Daniel Jongma's Journey from Accountant to Vertical Drama Actor

From crunching numbers to screenplays, Daniel Jongma found his breakout role thanks to an unexpected nudge — and now he's helping shape a growing industry.

Daniel Jongma never planned to become an actor — at least, not seriously. Guided toward a more conventional profession, he assumed opportunities in acting were limited to major productions.

Daniel Jongma on set in character for a vertical drama role, as posted on October 16, 2024 |Source: Instagram/danjongma

But that changed for him when a casting call led to an unexpected career shift, placing him at the center of Australia's growing vertical drama scene.

Daniel Jongma's Path Before Acting

Jongma's life was grounded in spreadsheets. The 23-year-old Sydney-based actor started his career as an accountant.

"It's a pretty simple story, not too dramatic, but I did my three-year accounting degree, and I think I was just told at the end of school that I had to do a safe career," he said in a June 2025 Vertical Drama Love interview.

At the time, Jongma didn't see acting as a realistic career option. He believed success in the industry was rare and often required years of struggling, unstable work, and countless auditions, a path that didn't appeal to him while he was still in school.

Daniel Jongma's Unexpected Start in Vertical Dramas

Jongma always loved performing. "I did theater in school, and that was like the happiest moments of my schooling," he shared. But it wasn't until his girlfriend submitted his headshot for a casting call she found on Facebook.

Jongma entered the vertical drama space just as the format was beginning to take off. At the time, the industry was still unfamiliar to most people, including him.

When he was asked to submit a self-tape for his first audition, he wasn't even sure what that involved, but he went ahead with it and landed the role, marking the start of his acting journey.

Since his first project in early 2023, Jongma has become a familiar face in vertical dramas. His growing list of credits includes "Midlife Flash Marriage: My Billionaire CEO," and "I Hired a Billionaire Manny," and "Accelarating Love."

Additionally, he also appeared in "A Matter of Sin and Love," "Deeply Trapped," "Divorced Queen Returns to the Stage," and "1955: Married the Mafia Boss by Contract."

He plays both heroes and villains, and embraces the unique challenges of the vertical format. Projects often shoot in as little as five days, with minimal rehearsal and few takes. "When I get a schedule more than 7 days I'm so happy because it means more time to perform," he noted in another interview.

Behind the scenes with Daniel Jongma during the filming of a vertical drama, as posted on March 25, 2023 |Source: Instagram/danjongma

Beyond acting, Jongma is also the founder of Acting Vertical, an Instagram page where he shares behind-the-scenes insights into his work, along with talent management and consulting as a short drama industry expert.

Reflecting on the impact of the vertical drama industry, Jongma shared, "I cannot say enough how grateful I am for this industry because it has, I mean, it's changed my life, changed many, many other people's lives that I've spoken to as well, for similar reasons. So it's awesome."

Why Australia's Vertical Scene Is Just Getting Started

He believes areas like Brisbane and Perth remain untapped, and highlights Australian actors' ability to perform American accents as a key advantage. Jongma also hopes to see more verticals proudly set in their country rather than disguised as American backdrops.

"I think that needs to be considered a bit more in terms of the opportunity, because most verticals that are filmed in Australia pretend to be in Los Angeles," he pointed out. "So, I feel like that's just not necessary, and I think that it's removing the value that you literally have at your doorstep. So that's the main opportunity, I think, Australia has."