Advice

The subject line of the email read "I’m so sorry”. It was from one of the Emmy-winning producers I had been working with for several years on my award-wining true crime drama, CONFESSIONS. After multiple rewrites and the involvement of two notable directors, the latest option was expiring and the project had hit a wall. I had been here before – a rocket ride to the one-yard line and the brink of a “go picture” that suddenly gets stalled. October, 2013. I met Joe Burke over a drink, a friend...

Have you ever wondered if you have more troubles in your life than other people? Or wonder if everyone else has an easier life than you? As a creative, I'm sure you have at some point or another. Well, cheer up. There is someone else who is always in the wrong place at the wrong time and has it harder than all of us. Yes, I am talking about none other than John McClane, the lead character of the Die Hard movie series. If you're not aware, there are five Die Hard movies: Die Hard (1988), Die...

As a young actor starting out, having your name on IMDb is a strong step in establishing yourself in the business. It is not the be all and end all and in time it will happen. If you want to start building your resume on the mothership of all websites for actors, with a little bit of hard work, you can grow your resume on IMDb. You can shoot a web series, a short film or a documentary with you as the narrator, oupload it to Vimeo or Youtube and then list it on IMDb as a short film. Here is a...

Since I dove into the world of 360 spherical video and VR, I’ve heard a wide range of opinions related to the future of this branch of visual entertainment. “It’s the future!” or “It’s a fad.” Honestly, I really don’t know what the future holds for this space. I just know it’s really cool. I’ve watched 360 videos where I’m seeing the same thing a skydiver, a scuba diver, a wingsuit diver, and dozens of other videos that adventurers have experienced. I’ve played multiple VR video games where I...

I’m not new to the planet, but I am new to the professional writing world, so when my 1st screenplay made the 2nd Rounder list at the 2016 Austin Film Festival, I wasn’t sure whether or not I should go. After all, I have another life—a day job, 3 kids, a Maytag full of their dirty laundry and a standing date for missionary sex with my spouse every other Thursday. How could I ditch all that glam to go to Texas? I polled my friends, my husband and my dogs: they all said go. My wallet disagreed, kn...

I have worked on film sets over the last three years and still find it incredibly exciting because I have been involved in the preparation. I'd like to share with you some thoughts on four areas relating to directing: Intensity, Imagined Space, Pitfalls, Psychology. Intensity: You have been writing, producing and imagining for a while and by the time you reach the film set, you will be brimming with creativity, which will spill over into the creative space of others. The experience is intens...

Building an audience is important for any actor or filmmaker. Every acting job you get, each day on set or piece of content you create is an opportunity to build your audience. In honor of Stage 32, here are 32 ways you can grow your following on social media. 1. Makeover your social media bios! Your bio is a mini advertisement for why someone should like, subscribe or follow you! Tell us what you do, what you stand for and what you love! If you have a YouTube account, your ‘About’ section is...

I’ve been providing advice here on Stage32 for a couple of years now, but that advice is hard to trace, as it has been individualized regarding several postings I have read in The Lounge. Richard (RB) Botto, Stage32’s founder, had mentioned to me I should put together agent-seeking advice, that I have developed through my own experience, and share that advice in a Guest Blog. The Uninformed Approach So, you’re hard at work, toiling away at your desk in a building of many floors with cubicles...

Someone recently asked me if I’d ever lost a key cast or crew member during a shoot… and while telling the story, it occurred to me that it might be something worth sharing. After all, if you’re like me, you work in indie film where, very often, we’re flying by the seat of our pants and just trying to keep everything moving. So. I was in early prep on my second feature film as a producer and was getting ready to head to Massachusetts for the shoot. I wasn’t nervous about traveling to shoot in...

Do you often intend to check your emails quickly before your day starts and end up sitting with them for longer than you wanted? Do you feel stressed from the massive amount of disorganization in your inbox and are spending more time organizing them than actually working on your goals? You are not alone. Email technology is amazing, I love it, however as much as it can empower us, it can overwhelm us. Staying in control of your emails allows you to save time and focus on other areas of your li...