Episode Overview

Podcast: How Is This Better?
Episode: These Cheap Vertical Videos May End Hollywood (As We Know It)
Host: Akilah Hughes
Release Date: November 14, 2025

This episode explores the phenomenon of "clipping"—short, minute-long vertical video clips of movies and TV shows—and how this new format is transforming Hollywood. The discussion dives into the unprecedented popularity and monetization of both clipped content and vertical dramas, what's being gained and lost as content is fragmented, the economic repercussions on entertainment labor, and who is actually watching (and making money from) these ultra-short clips.

Main Themes

• The rise and ubiquity of short, vertical video clips ("clipping") as a dominant mode of visual entertainment consumption, especially for Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
• Studios' attempts to adapt, market, and monetize content tailored for ever-shrinking attention spans, and the economic consequences of this shift.
• The emergence and surprising demographics of the vertical drama phenomenon — ultra-short “episodes” engineered for maximum engagement and monetization.
• Concerns about what is lost in the shift to bite-sized storytelling: artistic nuance, job security, originality, and diversity.
• Is this new format “better” or “worse” for audiences, creators, and culture at large?

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Defining Clipping and Its Impact

Akilah Hughes introduces “clipping” as the practice of breaking films and shows into 30–90 second vertical clips for social media.

• Matthew Frank (writer for The Ankler) explains how this content helps studios reach Gen Z and young audiences, but doesn't necessarily convert into full-title viewership:

  “You can sort of track the evolution of that with, you know, how social media has evolved... there are very few things better than Hollywood IP... it's a minute long clip of Seinfeld or Friends or whatever it is.” – [01:36]

• Studios now directly or indirectly seed these clips through meme pages and anonymous accounts for organic virality, not just official channels.

• The industry now includes professional "clippers," many of whom are teens monetizing old IP:

  "I emailed with this 19 year old Russian who has made $30,000 from Simpsons clips since the start of the year." – Matthew Frank [06:30]

2. Is Clipping Just Free Marketing? And Who's Watching?

• Despite huge view counts, clipped content rarely drives users to watch the full original. For many, the one-minute highlight is enough:

  "A 24-year-old was like, yeah, you know, I'll watch Law and Order in like little one minute clips on TikTok. But I would never go watch a full fucking episode." – paraphrased by Matthew Frank [05:47]

• Studios see a tension: It's great for recycling IP and feeding the content mill, but potentially threatens the value of traditional, longer-form shows.

• Jen raises the question of whether there's incentive to even create new shows if old content can keep generating revenue when clipped:

  "Do you think that any studio really has an incentive to make new shows then if there are old shows that can be clipped?" – Jen [06:57]

3. Economic Impact and Hollywood's Existential Moment

• The fragmentation of content threatens the entertainment “middle class”—the union jobs, creative middle managers, and production staff crucial to traditional Hollywood:

  “The middle class is sort of being squeezed from Hollywood, which is terrible... there’s just less appetite for new shows or movies... There’s just not as many jobs...” – Matthew Frank [07:46]

• Mergers and tech-dominated production pipelines could result in further job loss and consolidation.

4. Rise of Vertical Dramas: Clipping on Steroids

• Dexter Thomas (host of Kill Switch) details the mechanics of vertical dramas—60–90 second episodes, each ending in a cliffhanger, engineered for maximum engagement:

  “Just imagine watching any drama... This one has a cliffhanger every single 60 to 90 seconds.” – Dexter Thomas [10:03]

• Disney and other major studios are investing aggressively (e.g., Disney’s “Drama Box” accelerator pick).

