Advice

Happy Sunday, Creative Army. Let's jump right in to another edition of Coffee & Content. First up, How to Get Your Short Screened at Film Festivals. Many of us here on Stage 32 are looking for ways to get noticed. Networking at film festivals is a great way. And if you're know ahead of time which festivals to submit to and what to expect, you're ahead of the curve. Piggy backing that from our Friends at Indie Hustle, What Film Festivals Should You Submit to First? Some of us have our favorit...

I have a secret to tell you. About two weeks after my pilot shoot, I wanted to give up. And not just for that day. For about 45 days after that. And then forever, really. I was tired, burned out, frustrated with a crew member, and suddenly completely unsure of why I had just invested thousands of dollars to do what I did. I wanted to give up. My other half told me what I was experiencing was natural and that before long, I would be back in the saddle. Turns out what he said is true. Becaus...

I remember the first time I was impressed by the size of a movie theatre audience like it was yesterday. It was when I went with my family to see Home Alone when I was 9-years-old. Little did I know that seeing that movie would change the trajectory of my life.   The Power of Movies on the Big Screen I had known from an early age that I wanted to be an artist. I just didn’t know what kind—I really couldn’t draw, and I felt like I didn’t have anything to add to the fashion industry. But w...

Greetings from London where we just finished our sold-out screening of our 4th Annual Film Program at the Raindance Film Festival.  It was fantastic to see so many of our educators and executives in attendance, at our afterparty, and during our meetings throughout the week.  We'll be sharing more here on the blog soon. Those of you who know me have heard me stress that too many creatives focus nearly exclusively on their craft.  They don't take the time to keep on top of what's happening in th...

Welcome back to one of the more powerful video series we’ve offered here on Stage 32. For the past several weeks we’ve featured videos from Stage 32 CEO, Richard “RB” Botto, the best-selling author of Crowdsourcing For Filmmakers: Indie Film and the Power of the Crowd. Each video is powerful in it’s own right. But this one speaks to how crowdSOURCING can work for any creative venture. Whether you plan on launching your film, a book, a newsletter or magazine, a website, or enhancing your social p...

Good Morning, All - The coffee is hot, the company is good, and the content only compliments it. So lets get started with this week's edition of Coffee & Content, which focuses on producers and those of us who want to become producers. First up, answering the question: What does a Producer ACTUALLY do? There are many people that go on set either as an actor or crew member, and they really have no idea of the producer hierarchy on set. In this first video created by Crimson Engine, filmmaker...

Writing a stage play is a challenge because of the unique nature of the theatre – all of the dynamics of having a real live audience and a limited space in which to tell a story must be taken into account. Writing for the screen is no less of a challenge, but logically the approach must differ due to the medium by which the end product will be presented – the screen - varying greatly from its older cousin, the stage. Writers must appreciate and embrace the uniqueness of these mediums in order to...

There are lots of things I think about. But what I think most about, is WHY. More specifically, why people do the things they do. "Why" is the primary question I ask any potential client. And it’s something regularly ask myself, too. Why have I worked as a talent manager for almost three decades? Because I have a passion for making people feel something they’ve never felt before. And representing great talent is the best way for me to achieve that. Why do I write these blog posts?Because a...

When businesses are born, especially those birthed in a creative environment filled with film, television, and artists, it all starts with a dream. And on the journey to realize those dreams, it is almost inevitable that you will meet and talk to many people. From these people, you will hear one of these things:The truth.The half-truth.Bullshit. As the saying goes, “Money talks, bullshit walks.” But it goes even further than this. Developing strong fact-checking skills will save you...

Ready for advice from 2 New Yorker's in Hollywood? For writers and actors all over the world, making the decision to move to LA isn't taken lightly. For some, the move isn't possible. For others, it's been in the cards for a long time. And for even more, it's something they would love to do, but the timing isn't quite right. In this clip from the FREE webinar "Ask Me Anything," hosted by Stage 32 CEO and screenwriter Richard "RB" Botto, RB teams up with film producer Bradley Gallo to discuss...