When Hollywood Goes Vertical: Talent, Brands & New Audiences
When Hollywood Goes Vertical: Talent, Brands & New Audiences
What happens when brands and established Hollywood talent enter the vertical space? Through two case studies, one brand-led and one celebrity-driven, this conversation explores different paths to creating premium vertical entertainment. Filmmakers, producers, and platform executives will unpack how each project came together, from development and creative choices to partnerships, production, and distribution, and examine what brands, talent, and platforms can learn from one another as they experiment with new ways to reach audiences.
Saturday, October 17, 2026
10:30 AM · AMC 19th Street, Theater 6
Alejandro Fumero
CEO / Executive Producer / Showrunner · Fumero Films
Alejandro “Ale” Fumero is a filmmaker, producer, and entrepreneur working at the intersection of traditional filmmaking and mobile-first entertainment. Born in Venezuela and raised in Argentina, he began his career as an actor before moving to Los Angeles, where he produced and directed music videos, commercials, and branded content for global brands and leading Latin artists including Ricky Martin, Peso Pluma, Maluma, Ozuna, and Don Omar.
In 2021, Fumero founded Fumero Films, a Los Angeles-based studio focused on storytelling for the mobile-first generation. In partnership with Shorts App, he helped pioneer a vertical production model that led to a 40-title slate deal, as well as collaborations with LatiNation and emerging entertainment platforms.
Today, Fumero continues to build partnerships across entertainment, technology, brands, and the creator economy, developing new models for producing and distributing digital-first stories.
Photo credit: Tonystills
Danny Farber
Director/Writer, Creator, Executive Producer · Pretty Awesome Productions
Danny Farber is a Chicago-born director, actor, writer, and producer based in Los Angeles. His work spans vertical dramas, music videos, commercials, branded content, and narrative film, with projects generating tens of millions of views across social platforms. Since 2023, he has directed nearly than thirty feature-length vertical dramas across productions in Los Angeles, Istanbul, London, and Vancouver. He also wrote, directed, and starred in the award-winning short film Thoughts and Prayers, executive produced by Amy Poehler.
Adriana Santos
Showrunner, Executive Producer, COO Fumero Films · Fumero Films
Adriana Santos is a Mexican-Filipina executive producer, showrunner, and entrepreneur whose career began in 2009, working across international productions in Mexico, the United States, Europe, and Latin America. Over the years, she has collaborated with acclaimed directors including Alfonso Cuarón, Catherine Hardwicke, Valeria Golino, and John Sayles, building a reputation for leading seamless cross-border productions and uniting global creative teams.
In 2020, she founded Pina Films, producing documentaries, commercials, feature films, and television series rooted in culturally driven storytelling. In 2021, Pina Films partnered with Fumero Films, where Adriana now serves as Co-Founder and COO. Since then, she has led alongside Alejandro, his partner, the development and production of more than 55 vertical series earning multiple awards and accumulating over 300M views worldwide. While helping establish one of the first Latino studios in the vertical space to operate under a 40 shows slate deal and partnering with LatiNation a multi-platform hub focused on the bilingual and bicultural US Latino generation.
Today, Adriana is focused on expanding in the vertical format across the U.S. and Latin America, producing English, Spanish and Bilingual speaking vertical series while building scalable studio systems that merge cinematic storytelling, fast-turnaround production, and innovative digital distribution. Recognized for blending creativity with operational leadership, she has also become a sought-after advisor in the rapidly evolving vertical content space.
Photo credit: Tony Zamarripa
Zheyu "Joy" Liang
Head of Production, Executive Producer · COL Group co. ltd and FlareFlow
As an Emmy Award–nominated executive producer and Television Academy member, Zheyu "Joy" Liang brings a proven track record of success in the film and television industry, with work recognized at multiple Academy Award–qualifying film festivals and reaching millions of viewers worldwide.
Currently, she serves as Head of Production and Executive Producer at COL Group and FlareFlow, where she leads and scale all live action productions driving high-performing content while maintaining exceptional creative and operational standards from development through final delivery.
Dougie Cash
Producer · Cash Kingdom Entertainment, Inc.
Dougie Cash, p.g.a. is a producer and senior development executive with 17+ years' experience — three at Hulu as VP of Content Development (Black Cake, La Máquina) and 8+ at Will Smith's Overbrook Entertainment (To All the Boys I've Loved Before, Emmy-nominated Cobra Kai). He recently wrapped a romantic comedy starring Billy Zane, Alice Eve and Matthew Daddario and a first-of-its-kind erotic thriller vertical drama starring Lil Rel Howery, Ne-Yo and Terrence J.
Photo credit: Mike Quain
