Our initial campaign goal was $5,000; and as of May 3rd, WE OFFICIALLY PASSED IT!!! We are so, SO, SO incredibly grateful to everyone who donated - thank you for helping us bring this crazy movie to life.

We now have all the essential things covered; so, any additional money raised from here will go towards making VERTICALS - THE MOVIE even better!!! This is how any additional money raised will be used (a.k.a. OUR STRETCH GOALS)!!!!

$8,500 - INCREDIBLE SET DESIGN!

At $8,500 raised, we could afford to

make the set ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS, giving

VERTICALS - THE MOVIE a luxury make-over!!

OUR STORY

Hi! My name is Jack Rykert, I'm an actor, and my dream, ever since I was a little kid, has been to be an actor in vertical dramas.

YOU GOT PRANKED HAHA!!!!

No, I do not want to do vertical dramas for the rest of my life. Ideally, I want to act in normal, "horizontal" formats, like TV and film. And unsurprisingly, I am not alone in that feeling. One of the unique things about the vertical industry is that a lot of people who work in verticals DO NOT LIKE VERTICALS, or even HATE VERTICALS. Many believe they are poisonous for the film industry as a whole, ruining the attention spans of society, polluting our social media feeds with slop, and that the world would be better off if they never existed at all.

So, why am I making a movie about them?

Well, for one, verticals are a massive, booming industry, and all signs indicate that their grip on Hollywood is only going to get tighter. Their dominance is impossible to ignore.

Variety asserts that verticals are a "global juggernaut racing toward $26 billion in annual revenues by 2030." The global box office (which is revenue from all movie theatres in the world) closed at approximately $33.5 billion dollars in 2025.

That is unbelievable, and proof that verticals are not a growing industry. They are here. And, to the dismay of many filmmakers, actors, and creatives, they are already playing a pivotal role in the future of the entertainment industry.

But that is not why I am making a movie about verticals.

The vertical industry is crazy and ridden with flaws. You could write a book about all the things that are wrong with verticals in their current state. I am not making a movie about them because I am in love with them.

I am making a movie about verticals because they have changed my entire life, and the lives of countless other creatives working in film.

I started acting two years ago, and in that time, I have had the privilege to be a part of 70+ vertical projects as an actor. Verticals have allowed me to act - to do what I love - consistently.

I am extremely grateful for them for that reason.

And that sentiment - that feeling of gratitude around being able to do what you love for work - is shared by almost every single person I have met on a vertical set. Verticals are deeply flawed in many ways. However, especially as the film industry continues to shrink, verticals offer an opportunity to work in film that, frankly, many people wish they had. To me, that makes them something to be extremely grateful for, and that is why I want to make a movie about them.

HOWEVER WE'RE MAKING IT A SPOOF MOCKUMENTARY BECAUSE VERTICALS ARE RIDICULOUS

AND DESERVE TO BE LAUGHED AT

Like look at this photo how could you even write a serious script about verticals

WHAT IS "VERTICALS - THE MOVIE"

Our movie is a satirical, spoof mockumentary following Milo, a wide-eyed actor with Hollywood dreams who just booked his first-ever acting gig. HOWEVER - this first gig is a vertical, and so of course, things are gonna get a little crazy. Set in a stereotypical "vertical mansion," everything is chaos, and Milo can barely keep up as he tries to process the craziness around him. It's gonna be wild.

HOW WE WANT TO INVOLVE

THE VERTICAL COMMUNITY

Because VERTICALS - THE MOVIE is the first-ever movie about verticals, we want it to be like this. However, instead of Muppets, we want to completely pack the set with vertical actors, crew, fans, etc.

We want everyone who has ever worked on a vertical - whether you've done 1 or 100 - to be on set. We want to involve as many members of the vertical community as possible. If you've worked in verticals, we want you to be in the movie. Now, nobody is getting paid, unfortunately, because I am a broke college student. However, IT IS GOING TO BE FUN (and we will of course have lunch and crafty). You can think of it as a big vertical get-together - it's gonna be a great time.

OUR CAMPAIGN & COST BREAKDOWN

We have made a conscious effort to try to make this movie using the least money possible, and were even able to acquire our primary location as well as some equipment for no cost. Thus, what we are raising the money for is the absolute bare necessities. Catering and craft services is 56% of that goal - we will have A LOT of people on set, and we can't afford any hangry vertical people (their Alpha powers will become too intense). The next 24% would finance two special props, which we have to buy materials for and hand-build, as well as some other general props and wardrobe for the shoot. Finally, for one of our shooting days, we will need a specific, backyard location that we will have to pay for, accounting for the final 20% of our goal. We are planning to shoot in late May, and thus, we will use any money raised almost immediately to fund our upcoming shoot.

HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT US

Of course, if you would be willing to donate, our team and I would be incredibly grateful. We have made every effort to make this happen using the least money possible, so I can assure you every dollar contributed is being put to good use.

Furthermore, we will be posting A TON of content on both Instagram and TikTok, so if you would like to follow along, our handle for both platforms is @fight.punch.productions. Finally, spreading the word about this project would also be a huge help and allow more and more people to see the movie when it eventually releases.

Thank you very much for reading, and let's make VERTICALS - THE MOVIE!!!!