• Originally believed to be low-cost, side-gig work for actors, big investments have pushed pay up significantly:

  “Guy I talked to is doing a G a day... a thousand a day. It’s not bad.” – Dexter Thomas [12:44]

• Few union protections and a “shadow industry” atmosphere; scripts are described as formulaic, melodramatic, and often exploitative for attention:

  “It's a lot of violence, a lot of sex, a lot of sexual violence implied... Just straight up bad scripts.” – Dexter Thomas [13:12]

5. Who Watches Vertical Dramas? Not Who You Think

• Contrary to expectations, it’s not teens but middle-aged women who are the core paying audience:

  "The early adopters here, are middle aged women who are probably people primed to also watch daytime television soap operas." – Jen & Dexter Thomas [18:39]

• Why? Payment barrier for kids, and older audiences already familiar with melodrama and soap opera stylings.

6. Efficiency, Profit, and Artistic Downside

• Vertical dramas are dirt cheap to produce—entire series for less than $250k—compared to millions per TV episode.

  “An entire vertical drama series usually is going to cost under $250,000.” – Dexter Thomas [23:07]

• Tech companies driving the platforms care little about artistic quality, focused on metrics (watch time, user acquisition, returns).

• Artistic Concerns: High reliance on stereotypes and lowest-common-denominator tropes; little to no nuance, slowing, or complexity:

  "Vertical dramas are forcing us to be very, very frank about what's actually happening... scenes where somebody thinks about something or pauses to think about what they've done... those don't exist, because those don't sell. Nuance doesn't sell." – Dexter Thomas [25:39]

• Cultural consequences: “All premise, no plot.” Fast-paced dopamine hits replace thematic development or artistic depth.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Shortcomings of Clipping:

  "Is the future of Hollywood just clips? Are shows in the traditional sense over?" – Akilah Hughes [05:27]

• On Generational Impact:

  "A 24-year-old... was like, yeah, you know, I'll watch Law and Order, you know, in like little one minute clips on TikTok. But I would never go watch a full fucking episode." – Matthew Frank [05:47]

• Darker Outlook on Hollywood's Future:

  "The middle class is sort of being squeezed from Hollywood, which is terrible to see... There’s just not as many jobs..." – Matthew Frank [07:46]

• Cliffhanger Addiction:

  "Every single 60 to 90 seconds... ends on a cliffhanger." – Dexter Thomas [10:03]

• Economic Motivation:

  "Companies who are making this are tech companies... What they're interested in is watch time, user acquisition, maximizing the profits, turning stuff around." – Dexter Thomas [18:58]

• Stereotypes and Lack of Nuance:

  “I haven't seen a non white leading man.” – Dexter Thomas [24:55]

  “Nuance doesn't sell in basically anything... those times where you kind of think, man, I'm not really sure what to think about that. It's too risky, I guess." – Dexter Thomas [25:39]

• On Artistic Value:

  "He said, I don't really think we're at the stage right now where this is high art. He wants it to be... he knows how he can pay his bills." – Dexter Thomas [14:50]

• Akilah’s Final Take:

  “So is it better? No. But maybe if our society improves, it could be.” – Akilah Hughes [26:34]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Early banter & definition of “clipping” – 00:00–01:36
• Matthew Frank on Gen Z and social media's role in content fragmentation – 01:36–03:32
• Case study: Clipping campaign for 'Adults' (FX/Hulu), paid promotion, metrics – 03:46–05:27
• Economic effects: clippers making money, studios reconsidering programming – 06:30–07:35
• Pessimism vs. optimism about future of Hollywood – 07:35–09:07
• Introduction to vertical dramas, Disney’s investment, payout for actors – 10:03–12:44
• Non-union, quality, and content issues in vertical drama world – 13:12–15:43
• Who watches? Middle-aged women over teens – shifting demographics – 17:43–18:39
• Efficiency, lack of nuance, and cultural flattening – 22:34–25:39
• Summary and closing thoughts: Is it better? – 26:34–End

Conclusion

The episode paints a nuanced but largely skeptical portrait of the vertical video revolution. While these formats offer democratization, efficiency, and new ways for some to profit and participate, they threaten the traditional values and labor structures of Hollywood, undermine artistic complexity, and risk flattening culture into an endless scroll of cheap thrills.

Is it better? Akilah concludes that, like much in modern life, it’s complicated – and whether or not it's "better" depends on what society chooses to value next.