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"For centuries, every agency, company, studio, and writer has relied on the Hero’s Journey as a standard for storytelling. But nonlinear, trans-platform communication has entirely disrupted that model. To rising generations, the standard tropes of classic storytelling have begun to feel slow, obvious, and dated. We yearn for a new, far more dynamic and participative approach…" Jeff Gomez, producer, writer, and CEO of Starlight Runner, is turning the Hero's Journey on its head with the emerge...

If you're reading this post, you're in business for yourself. Most indie creatives are. You are an entrepreneur and you work for you. Therefore, you are responsible for just about every aspect of your business. I am a screenwriter, actor, and ghostwriter (with a small job on the side at a bookstore). As an entrepreneur, I have to manage my books, track my mileage, invoice my clients, and market myself. Really, that's just a fraction of what I do. I also have to establish boundaries with my c...

We are thrilled to share an update from our Stage 32 Comedy Writing Contest Winner Diana Wright. Diana was the Grand Prize Winner for her hilarious TV pilot, ROSWELL, ADJACENT and she has now signed with literary manager Audrey Knox at The Cartel which is a premiere full service management and production company. Their production arm, Cartel Pictures, is surging with 12 feature-length projects released in 2017 alone, including LOVE AT FIRST GLANCE, DEADLY EXCHANGE, and THE STUDENT. On the mana...

Depending on the market you are based in, you may have a vastly different understanding of the self-tape audition. If you're based in LA or NYC, you are occasionally required to self-tape, and when that happens, perhaps you use your cell phone or go to a buddy’s house and have them tape you. I, on the other hand, am based in Atlanta. And in addition to being a full-time actor for over 15 years, I have co-owned a taping service with my wife since 2010. We were one of the first dedicated taping...

If I told you that I have interviewed award-winning screenwriters, producers, managers, and other industry professionals who have worked on projects like the Jurassic Park franchise and with studios such as BBC, Marvel, and Disney without leaving the comfort of my own home, would you believe me? And what would you say if I told you that you could do it too? In fact, let’s go a step further and say you don’t even need to get off the couch to do so. In this post, I'm going to share how I’ve be...

A few months back I published a post looking for blog contributors. I'll be doing that from time to time because, quite frankly, the Stage 32 Blog wouldn’t exist without any of you. So many of you answered the call. You told us your stories. You shared your experiences. Your expertise.Your wins, your losses, and your even better wins that come after the losses. We want to hear from you again.Our posts from you educate and inspire. And with over 500,000 Stage 32 members (and growing), ther...

Happy Sunday, Creative Army.  Hope you're all enjoying the weekend and taking advantage of participating in Introduce Yourself Weekend here on Stage 32.  Let's get to the content. First up, as we all know, there's no one tried and true approach to writing a screenplay.  But, by hearing from those who have been successful and keeping an open mind, we might just pick up a tip or two that could lead to better habits.  To that end, here's Jay Duplass speaking to his screenwriting process. Next...

Nearly five years ago I started the journey to becoming a filmmaker. At the time I had a great job with benefits, three weeks of vacation, a decent salary, and great co-workers… ...but I was miserable. I wasn’t doing the one thing that burned with an unquenchable fire within me. All I wanted to do was make movies. Now mind you, I am a father of three awesome children and husband to an amazing wife. I have a mortgage, a car payment, and of course your standard American credit card debt. But...

Next week Stage 32 descends upon Austin, Texas for the Austin Film Festival. We are proud to be involved with the 2018 Austin Film Festival for the 6th year in a row! We invite our Stage 32ers to come join us!   Screenwriters Richard Botto & Shane Black (both managed by David Greenblatt) chat with fellow Stage 32ers at the 2017 Austin Film Festival   Screenwriter's Meetup @ Austin Film Festival We invite all our Stage 32 members for a fun night to celebrate the most creative community...

Writing a script is challenging in many ways. After you overcome the stress of facing the first draft review and all the reviews after that and then you see the job done it is, without a doubt, a very satisfying achievement. During the process we can make mistakes (yes, even writers make mistakes) with the way we tell the story. This is why we must keep reading and or talking about script techniques. Today I want to talk specifically about three things we must not do when we are writing a horror...