Happy Sunday, Creative Army!

I hope your weekend has been a creative one so far. Whether you have been writing, filming, editing, or sketching out the next spark of an idea, I have something today that will give you a boost. So grab your coffee, and let’s dive in.

This week’s featured video comes from Vanity Fair- Every Jon Favreau Movie, Explained by Jon Favreau.

In it, Favreau walks through his entire directing career, from the scrappy creative partnership of Swingers and Made, to launching the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe with Iron Man, to the passion project reset of Chef, and on through Jungle Book, Lion King, and The Mandalorian. It is a long watch, but worth it, because a few themes echo through every single project he touches. He hires people who know more than he does, and learns from them. He treats the set like a collaboration where a great idea can come from any department. And no matter how big the technology or the budget gets, he keeps chasing the same thing: making an audience feel something together.

But the moment that stuck with me most was smaller than all of that. Early in his career, coming off two films that had not broken through commercially, Favreau asked his agent a very specific question. What size budget would he need to make a movie where nobody could tell him what to do creatively? He got a number, went home, and wrote Chef. He bet on himself, made something personal for a price that made sense, and it reopened every door.

That is the spirit I want to carry into what I want to talk to you about today. Because the creatives who last are the ones who pay attention to where the game is heading, and then position themselves to bet on their own work.

People ask me all the time, RB, what should film professionals be watching over the next three to five years?

The number one thing is global. Pay attention to what is happening globally, and to the opportunities opening up all over the world. Storytelling is universal, and the opportunities now are genuinely international. Stop thinking LA all the time. Start thinking about where your dollar goes the furthest and where the real opportunities are, because more and more, they are not confined to one city or one country.

The second thing to watch is distribution. New channels and new ways to get your work in front of an audience are going to keep evolving. The traditional distribution models have already been blasted into space, and here is my prediction: some of those old models are going to come back and expand again, in pockets. What is old becomes new. But the broader evolution is not slowing down, so keep your eyes open and stay flexible about how your work reaches people.

And the third thing, the one I believe in most deeply, is community. You have to surround yourself with a like-minded community and actually get involved in it, because that is a genuine difference-maker for a career. When you are plugged into the right community, you have support around the clock, all year long. You see other people wrestling with the same problems you are facing, hitting the same walls, and figuring out the same solutions. You stop feeling like you are doing this alone, because you are not.

So that is my advice, and it is really simple. Never stop learning, and make sure you are putting yourself in a positive environment. The trends will keep shifting. Global will keep growing, distribution will keep reinventing itself. But the constant, the thing that carries you through all of it, is being a lifelong student surrounded by people who lift you up.

Speaking of Community: This Year’s July Filmmakers Club Is Live!

This is the perfect moment for a reminder. July Filmmakers Club has officially launched, and it is exactly the kind of positive, like-minded environment I am talking about. A full month of free challenges, resources, live events, and prizes, built to help you set goals, do the work, and connect with filmmakers all over the world. If you have not dived in yet, click here to join in on Week 1. Do not sit this one out. This is your community, right here, waiting for you.

So let me leave you with this, Creative Army. Of the three trends I mentioned, global opportunities, evolving distribution, and community, which one are you leaning into most right now, and how? And if you could ask a filmmaker like Favreau one question about navigating a long creative career, what would it be? Drop it in the comments.

As always, here at Stage 32, we love sharing stories and knowledge with our fellow film fans. Know someone who would love this content? Share it with them. You can keep up with all of our videos by subscribing to the Stage 32 YouTube Channel. For more inspirational, educational, and motivational content on all things entertainment industry, follow me on Instagram and X @rbwalksintoabar.

Wishing you a very happy, healthy, and creative Sunday.

Cheers,

RB

Vanity Fair | Every Jon Favreau Movie, Explained by Jon Favreau

RBWalksIntoABar | Trends & Advice Creatives Should Pay Attention To

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