What does it take to become one of the recognizable faces of vertical entertainment in just a few years? 📱🎬
This week on The Vertical Buzz, Buzz sits down with actress Nicole Mattox, whose journey from a painfully shy kid in Texas, to UT Austin, cavern tour guide, and aspiring traditional actress eventually led her into one of the fastest-growing forms of entertainment in the world.
Nicole had no idea what “vertical” even meant when she first auditioned for one. Then came Breaking the Ice, a chemistry read squeezed into the middle of a chaotic shoot, and suddenly everything started moving. Within months, Nicole's vertical career was taking off, her work with Seth Eden was connecting with audiences, and she was becoming one of the industry's most recognizable performers.
But there's much more to Nicole's story than her vertical credits. She talks about growing up in Texas, studying film at UT Austin, spending years training in the Meisner technique, working as a cavern tour guide, and why all of those life experiences ultimately made her a better actor.
We also get into one of the biggest questions facing the industry right now: AI vs. human actors. Nicole isn't against AI, but she believes there is something fundamentally different about watching a real person experience emotion on screen, especially in stories built around human connection.
And Nicole explains why vertical acting itself requires a different technique, why she wants to balance vertical and traditional acting, and which genres she believes could be the next big opportunity for vertical storytelling.
In this episode, you will learn:
🎬 How Nicole went from Texas to Los Angeles and ultimately found vertical entertainment
📱 How Breaking the Ice became a major turning point in her career
🎭 Why life experience can make an actor more authentic
🧠 How years of Meisner training shaped her acting
🕳️ How working as a cavern tour guide prepared her for acting
🤖 Nicole's perspective on AI-generated actors and human emotion
🎥 Why acting for vertical requires a different physical and emotional style
🌎 How Nicole became part of the early generation helping build vertical entertainment
🔥 Which genres she thinks could be the next big opportunity for vertical storytelling
Chapters
00:00 Authentic Acting Truth
00:44 AI Actors Debate
01:22 Show Intro And Guest
04:51 Peacock Micro Drama Trip
06:46 Texas Roots And Childhood
08:05 Early Acting Spark
09:19 UT Austin And Career Pivot
12:54 Cavern Tour Guide Days
20:08 LA Move And Acting Training
25:05 Vertical Breakout And Buzz
33:43 Coffee With Sal
34:17 Thrown Into AD Work
35:17 Super Punchy Rise
35:54 Keeping Set Energy
37:45 Life Experience Acting
38:31 AI Versus Heart
42:42 Back To Traditional
44:10 Vertical Acting Style
45:56 Genres And Growth
54:52 Rapid Fire And Farewell
Sponsor: AEIRO (Arrow Air Purifiers)
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Featured in this episode: AEIRO AC150, powerful enough to clean rooms 300+ sq ft, quiet enough for production, with smart sensor controls and true HEPA plus carbon filtration.
Website: AEIRO.co
Guest: Nicole Mattox
Nicole Mattox is a Los Angeles-based actress originally from Schertz, Texas and a graduate of UT Austin. She has become one of the recognizable performers in vertical entertainment, with credits including Breaking the Ice, The Hit Woman, Step by Step, Faded at First Sight, and Twisted Minds. She has also worked with Super Punchy Studios and recently starred in Peacock's first in-house micro-drama.
Instagram: @nicolemattox_
Host: Buzz Leer
Buzz Leer is an actor, host, and veteran of the vertical film space.
Instagram: @buzz_leer
A Glendale Podcast Studio Production
Owned and operated by Erika and Jason Hanan
Instagram: @glendalepodcaststudio
Social Media Director: Ana Karina Cano
Instagram: @anakarinacano
Theme Song
Grace Leer and Bryan Dawley, The Vertical Buzz Theme Song
Public Relations and Media
Robb Leer, Leer Communications, Inc.
Thank you
Special thanks to all of my support team, friends, and family.
Host, Buzz Leer
#TheVerticalBuzz #NicoleMattox #VerticalEntertainment #VerticalDrama #MicroDrama #Acting #AI #Hollywood #GlendalePodcastStudio
