Latest Blogs

One of the biggest challenges filmmakers and screenwriters face is to keep their creative energy fresh and high, while working on projects that ask years of endurance and at times don't feel creative. What often drove us toward filmmaking - the excitement of creating stories - can quickly become the thing we connect with the less as we work toward building our careers: handling deadlines, finding an agent, raising money, applying to festivals, answering casting calls and the 100 other tasks...

The AT&T Film Awards, a short film contest presented by AT&T, is seeking imaginative, undiscovered short films from aspiring filmmakers who want their voices heard. The contest is seeking short films from student filmmakers (from middle school to recent college graduates), and filmmakers who are shooting films using mobile tech (e.g. smartphones, GoPro, tablets, drones).   AT&T is offering prize packages that include cash, camera gear prizes, a scholarship to attend a summer film program...

Happy Sunday, everyone.  Let's brew some dark roast and enjoy some content.  How about it? My first video today comes from Teppo Haapoja who lends some thoughts on how to up your storytelling game by grabbing all the shots you need to assure you're not getting caught short in the editing room. Next, I have an oldie but a goodie.  It's a fantastic TEDx talk from visual artist, actor, writer and director Taika Waititi called The Art of Creativity.  Consume, bookmark, revisit. As always, my o...

I received an amazing testimonial recently that really humbled me and gave me such a feeling of success and achievement, that I really feel as though I have 'made it'. There's a saying that says something like... 'Everyone is famous among those they know' and I really do honestly feel like that right now, the testimonial really lifted me and made me feel as though I must be doing something right and I'm so chuffed with it, my head really is too big to get through the door and I am unashamedly sh...

We want to give a huge shout out to Ron Newcomb for having our fearless leader, RB, as a guest on the Film Trooper podcast. This is an inspirational and motivating podcast filled with a ton of advice and information to help you as a creative. RB talks about how many filmmakers get wrapped up in how to "crowdfund". Most filmmakers are too focused on having people give them money to help make their movie. Most filmmakers don't stop and ask, "What can I give back to the people I'm asking money from...

Sorry I missed you guys last week! It's been a whirlwind these last few weeks attending and speaking at iTVFest, Austin and now AFM. It's also been enormously rewarding. Never gets old meeting so many inspiring and talented Stage 32 members. Further, it's been fascinating to hear the tales and strategies of various creatives and executives as it relates to this ever-changing landscape of writing, filmmaking and distribution. I hope to share more in the coming weeks. In the meantime, how about we...

"I'm not good enough to attend a film or television festival. I don't have shit. All I have is a half written screenplay and another stupid idea about intergalactic robots that survive on small children and peanut butter." That's what you're saying about your stuff right now, I just know it. You're thinking: 'I'm not good enough'. You believe what you have is crap. Therefore, because you think it's crap, you stay home and eat Cheetos. Or pizza. Or peanut butter. (Don't eat small children, p...

We're excited to announce that our fearless leader has been featured on The Huffington Post with an in-depth interview from journalist Yitzi Weiner. In the interview RB talks about his background in the industry, his recent book that has just been published, Crowdsourcing For Filmmakers: Indie Film and The Power Of the Crowd, building a brand and an audience, the Stage 32 platform, the importance of community for all creatives and best practices toward achieving your goals.  This is a heavy dose...

I’m extremely pleased to announce that Stage 32 has been named as the official film networking and education platform of the American Film Market for the 2nd year in a row.  As you know, we are big supporters of AFM and all they do to connect producers, financiers and distributors all over the world. To be recognized in such fashion is truly an honor and I thank head honcho, Jonathan Wolf, not only for all the support, but for his friendship as well. In an effort to give back to the film com...

Today we open up our call for entries for the Third Annual Stage 32 Short Film Contest. We hear all the time from many of the 500+ executives we work with here at Stage 32 that short films have become a huge part of their recruitment model when searching for new talent or ideas which can be stretched to feature length. Over the last couple of years, we’ve polled thousands of filmmakers who are members of the Stage 32 community and asked them what they most need to move the needle on their ca...