Our Leadership
Collective Impact
Together, WVM's leadership represents an extraordinary force in entertainment, creating hundreds of jobs, contributing to productions worth billions of dollars, and reaching hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide.
Our collective experience spans the creative, commercial, and technological evolution of entertainment, positioning us to help shape what comes next.
Co-Founders
Tina Randolph Contogenis
Tina Randolph Contogenis is the founder of Eris Talent Agency, an international talent agency representing actors and creators working across film, television, streaming, and the rapidly expanding vertical drama marketplace. Under her leadership, Eris Talent Agency developed the first agency with a division focused specifically on vertical content, representing actors, and production companies.
In addition to her work in representation, Contogenis leads Eris Entertainment, the company’s development arm. Contogenis is also actively involved in industry leadership and advocacy. She serves on the board of the Association of Talent Agents, helping shape policy and standards for talent representation in the United States. She is also a voting member of the Television Academy, participating in the Emmy Awards process and supporting excellence in television.
Eris Talent Agency, Inc. is a bi-coastal agency with an additional office in Mexico City and an affiliate in London.
Alicia Read
Alicia Read is an American-Canadian producer, actor and entertainment executive bringing more than two decades of experience building brands, audiences and businesses to the next generation of entertainment.
Before returning to entertainment, Read scaled consumer brands through earned media placements in Condé Nast and Hearst publications, including Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, and strategic retail partnerships with Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, goop and Selfridges. She also secured international distribution partnerships, driving global expansion and positioning brands for acquisition.
Performing in 26 vertical productions with more than 500 million views across platforms, Read produced and co-starred in the first Canadian ReelShort Original and now works across performance, production and original IP development.
Also co-founder of the Vertical Film & Short Series Alliance, Read combines creative vision, commercial strategy and industry leadership to help shape the future of mobile-first entertainment.
Founders Circle
Sammie Hao
Sammie Hao is an entertainment executive with over a decade of experience spanning investment, strategic business development, content sales and distribution. She currently serves as Head of Talent Strategy and Business Development at ReelShort, where she leads high-profile partnerships across talent, global brands, and entertainment IP.
Hao has spearheaded landmark collaborations with WWE and global brands including Crocs, L’Oréal, and Monopoly GO!, pioneering new models of branded storytelling that bridge entertainment, fan engagement, and marketing in the rapidly growing microdrama industry.
Prior to ReelShort, Hao led entertainment investments for a family office, spearheading a $50 million investment fund focused on Korean content, entertainment companies, and emerging opportunities across the global media landscape.
Head of Talent Strategy &
Business Development at ReelShort
Karla M. Rodriguez
Karla M. Rodriguez works across content development, creator strategy, partnerships, and the expansion of serialized storytelling into new formats.
Her background spans development, production, casting, and digital media, with previous experience at Sony Pictures Entertainment, Condé Nast/Vogue, and ReelShort.
Rodriguez is an Academy Gold alumna and an award-winning screenwriter, with a focus on connecting emerging storytelling models with the broader entertainment industry.
Head of Development, Communications &
Strategic Partnerships at GoodShort
Head of U.S. Development at GammaTimeAmy Sullivan
Amy Sullivan began her career writing for traditional film and television, including This Is Us, The Boys and Not Dead Yet, alongside advertising work for brands including Microsoft, Absolut Vodka and T-Mobile. An early adopter of vertical drama in the U.S., she has since become a leading writer and developer in the format, serving as Head Writer and Executive Producer on more than 25 series.
Her recent Oops I Married My Bestie’s Brother reached 220M views in 10 days. She is currently Head of U.S. Development at GammaTime, the Hollywood-backed premium vertical media company founded by Bill Block.
Shannon Taylor
Shannon Taylor is an Emmy Award-winning producer and Director of Production at Halogen Cinema, a BuzzFeed Studios company. She has produced more than 40 vertical dramas, leading multiple production teams and overseeing projects from preproduction through final delivery. Halogen’s partners have included Lionsgate, aTwist, GammaTime, ReelShort, Pocket FM, GoodShort, Super Lab, and ByteDance.
With experience spanning film, television, documentaries, commercials, and live events, Taylor specializes in scaling productions, building efficient workflows, and delivering high-quality content on accelerated timelines. She combines creative storytelling with strategic leadership to navigate the evolving entertainment landscape and is also the recipient of a 2022 Pacific Southwest Emmy Award.
Taylor is currently producing School for Girls, a documentary following Afghan girls pursuing education despite Taliban restrictions.
Head of Production at Halogen Cinema
Isabel Dréan
Isabel Dréan is a Canadian screenwriter, producer and director based in Los Angeles. Following the pandemic, she had five movies produced in just 18 months. Her work now spans feature films and vertical series, establishing her as one of the leading voices in microdrama.
Her three #1 vertical series are The Blind Bride of the Scarred Mafia Boss on VIGLOO, and GammaTime’s The Prince and the Royal Wedding Planner and The Summer I Turned My Sexiest, which The New York Times Magazine called a breakthrough.
She is the author of How to Write a Vertical Series in 10 Days and founded THE HUB, a global community connecting writers, producers, directors and financiers. She is a founding member of Women in Vertical Media.
Screenwriter
Director
Ira Storozhenko
Ira Storozhenko (she/they) is a Los Angeles-based director and graduate of the American Film Institute Conservatory’s Directing Fellowship. Ira began their career in Russia, directing Disney Channel CIS’s reality series This Is My Room.
Since relocating to the U.S., Ira has directed nearly 30 vertical and microdrama series for leading platforms including DramaBox, ReelShort, Shorts App, ShortMax and TikTok.
Their series Husband for Hire went viral and reached IMDb’s top three, while Oops! I Married My Enemy earned a Romantic Comedy of the Year nomination at the Vertical Drama Love Awards, with lead Ashley Michelle Grant winning Lead Actress in a Comedy.
Ira’s short films have screened at more than 40 international festivals, including AFI FEST, the CAA Showcase, and the Oscar-qualifying Cleveland and Foyle Film Festivals.