147 - Ali Abazaz CEO of CandyJar spills the ai beans...

147 - Ali Abazaz CEO of CandyJar spills the ai beans...

Ai is changing entertainment faster than anyone expected—and Ali Albazaz is one of the people leading the charge. In Part 1, the CEO of Inkit, Galatea, Candy Jar, and the upcoming AI studio Ironblood explains how data-driven storytelling is helping discover the next generation of creators, why Hollywood's traditional gatekeepers are failing, and how his company became the largest American microdrama platform. Plus, we get an inside look at how they're using AI to make premium content without sacrificing creativity. Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/vertically_challenged_pod_jtss/]: @vertically_challenged_pod_jtss TikTok: @vertically_challenged_jt YouTube: [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl02qDbqLw_9WNRqwZM_HTQ] @vertically_challenged_pod_jtss Reddit: @vert_challenge_pod Contact: jay@jayandtonyshow.com The Jay and Tony Show: [https://www.jayandtonyshow.com/] www.jayandtonyshow.com [https://www.jayandtonyshow.com/]

146 - Priests, Paywalls & Panic: Where Vertical Dramas Go Next

This week, Jay and Tony try (and immediately fail) to avoid talking about AI, accidentally invent a drinking game, and then dive headfirst into one of the biggest questions facing vertical dramas: what happens next? Is the industry evolving into premium TV made for your phone, or is it doubling down on dopamine-driven, paywall-powered storytelling? Along the way they debate why "hot priests" are suddenly everywhere, whether TikTok is about to blow up the entire business model, and why Hollywood might be making the same mistakes all over again. Equal parts industry analysis, comedy, and two friends arguing over wildly questionable analogies. Contact: jay@jayandtonyshow.com The Jay and Tony Show: [https://www.jayandtonyshow.com/] www.jayandtonyshow.com [https://www.jayandtonyshow.com/]

145 - AI Creators Are Coming for Hollywood's Lunch Money - Part 2

Kai and Federico stick around to explain how creators might actually make money when AI starts eating the old entertainment model for breakfast. They break down Anamana's creator incubator, revenue-sharing approach, and vision for a world where one person with a laptop can operate like a tiny, deranged studio. Jay and Tony push on the uncomfortable stuff too. What happens to actors? What happens to traditional production? And what happens when storytelling becomes faster, cheaper, and available to basically anyone with an idea and questionable sleep habits? Contact: jay@jayandtonyshow.com The Jay and Tony Show: [https://www.jayandtonyshow.com/] www.jayandtonyshow.com [https://www.jayandtonyshow.com/]

144 - AI Creators Are Coming for Hollywood's Lunch Money - Part 1

Jay and Tony sit down with Kai and Federico from Anamana, an AI-native storytelling platform trying to drag entertainment into its next weird and potentially awesome era. They talk AI-generated microdramas, fan fiction turning into real shows, creators building worlds without waiting for permission, and why Hollywood may be dramatically underestimating how fast this is all moving. It is part tech conversation, part existential crisis, and part warning shot to anyone still pretending a studio lot is the center of the universe. Contact: jay@jayandtonyshow.com The Jay and Tony Show: [https://www.jayandtonyshow.com/] www.jayandtonyshow.com [https://www.jayandtonyshow.com/]

143 - Hollywood Lost the Crown (But Jay Found a Nude Beach)

Jay returns from a microdrama conference in Mallorca, Spain with tales of Hollywood's fading influence. He and Tony get into the global vertical drama boom, America's fading grip on entertainment, AI demos that somehow still need a human to stand next to them and apologize, and a K-pop dance reenactment that Jay refused to do. Meanwhile, Tony does what Tony does best and turns a serious conversation about the future of media into passport trauma, conference weirdness, and the haunting image of a baguette-filled canoe. Contact: jay@jayandtonyshow.com The Jay and Tony Show: [https://www.jayandtonyshow.com/] www.jayandtonyshow.com [https://www.jayandtonyshow.com/]