Acting

Happy Sunday Creative Army! Have you had a creative weekend so far? I have some content here for you that is sure to get the creative juices flowing, so grab your coffee and let's dive in. First up, Behind the Curtain has a great interview with Rian Johnson (Knives Out, Star Wars: Episode VIII, Looper) about his writing process for Knives Out. Specifically, Rian talks about how he approached writing a modern whodunit, his experience as a writer/director, and more. Spoiler alert: if you haven...

Happy Thanksgiving, Creative Army! On behalf of the entire Stage 32 team, I'd like to wish everyone a happy and healthy Thanksgiving. This year, we have welcomed hundreds of thousands of new members to our growing, creative community, and we are beyond honored to provide each and every one of you a safe haven  to connect, be inspired, and come together to make art. We are all extremely grateful for the members of this community and for the incredible relationships and friendships that have blo...

There’s no doubt about it—self-tape auditions are all the rage and certainly here to stay. And, with pilot season fast upon us, the timing is perfect for talking about what makes a self-audition submission likely to succeed. A quick Internet search will yield an abundance of self-tape how-to articles and videos, which is great, and I encourage you to watch and read them. But they mostly focus on the technical aspects of the process (cameras, lighting, sound, setup) and far less on the actor’s...

I’ve always considered myself unsuccessfully successful. On paper it all sounds pretty great. I started writing movies out of the angst of being a struggling actor. A casting director may not choose me. But I can. I choose me. The first movie I wrote had Chevy Chase and Burt Reynolds, Not Another Not Another Movie. My second, Scouts Honor, had Fred Willard and Chris Kattan. I then directed a passion project I wrote about a musician who gave away millions to live on a Native American Reserv...

Growing up, the word "nice" was a four-letter word. You may be taken aback to hear this for those who know me professionally since my reputation tends towards nurturing and empowerment. Yet my position has not wavered over the years. In a work atmosphere, I'd rather respect come before affection and efficiency before comfort. Why? We delved into the heart of it in Part 1 of this series: trust. Without it, no amount of gifts or affirmations will make up for the loss. For those of you who are n...

I recently gave some thought to what actions and strategies had made the most significant impacts in my success over the years.   I was surprised to realize how it really was not the things most of us expect. Not agents. Not union membership. Not publicity. Not awards or accolades. Not proactive networking.   The reality is far more subtle, nuanced and more powerful than any of those things. It took decades of perspective for me to recognize the indisputable patterns. When...

Happy Wednesday Creative Army! Since 2011, the Stage 32 team has been working tirelessly to help you stay connected, creative, motivated, and informed. As always, we are committed to bringing you networking opportunities, education and mentoring from top-level industry executives and professionals, and access to decision-makers around the globe all from the comfort of your own home. Recently our efforts have been noticed by the media in a big way. We are incredibly proud and honored that Sta...

As an artist, you’re called to show up in the world. Whether it’s on stage, making a pitch, submitting your screenplay, putting on an art show, you make yourself vulnerable to others over and over again. Making art is a unique process. The initial stages of creating are deeply personal, but, eventually, you need the attention of your audience to bring your creative work to life. Though it began as something private, your art only achieves its purpose and full potential when it impacts someone...

Happy Sunday Creative Army! I've got my coffee in hand and your weekly dose of content coming in hot - grab your coffee of choice and let's dive right in. First up, the Acting Career Center has an amazing video about how to start an acting career with zero experience. This video features Atlanta-based actor Kurt Yue, who started his acting career with no agent & no experience - he now has over 62 credits including major titles like Marvel's Black Widow, Netflix's Cobra Kai, CW's Dynasty, and...

Happy Sunday Creative Army! Have you had a creative weekend so far? I have some content here for you that is sure to get the creative juices flowing, so grab your coffee and let's dive in. First up, Film Independent recently hosting an Q&A with Jessica Chastain and producer Kelly Carmichael about their new film The Eyes of Tammy Fay. In this exclusive interview, Jessica talks about how she first got the rights to the projects back in 2012, the process of preparing for the role, and more. The...