Verticals: How to Package and Protect your IP

Learn directly from the dealmakers negotiating vertical series agreements every day

Get a downloadable Vertical Packaging & Platform Landscape Map showing who’s buying, who’s producing, and how deals are structured

PLEASE NOTE: This exclusive Stage 32 webinar is now available to watch on-demand and no longer live.

Vertical series aren’t a trend. They’re a seismic shift. Platforms are investing heavily, production volume is exploding, and deals are moving faster than most writers can process. If you’re a creator looking to break in or already being approached, this space can open real doors to paid work and scalable IP. But the vertical market doesn’t play by traditional film and TV rules, and understanding how it actually works is now essential if you want to protect your rights, your leverage, and your long-term career.

The problem is that most creatives enter the vertical space assuming it operates like indie film or scripted television. It doesn’t. Writers are being rushed into compressed deal timelines, aggressive contracts, and “standard” terms that quietly strip IP, sequel rights, and future upside. Many don’t realize how different the economics, power dynamics, and packaging models are until it’s too late. The opportunity is real - but so is the risk if you don’t know what to look for or how to push back strategically.

That’s where your instructors come in. Jackie Ward brings deep expertise in production, financing, distribution, and emerging platforms, with a reputation for translating creative vision into smart, future-proof legal frameworks. She’s worked across scripted, unscripted, and digital content, advising creators and companies at the intersection of business and storytelling. Joining her is Stuart Arbury, a seasoned packaging and sales executive at Ramo Law, with years of experience placing projects with top buyers, producers, and platforms—including recent sales to Amazon Prime. Together, they offer a rare dual perspective: legal protection and real-world market execution.

In this exclusive Stage 32 webinar, you’ll cut through the hype and learn how the vertical market truly functions - how projects are packaged and sold, where the money actually flows, what deal terms matter most, and how writers quietly lose (or retain) IP. You’ll learn to spot red flags, understand leverage, and position yourself as a creator who’s not just talented, but informed. You’ll also receive a downloadable Packaging & Platform Landscape Map so you know who’s buying, who’s producing, and how deals are structured. You’ll walk away able to navigate vertical opportunities strategically, protect your ownership, and make decisions that serve both your creative goals and your future.

PLUS! You will receive this handout to help you:

• Packaging & Platform Landscape Map (who’s buying, who’s producing, how deals are structured)

Praise for Jackie and Stuart’s Webinar:

“The webinar provided a valuable overview of deal structures and positioning in the vertical market. I’d love to dive even deeper into how platforms evaluate projects, how scalable production companies operate, and where long-term opportunities and infrastructure gaps exist in this space.”
– Attendee

“This was extremely helpful. I’d absolutely attend another session like this—especially to help new writers better prepare for the vertical drama space.”
– Attendee

“Great topic and really informative! The timing was perfect too—I’m in Australia, so it was 8am here, which made it easy to join.”
– Attendee

“I really appreciated that the hosts shared real, concrete, and useful information about where to submit your work. That kind of clarity is incredibly valuable.”
– Attendee

“The RAMO team was excellent. As an emerging writer, I learned so much, even though this is a completely new space for me.”
– Attendee