Latest Blogs

There’s something bittersweet about walking the streets of Park City knowing it’s the last time Sundance will call this place home. For so many of us, Sundance in Park City has never just been a festival. It’s been a reunion. A proving ground. A pressure cooker and a playground all at once. It’s where careers quietly shifted, friendships formed over late-night conversations, and ideas turned into films that went on to change lives. This year felt like a full-circle moment. I had an incredi...

The pre-sales model is changing. I talked to five producers and distribution execs this week who all attend top film markets and are actively packaging and selling projects right now. A common thread emerged in every conversation: we're in an era where companies can't just excel in one area anymore. Production companies are opening management firms. Sales agents are becoming distributors. Distributors are financing titles and becoming studios. All of it in the hope of building a larger library...

Our mission has always been to make the entertainment industry more accessible and meritocratic—a place where talent, not just connections, determines who gets a shot. With over 3,000 executives who believe in that same mission, Stage 32 has become the main hub for writers, filmmakers, and creatives looking to make their mark in Hollywood without waiting for permission or playing the gatekeeping game. While no two paths to success are identical, there are valuable lessons we can...

Exclusively on Stage 32, the BEST Short Script Contest in the World is Back!  This is YOUR chance to get your short script produced this year!   We're Proud to Present our 3rd Annual Palm Springs Women in Film & Television + Stage 32 Short Script Competition! The Grand Prize Winner Gets Your Short Screenplay PRODUCED for a GUARANTEED budget of $10,000! Getting your short script produced is the quickest way into the industry. Great short films captivate audiences with concise storytellin...

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 got something today that will give you a boost. So grab your coffee, and let’s dive in. This week’s featured video comes from The Hollywood Reporter: Directors in Focus Conversation With Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer. If you have ever wondered what it really takes to take a show from a scrappy idea...

Let me start by saying, I’m not a writer. My professional world is built around cinema camera lens design and engineering (big shoutout to the Cinematography Lounge!). But when you’ve spent 17 years living with a writer and former development executive who eats, sleeps, and breathes story structure, character arcs, and prestige television… let’s just say it starts to rub off. In our house, conversations about film and television are as regular (and passionate) as debates about what’s for dinner....

Hey, Stage 32 Community! The most prestigious short film competition on the planet is back! You've made a short film. You've put in your time, effort, blood, sweat, tears, and perhaps even some serious money into your project. Your goal isn't only to get your film seen, but to get it seen around the world and by people who can make a difference in your career. Would being screened by an Oscar qualifying film festival matter? How about having it screened for over 1,000 executives including ma...

There I was, sitting in an office inside of Walt Disney Studios. Huge Mary Poppins Returns cardboard display set up in anticipation of the movie’s 2018 release. Walt himself used to walk the halls, and now here I was for an in-person pitch meeting. Two months earlier, I'd had a general call with one of their production managers, and now we were having our first face-to-face, "real" Hollywood meeting. This is what she said: “You know what… We have an upcoming project you could be a great fit...

Happy Thursday, Stage 32ers! I had the great privilege to present the Stage 32 Certification program at the 2025 Blend Film & Games Conference in Zagreb, Croatia. This was all made possible through our partnership with the Zagreb Film Office and the leadership of Mia Pećina Drašković and her hard-working team. The conference brought experts in films, TV, and gaming from across all corners of Europe and North America, and the creative atmosphere was in full swing. It showed that talent is every...

Risk aversion is killing the business. There, I said it. The irony is suffocating: Hollywood's current risk-averse mentality is killing the exact genre that built the studio system and saved it during multiple downturns.THE TEN COMMANDMENTS was the highest-grossing film of the 1950s. BEN-HUR won 11 Oscars and saved MGM from bankruptcy. GLADIATOR revived the sword-and-sandal epic in 2000 and made $460M when everyone said the genre was dead. THE KING'S SPEECH cost $15M and made $414M while winning...