From gym owner to breakout star
Before American actor Kasey Esser became a breakout face of vertical dramas—starring in hits like “Fated to My Forbidden Alpha”—he was dishing out fitness advice on Instagram and helping others with their fitness journeys. Through his personalized fitness training account @essersla on Instagram, he regularly posted tips on how to get started and stay consistent with workout goals.
He moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in Hollywood, but knew he wasn’t ready. He lacked the confidence, knowledge, and network to make a living from acting. That’s how he ended up working first as a personal trainer before moving on to build his own fitness brand.
“I own a gym in Los Angeles, and that was what I initially came out to do,” Esser told Lifestyle during his first visit to the Philippines. “I wanted that to be my first life so that when I went into acting, I could more directly pursue what I wanted to do.”
Being a gym owner gave him the flexibility to take acting classes and immerse himself in the craft without having to resort to traditional jobs that many aspiring actors have to take on. The gym wasn’t just a business—it became the foundation of his career. It gave him real-world experience in sales and entrepreneurship, and those lessons gave him the mental fortitude to weather the brutal rejections that most actors face when starting out.
“One of the things that the business side prepared me for with acting was hearing ‘no,’” he said, recalling how he once handed out flyers door-to-door to get people to attend his gym’s grand opening. “That was a necessary piece in the beginning.”
The rejections were plenty in the early days, but once word got out, clients began seeking him out. Around that time, a classmate from acting class told him about a role in a mobile drama.
Vertical dramas are short-form scripted series filmed in 9:16 aspect ratio. Designed specifically for smartphones, each episode typically runs for one to two minutes, with the entire series totaling around two hours. They target younger, mobile-first audiences.
Lead role
Esser had no idea what a vertical drama was. But the offer was for a lead role—something he had always been firm about. He was clear from the beginning that he only wanted to do lead roles. It didn’t matter if it was a small show with limited reach, as long as he was the main character.
“Perception is everything. How people see you and how you see yourself is what will happen. If I don’t see myself as a leading man, no one else is going to put me in that role. I was very cognizant of people’s perception,” he said. What he earned in the gym gave him the luxury to choose the roles he wanted to work on. He didn’t have to act to survive. Esser could pursue his love for acting because he enjoyed it. It made a difference.
The series “Fated to My Forbidden Alpha” is set in an omegaverse—a fictional world where people are categorized by secondary genders: alpha, beta, and omega. These characters act on instinct and mirror the behaviors of wolves. Alphas are the leaders and are often described as having muscular physiques to protect their pack from outsiders. Esser is the perfect fit.
“That was one of the first US verticals that went viral,” Esser said of his breakout role. “Since then, all these other apps getting into the space looked at that one and cast me.”
“With the vertical dramas, I’m doing exactly what I want them to do—proving that I can be a leading man on a more micro level,” he said.
Over 35 vertical dramas
To date, he has starred in over 35 vertical dramas, often as the romantic lead. He will be attending the upcoming “Verticon,” which is a convention for vertical drama fans, from Sept. 26 to Sept. 28 in LA. Esser has plans to expand into traditional Hollywood and eventually produce his own vertical content. He sees his fitness background not just as part of his past, but as a distinct advantage.
“I’ve lived more of my life. I’m able to draw on so much as an actor—heartbreak, hardships. And I think it shows in the performances,” he said.
Even as he gains more visibility onscreen, he has never stepped away from fitness. Esser continues to run his gym while building his acting career. He didn’t trade one career for another; if anything, his gym has gained more attention, thanks to his rise in the vertical drama scene. For him, the two worlds go hand in hand.
We also couldn’t pass up the chance to ask him for fitness advice.
Train three times a week
“The general guideline that we have at my gym is, everyone has to train three days a week. If you can do that, you’ll be okay. That’s the baseline. Keep things very simple,” he said.
The exercise should be done for at least an hour, which includes the warm-up. For him, strength training remains essential. Building strength is the foundation of someone’s fitness.
“If they like to do pilates, yoga, they can do that, but strength training has to be the base of what they do,” he said. To him, strength training is more important than cardio because strength training can be a cardio workout, as well. Esser said that a couple of movements done back-to-back without rest become a cardio workout.
He also believes that everyone should have a coach, especially at the start, if a person wants to make staying fit a lifestyle.
“You know, even if it’s only for three months, having a coach gets you into the accountability of going to the gym,” he said. Coaches help you show up even on days you don’t want to. He added that coaches are people who depend on you to show up.
“They also write your program, so you know what to do and how to do it. A lot of people go to the gym and understandably just end up going to the cardio equipment because they don’t know how to use anything in the gym. It’s intimidating because there’s a lot of people there all doing different things, and you don’t know if you’re doing it right,” he said.
If someone shows you the ropes, it will help you build your confidence.
He also said that you should add five minutes of warm-ups for every decade of your age.
“In your 20s, you can basically just start (laughs) and then in your 30s, you give yourself five minutes. If you’re in your 40s, give yourself 10 minutes. In your 50s, 15 minutes, and so on,” he said.
Esser said that everyone should be squatting, deadlifting, and working towards doing a push-up or doing a pull-up. But the most important thing is consistency. No matter the age, one shouldn’t quit on their dreams and fitness goals.
