Eric Guilmette Is Building More Than a Career as a Vertical Drama Star

Eric Guilmette may be best known for his work in vertical dramas, but acting is only one part of what now feels like an ever-expanding creative world.

During an on-stage conversation with Kerttu Karon at the LA Vertical Drama Market: 2nd Edition, Eric Guilmette opened up about everything from poetry and publishing to producing, entrepreneurship, and the personal experiences that shaped his creative journey.

With 48 vertical series to date, Guilmette is one of the more recognizable faces in the industry while also building a career that stretches far beyond acting alone.

Alongside producing projects like the vampire drama “Love and Blood,” he has also published poetry, launched a jewelry company, and helped co-found FMA Productions alongside fellow vertical drama stars Sarah Moliski, Felix Merback, Rebecca Stoughton, and indie horror producer Charles Band.

But according to Guilmette, none of it was part of some carefully planned career path.

“I didn’t know you could make a career from speaking in front of a camera,” Guilmette told Karon during the third day of the LA Vertical Drama Market, which ran from May 7 to 10, 2026. He was reflecting on how he first entered acting during the pandemic roughly six years ago.

Eric Guilmette speaking to Kerttu Karon on the third day of the LA Vertical Drama Market on May 9, 2026 | Source: Vertical Drama Explorer

Originally from Massachusetts, Guilmette said he studied math, economics, finance, and computer science before realizing a traditional career path was not what he wanted.

“I was supposed to go work in finance,” he recalled.

Instead, he found acting — something he described as the first thing that truly excited him creatively.

That same willingness to jump into unfamiliar territory eventually shaped the way he approached producing.

“I’ve very much been the figure-it-out kind of guy,” Guilmette said during the conversation. “I learned how to do things that I didn’t know how to do. I just figured it out.”

According to the actor, years spent working on vertical productions gave him firsthand insight into how sets function and how stories come together behind the scenes.

“At that time I’d done like 28 verticals,” he said while discussing his early producing experiences. “So I’d seen every department. I’ve been involved with every department.”

That experience eventually led to the launch of FMA Productions, which Guilmette described as the first actor-led creative production company in the vertical space.

“Between the four of us as actors, we have like 200 shows we’ve been on,” he said. “That’s an insane amount of time that you have spent building an understanding of how to tell a story.”

Still, some of Guilmette’s most personal reflections during the conversation had little to do with film sets or production schedules.

The actor also spoke openly about discovering poetry after moving to California and going through heartbreak that forced him to confront parts of himself more honestly.

“I fell in love with a girl that turned me into a poet,” he said.

According to Guilmette, writing became a way to process love, loss, and the uncertainty he felt while trying to understand himself during his mid-20s.

An excerpt from Eric Guilmette's poetry book, "Sex and Oatmeal" | Source: instagram/erictaylorguilmette

“I was trying to figure out who I was, write it down…” he said.

Eventually, he began sharing his work publicly online, something he described as both vulnerable and unexpectedly rewarding. For Guilmette, poetry became a different kind of creative outlet compared to acting.

“For poetry, it’s you,” he said.

That openness later evolved into a larger creative community surrounding his work, including live poetry events and his book “Sex and Oatmeal.”

During the interview, Guilmette also discussed his jewelry company, which was inspired by themes and phrases pulled directly from his poetry.

“I like having something that lasts a little bit longer than just four days,” he said, referring to how quickly audiences often move from one vertical series to the next.

Even with acting, producing, writing, and business ventures all happening simultaneously, Eric Guilmette admitted he rarely slows down.

“I have at least 300 things going on at one time,” he said. “This is not me bragging. This is just me being brutally honest.”

That growing list of projects includes upcoming productions, another poetry book, new jewelry launches, and additional work in both vertical and traditional filmmaking.

Guilmette said he has no plans to slow down anytime soon.

“Let’s just keep it going.”