Hi, Stage 32ers!

After an amazing and truly inspiring experience at Focus London 2024 representing Stage 32 Certification, a long-time vision and dream of our CEO Richard “RB” Botto, that I am so fortunate to help bring to life, I am returning home to continue our work of democratizing the production industry with greater enthusiasm than ever (and it was already through the roof).

I was so excited by the Stage 32 panel I hosted on telling authentic, original stories from wherever you are with universal themes that can attract audiences in the only distribution territory that exists right now – the world. It’s the most exciting time we’ve ever lived in for storytelling and seeing it through that lens is important.

Telling Authentic Stories with Universal Appeal: Adapting to the Ever-Changing Entertainment Industry

Stage 32 put an amazing panel together to discuss this topic, including writer/director Shola Amoo (The Last Tree), TV executive producer and development executive Michell Farr-Scott (Avoidance), and development executive/consultant Ewan Dunbar (Red Stag Entertainment). Having this discussion with them was awesome and enlightening.

There is endless bandwidth and a greater need than ever for local language films and TV series that can connect with the one marketplace that suddenly exists - everywhere. Storytellers from all corners of the globe must now transcend borders as they are reaching a transcontinental audience faster than ever before. There is an immediate need to tell culturally authentic stories with universal themes and appeal in order to take advantage of the new global distribution models available to all.

Countries are competing to offer competitive tax incentives and build their workforce to lure large productions and that is also creating opportunities for local filmmakers in these regions to tell their stories in bigger ways and export them around the world. It's safe to say that the landscape is shifting, and fast.

On top of that, the international showcase at Focus was bussing with excitement and potential. Countries from Sweden to Saudi Arabia are making films and series and bolstering their production communities aggressively and everyone is in this game, individually and collaboratively through international co-productions.

All I can say is that anyone who has any doubts about the state of the industry needs to see the global investment in content and infrastructure to know that the future is bright.

Check out part of this great panel in the video below!

What Is Focus?

From Film and TV, to advertising and games; from pre- to post-production – FOCUS is a trade event for anyone involved in the creation, production, and promotion of on-screen entertainment.

Why I’m Excited About Stage 32 At Focus

"Focus London is a unique opportunity to interface face-to-face in real-time with almost every production community and film commission on earth. This is where you feel the pulse of the global community and the pulse was beating hard and fast this week. Established markets are restocking their pond of talent and emerging markets are accelerating to compete, not just to attract international production but to grow their own production communities to export productions in the new global distribution market. Stories bring us together and Focus reiterated that the world is shrinking for all of our benefit.”

-Sam Sokolow, Head of Certification at Stage 32

How Does Stage 32 Certification Work?

Stage 32 Certification courses are taught by highly experienced experts in their fields across the entertainment industry, including Paramount’s Director of Production Maegan Philmore, ViacomCBS Senior Production Finance Manager Shalonda Ware, former head of production at eOne and Carsey Warner Courtney Conte, the legal team at the prestigious Los Angeles-based entertainment firm Ramo Law, Wrapbook’s tax incentive expert Ryan Broussard, film producer and DGA member Korey Pollard and many more.

These courses focus on bedrock production skills such as Script Supervising, Production Accounting, Cost Reporting, Production Management, and more! Each course concludes with a test that must be taken and passed to be entered into the Film Commission and Production Company Database.

Over a dozen international and domestic film commissions, including Costa Rica, Cyprus, Slovakia, Canacine Mexico, Houston, Nevada, Oregon, Dallas, Montana, Louisiana Baton Rouge, Central Pennsylvania, St. Petersburg/Clearwater, and the Location Managers Guild International are all officially in support of Stage 32 Certification and we are in talks with over 50 commissions and other organizations to come on board.

With the new Stage 32 Certification database, film commissions, streamers, production companies & other organizations will be able to easily identify, report on & hire qualified people in their areas to support and work on incoming productions.

Get Certified. Get To Work. Start By Tapping Here!

2025 Global Film & TV Production Summit: Current Landscape Brought to you by Stage 32 Certification

If you're hungry to learn more, join us for an exclusive FREE Virtual Film & TV Production Summit where top producers, film commissioners, and film & TV production executives from all around the world converge to discuss the current state of production and the entertainment industry to get you ready for 2025!

With an ever-expanding global production business and the need for more trained professionals in the production workforce, we will go over how and where production is happening, the success and the challenges different regions are facing, and the important role that Stage 32 Certification is playing to support global production.

If you have a desire to work on a film or TV production, this is an opportunity for you to learn about all of the opportunities that exist in film and television production, locally and globally, and how you can put yourself in a position to actually get a job working in the industry. And, if you have a production that is getting set to film, this expert panel will also discuss how you can maximize shooting anywhere around the world.

Join speakers from the Emmy-nominated television show GENIUS (Disney/NatGeo), The Costa Rica Film Commission, The Uganda Communications Commission, The Royal Film Commission of Jordan, Croatia Film & Headline Pictures in the UK. There will even be a Q&A where you can ask the panelists questions and get valuable direct feedback to help you on your career path or production. This is an event that you do not want to miss!

About the Summit

Date: December 18, 2024

Time: 11:00am PT - 1:00pm PT

Location: Virtual, Exclusively Through Stage 32

This Event Is Free To Attend! REGISTER HERE!

Let's hear your thoughts in the comments below!

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