Latest Blogs

Over the past couple of decades, we have seen all the legacy studios—Warner Bros, Fox, Universal, MGM, and Paramount—gobbled up by giant media conglomerates like so many dots on the Pac-Man screen. The new, more vertical configuration of the current media industry can make it more daunting and confusing than ever for an amateur screenwriter looking for a way to get started on a professional career. There is still one tried-and-true strategy for breaking into the business that works extremely...

How do you work from a great logline? Remember what it says!You thought of a great story idea. It’s boiling in your head and you can’t get it out. Simply put, you must write it and so reach the first major stumbling block… “where do I start?”Well, you should put it into a logline. But then? Outline? Yes, but first… a new lens to look at that outline… The Lens of Memory Imagine John McClane from Die Hard all recovered from his Nakatomi Plaza adventure, but still before Die Hard 2. Since Die...

I've spent four years at a studio in LA, moving through roles as an editor, a camera operator, and an Executive Assistant supporting the President of Development/Production and the Head of Production. At the same time, I've been running my own production company, shooting my own photography, and now building a new studio. For a while I thought I had to pick one of those things and call it my career. Turns out I got to keep both, and I'm better for it. Nobody Puts "Coordinator" on Their Visio...

What's up, Creative Army! Last Wednesday, I sat down for a couple of hours with our Writers' Room members and answered everything they threw at me. I told you before the event that I had spent this year in the meetings, on the road, and on the phone with executives, producers, financiers, and buyers, and that I wanted to hand as much of that over to you as I possibly could. That is what we did. Amanda Toney moderated, our members brought their questions, and we went straight at the stuff tha...

I want to tell you about the thing that changed how I see this whole industry, and it happened because of a book. I read Crowdsourcing for Filmmakers because RB wrote it, and over the years I've worked here, I've grown to not just respect him as a wonderful boss, but as a passionate and informed creative professional whose insights I value. What I did not expect was that I would finish it and start noticing the pattern everywhere. In films. In games. In novels. In a card game about exploding k...

Exclusively on Stage 32, one of the best and longest running independent production companies in Hollywood has opened their doors to our community. Millennium Media has spent decades turning action franchises into global box office events that have grossed billions worldwide. Now the studio is partnering with Stage 32 to find the next great action/thriller writer! This year's winner won't just take home a trophy. They'll sign a shopping agreement and go straight into development and packaging wi...

Happy Sunday, Creative Army! Let’s kick things off with a huge shoutout to everyone who has already jumped into this month’s Introduce Yourself Weekend. Thousands of creatives from around the world are connecting, sharing their stories, and building relationships that can lead to collaborations, opportunities, and lifelong friendships. If you haven’t made your introduction yet, you still have time. Be bold. Introduce yourself. Your next great opportunity could be just one connection away. Now,...

As a ghostwriter, I’ve discovered that one of the best ways to grow as a creative professional is not always through your own words – it’s through the words you write for someone else. When many people think about ghostwriting, they might focus first (and perhaps exclusively) on the paycheck that comes with it. Let’s make no mistake: ghostwriting can be a lucrative addition to your business model. But the benefits of working as a ghostwriter extend far beyond the financial. Before we get into...

My name is Lena, and I’m an aspiring filmmaker from Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi. When I graduated from Vassar College in 2021, I knew the pandemic had taken my chances of working in the film industry from slim to none, especially in New York. Between the lockdowns, financial instability, and caring for my family, a career in filmmaking seemed impossible. So, I pushed that dream aside and focused all my energy on marketing. While I loved film more than anything, it slowly became something I viewed from a dist...

I have sat in a lot of rooms where a filmmaker's future gets decided in about four minutes. That is the part nobody prepares you for. You spend years on a film. Someone across a table spends four minutes deciding whether it is worth their money, time, and resources. And the thing that tips that conversation is almost never the thing filmmakers expect it to be. It is not how beautiful the film is. It is not how hard it was to make. I wish it were. It is whether anyone besides you already want...