mistake Every Actor Makes? Alyona Real Explains

    Vertical drama actress Alyona Real (The Golden Pear Affair) on moving to LA, then watching producers go fully AI, and how she's rebuilding. Alyona was adopted from a Russian orphanage at seven, learned English in about six weeks, and built an acting career in San Antonio, Austin, and Atlanta. Her first vertical drama, Callboy I Met in Paris, was pitched to her as a feature film. She didn't realize it was vertical until she saw the cameras on set. She went on to star in The Golden Pear Affair, the microsoap co-produced by Native and P&G Studios, playing twins opposite Nick Ritacco. A year ago she moved to Los Angeles. Within months, producers she'd worked with told her they were going fully AI, and that studios now test stories with AI first and only cast real actors if a series goes viral. We talk about what that looks like from inside the vertical drama industry, the misogyny and violence she struggles with in microdrama scripts, why her near-silent role in HOA, You've Been Overthrown works, the mafia-boss role she almost booked, and how she's rebuilding through The Artist's Way, Friday-morning ocean swims, and saying yes to everything.

  5. Oct 19

    She Stole the First Kiss. Then AI Stole Her Work | Madison West

    Madison West, vertical drama's go-to villain (Honey Trapped, Virgin Astronaut Bucket List), on how AI wiped out a summer of work for real actors. Madison grew up outside Oxford, 20 minutes from Stratford-upon-Avon, studied at Pace University in New York, booked a co-star role on Blue Bloods, and then watched 2020 shut the whole industry down. She drove to LA with her dog and a car full of stuff, gave herself a "yes year," and ended up becoming one of the most recognizable villains in vertical drama. In this conversation we get into: • Why blonde actresses keep getting cast as the villain, and why she's ready for more leads • Shooting 10 to 20 pages a day on 12 to 14 hour vertical drama sets • Honey Trapped: My Fiancé's Billionaire Rival, bullying a friend on camera, and a 2:30 a.m. pool stunt in full glam • The original title of Virgin Astronaut Bucket List, and the first kiss her character stole • Her dream role: a full-fledged vertical comedy (or a mermaid) • How AI-generated verticals canceled projects and gutted work for actors and crew this summer • Green-screen "hybrid" shoots and why acting is reacting • The pay gap between men and women in verticals, when the women carry more of the script • The bully trope, and how she keeps scene partners safe on set Follow Madison West: Instagram: @thatsmadisonwest TikTok: @itsmadisonwest

  6. Oct 16

    Tennessee Isn't Red. It's Neglected. | Victoria Broderick

    Victoria Broderick won the TN-04 Democratic primary by nearly 10 points while outspent 12-to-1. She says Tennessee isn't red. It's neglected. Victoria returns to Breaking the Meta as the Democratic nominee in Tennessee's 4th Congressional District, running against 15-year Republican incumbent Scott DesJarlais. We talk about winning a five-way primary after the state's mid-cycle redistricting, why diesel prices and the war with Iran are moving rural voters, getting asked to leave her opponent's district office, and the lifelong Republicans who tell her they're done with the party. She also lays out what "day two" looks like on Medicare for All and affordability, describes writing her Three Star Dinner speech outside the Lorraine Motel at the end of the Thousand Miles to Memphis march, and makes the case that Democrats can win in the South without throwing marginalized communities under the bus. Early voting in Tennessee started October 14. Election Day is November 3. Don't wait. 🔗 Learn more, volunteer, or donate: https://victoria4tennessee.org Breaking the Meta platforms grassroots, down-ballot, and independent candidates the mainstream media ignores. No PAC money. No donor class. No party line.

  7. Oct 14

    "I'm Not Your Girl": How Bella Mraz Says No On Set

    Vertical drama actress Bella Mraz (Hollywood Starlet, My Book Boyfriend Came to Life) on dropping out for LA, saying no on set, and AI in verticals. Bella trained in opera in Connecticut, got pushed into musical theater, and couldn't get cast. Then an indie horror shoot led her to verticals, and the first one she ever submitted for made her the lead opposite Seth Eden the same week Breaking the Ice took off. She tells Mike why she left her college program on a gut feeling, why she preps every vertical like a feature film, and what it's like working with aTwist, the female-led studio behind Hollywood Starlet from The Bold and the Beautiful's Bradley Bell. Season 2 is already wrapped. She also gets candid about advocating for herself: sending scripts back with notes, refusing clickbait ad scenes that had nothing to do with the story, and why AI in vertical dramas hits close to home for actors. Plus her fifth-grade Wicked talent show, the Broadway dream she's really chasing, and a speed round. ▶ Watch Bella on aTwist: My Book Boyfriend Came to Life and Hollywood Starlet ▶ Follow Bella: Instagram @bellamraz · TikTok @bella.mraz

  8. Oct 12

    I’ve Married About 50 Billionaires | Nicole Mattox

    We sit down with Vertical drama star Nicole Mattox on apps using AI to alter actors' performances, being buried alive, Super Punchy Studio & the rom-com Perfect Date. Nicole Mattox has been acting since she was five and has become one of the most recognizable faces in vertical dramas, with credits including Christmas with a Cowboy Bad Boy, A Stepbrother I Hate to Love, Buried Alive: Back for Revenge, and Step by Step. She sits down with Mike Winson to talk about how she went from entertainment news to "mobisodes," why she grounds over-the-top scripts instead of playing them big, and what it took to play a character who regains her sight but has to keep pretending she's blind. Nicole also gets candid about AI in the vertical drama industry: fewer live-action offers, crew members losing work, and apps using AI to change actors' expressions and depict things performers never did or agreed to. She explains why she believes stories built on human connection and chemistry still need real actors, and talks about Perfect Date, a human-made rom-com from Lawson Greyson and an all-women team. Plus: her stake in Super Punchy Studio, the Step by Step ending that flips vertical tropes, roughly 50 billionaire love interests and 20 on-screen weddings, her dream Top Gun and all-girl Ocean's 11 verticals, and a speed round.

See All (165)

Ratings & Reviews

3.7
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Welcome to Breaking The Meta, where we dive headfirst into the heart of difficult conversations. In a world filled with noise and division, we refuse to shy away from the tough topics. Whether it's politics, religion, or social issues, we confront the complexities with open minds and dialogue. Hosted by Mike Winson, each episode brings together diverse perspectives, fostering an environment where authenticity and empathy reign supreme. So grab a seat at the table, buckle up, and prepare to confront the issues that matter.

Information

  • Creator
    Mike Winson
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    165
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Mike Winson
  • Show Website
    Breaking The Meta

You Might Also Like