62 - Nick Ritacco - Pirate today, Detective tomorrow...

Today’s episode is officially hijacked — by Vertical pirate Nick
Ritacco @nick.ritacco

Fresh off wrapping the second pirate vertical ever (after
@beneathcrimsonsailsvertical), Nick joins me to talk about one of
the most special experiences of his career so far.

What little kid doesn’t dream of becoming a pirate at least once?
Nick used to love dressing up as one — and now he’s managed to
combine two things he truly loves: his job and his childhood
dream. No surprise he already misses the role… and is secretly
(not so secretly) hoping for Part II ️

We talk about:
What it was like filming on a ship out at sea
️ How he prepared for the sword-fighting scenes
How many classic Vertical tropes made it into the story
And if there’s a traditional banquet scene or not

But we don’t just stay on deck.

We also dive into a more critical conversation about how the
Vertical scene has evolved over the past two years, brainstorm
new and better project ideas, and I promise Nick I’ll try to get
him to Germany (or anywhere in Europe!) in 2026 so he can finally
check that off his Vertical bingo card ️

And after playing a pirate?
There’s another dream role waiting: detective
So Kirby Ellwood @kirby.ellwood and I might need to revive our
million-dollar idea from Episode 25…

This episode has adventure, ambition, industry talk — and just
the right amount of pirate energy.

Tune in and enjoy it! ️

Verticals with Nick Ritacco:

The Golden Pear Affair (https://thegoldenpearaffair.com)
Highs-Stakes Heartthrob (@mydrama.excitingseries)
The True Heiress's Perfect Revenge (@app.shorts)
Billionaire Alpha's Fated Mate (@flareflowapp)
Love Again, My Adoptive Brother (@netshortdrama)