Michael explores the booming vertical film industry, highlighted by P&G’s entry into mobile-first entertainment. The CEO of Creatorwood explains how their AI platform allows users to produce and monetize 9:16 shows for a fraction of traditional costs. Key topics include the format's explosive growth, the return of the "soap opera" advertising model, and new tools enabling creators to keep 80% of their revenue. Join the beta of the Creatorwood platform: https://make.creatorwood.tv/ Read the Creatorwood book, all about building a movie business with AI, for free: https://www.blog.creatorwood.tv/subscribe Join the Creatorwood Discord: https://discord.gg/tTmWv23C9q Join the Six-Figure Film Accelerator: https://learn.creatorwood.tv/ Check P&G Verticals: https://m.imdb.com/news/ni65627216/?ref_=nm_nwr_2 EPISODE CHAPTERS: 00:00 Introduction to P&G's Revolutionary Film Project 00:57 What Are Vertical Films? 01:53 The Popularity and Market of Vertical Films 04:02 Creatorwood: Revolutionizing Vertical Film Production 05:24 Monetizing Vertical Films with Creatorwood 06:32 AI and the Future of Vertical Films 07:45 The Growing Industry Around Vertical Films 09:46 Advertising Opportunities in Vertical Films 12:36 Conclusion and Future Insights ABOUT MICHAEL: He has published 12 sci-fi novels, helped authors make $1 million+/year in memberships, and even worked on the Strategy Team for MrBeast. ABOUT CREATORWOOD: Creatorwood is the home for storytellers to turn their writing into films, discover new viewers, and run a film business. The Movie Machine by Creatorwood integrates with the top AI video, image, audio, and storytelling models to help transform your writing into immersive worlds, incredible characters, and gripping films with significantly less time and cost. Creatorwood also makes it easy to make money from your films inside our Streaming Platform. Specifically, Creatorwood allows you to upload your episodes, set them as free or paid (any price you’d like). Creators keep 80% of the revenue they earn on Creatorwood, and we pay out to creators in 130+ countries and accept payments from viewers globally. You can join Creatorwood here: https://creatorwood.tv/

In this episode, Michael and Ross explore the "reader-first" approach to creativity. Ross shares his journey from photography to fiction, highlighting a bold experiment where he validated his novel through Amazon pre-orders before finishing the manuscript.

The conversation dives into what it means to be an experience creator rather than just an author. By leveraging technology and "growth loops," Ross explains how writers can build immersive worlds that transcend the printed page.

Join the beta of the Creatorwood platform: https://make.creatorwood.tv/

Read the Creatorwood book, all about building a movie business with AI, for free: https://www.blog.creatorwood.tv/subscribe

Join the Creatorwood Discord: https://discord.gg/tTmWv23C9q

Join the Six-Figure Film Accelerator: https://learn.creatorwood.tv/

Visit Ross's website here: https://www.rosspruden.com/

EPISODE CHAPTERS:

00:00 Introduction: Putting Readers First

00:30 A Serendipitous Meeting

02:50 Beyond the Book: Expanding Creativity

03:21 The First Book and Its Lessons

08:19 Pre-Order Testing: A Bold Experiment

14:17 Lessons from Experiments

16:54 Passion and Persistence in Writing

22:47 The Power of Persistence

23:27 Facing the Fear of Failure

26:25 Creating Great Experiences Across Mediums

27:31 The Importance of the Hook

30:56 Exploring Meow Wolf

34:55 Building Growth Loops

37:14 The Concept of Social Objects

40:15 Embracing Your Inner Child

41:56 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

ABOUT MICHAEL:

He has published 12 sci-fi novels, helped authors make $1 million+/year in memberships, and even worked on the Strategy Team for MrBeast.

ABOUT CREATORWOOD:

Creatorwood is the home for storytellers to turn their writing into films, discover new viewers, and run a film business.

The Movie Machine by Creatorwood integrates with the top AI video, image, audio, and storytelling models to help transform your writing into immersive worlds, incredible characters, and gripping films with significantly less time and cost.

Creatorwood also makes it easy to make money from your films inside our Streaming Platform. Specifically, Creatorwood allows you to upload your episodes, set them as free or paid (any price you’d like). Creators keep 80% of the revenue they earn on Creatorwood, and we pay out to creators in 130+ countries and accept payments from viewers globally

You can join Creatorwood here: https://creatorwood.tv/

This episode features a thoughtful conversation with an experienced author reflecting on his journey through the creative process. Speaking calmly and candidly, he shares how structured guidance and step-by-step support helped transform his ideas into a finished work. Set in an intimate, professional atmosphere, the discussion highlights the value of mentorship, clarity, and trust when bringing a book to life. With a warm, reflective tone, this episode offers insight for writers, creators, and lifelong learners who are navigating their own creative paths and looking for confidence in the process.

Join the beta of the Creatorwood platform: https://make.creatorwood.tv/ Read the Creatorwood book, all about building a movie business with AI, for free: https://www.blog.creatorwood.tv/subscribe Join the Creatorwood Discord: https://discord.gg/tTmWv23C9q Join the Six-Figure Film Accelerator: https://learn.creatorwood.tv/

EPISODE CHAPTERS: 00:00 Introduction to the Key Metric for Filmmaking Success 02:05 Personal Struggles and Lessons Learned 04:08 The Traditional Filmmaking Model vs. New Approaches 08:42 The Importance of Retention in Storytelling 15:55 Analyzing Retention Graphs for Better Storytelling 20:54 Techniques to Improve Retention in Films 26:36 Optimizing Video Retention 28:26 The Importance of a Strong Hook 29:07 Creating Open Loops 30:05 Simplicity in Storytelling 30:53 Character Clarity 32:32 Measuring and Testing Retention 33:58 Budgeting and Audience Growth 41:23 Monetizing Through Product Placement 44:53 Final Thoughts and Q&A ABOUT MICHAEL: He has published 12 sci-fi novels, helped authors make $1 million+/year in memberships, and even worked on the Strategy Team for MrBeast. ABOUT CREATORWOOD: Creatorwood is the home for storytellers to turn their writing into films, discover new viewers, and run a film business. The Movie Machine by Creatorwood integrates with the top AI video, image, audio, and storytelling models to help transform your writing into immersive worlds, incredible characters, and gripping films with significantly less time and cost. Creatorwood also makes it easy to make money from your films inside our Streaming Platform. Specifically, Creatorwood allows you to upload your episodes, set them as free or paid (any price you’d like). Creators keep 80% of the revenue they earn on Creatorwood, and we pay out to creators in 130+ countries and accept payments from viewers globally. You can join Creatorwood here: https://creatorwood.tv/