Advice

Some folks say making a movie is like a marmite; you either love it or hate it. The desire to get into filmmaking started a long time before I made my first short docu-drama HUSH in 2003, which got screened at Cannes Film Festival and picked up an award at the UK's BFM International Film Festival. As a child, I was a lover of films and stayed up till the early morning hours, staring at my dad's action movies, watching the works of Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, and Clint Eastwood on the VHS play...

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. We kicked off our 8th Annual November Write Club this past week (and gave out some great prizes on Instagram Live). So many people have already announced their goals for the month, and I'm incredibly inspired by the wealth of creativity and, even more importantly, the support that this community shares w...

“Sellout!” It may only be seven letters, but the criticism is arguably the worst a creative can receive. The fear of becoming one has haunted artists for some time. Defined as “a person who compromises his or her personal values, integrity, talent, or the like, for money or personal advancement,” some argue that it even plagued Shakespeare. What’s interesting is that it’s an egregious insult lobbed at the creative industries disproportionately more than any other. Few of us would accuse a...

Hey Stage 32ers! We have a fantastic industry creative here, Ryan Little, to share with you just a few of the tips he wishes he'd known when he was first starting out as a director.  As always, we want to make sure that our ever-growing Stage 32 community has access to as many valuable resources as possible through the blog, and that's just what Ryan has brought us today! Ryan Little is a director, producer, and cinematographer with over 20 years of experience in the industry. His first fe...

FOLLOW @STAGE32 & @STAGE32SCRIPTS ON INSTAGRAM TO WATCH SAM MANNETTI, GIGI RAINES, & KAY ROSS GIVE AWAY HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS OF PRIZES LIVE EVERY FRIDAY IN NOVEMBER AT 10AM PST / 1PM EST! All of the inspiration & support that you need to crush your creative goals this month! Stage 32 is rooting for you! Stage 32’s biggest and most feel-good challenge of the year is BACK! Our 8TH Annual November Write Club is here to help you find the power to finish this year stronger than you knew possibl...

When and where does one decide to make their first movie? In my case, it was a decision made two months ago, on September 2022. Clearly, the most obvious place to make the project (a short about a New Cinema) is the city of Los Angeles. After this decision, I told myself, So far, so good. I've got it made. I've got a lot going for me! You see, for one thing, there was Stage 32. Since joining the community four months ago, I had made productive and unique connections and written a blog abou...

I can see the first sunshine after days of rain, so I’ll put off writing this blog. I want to go outside for a walk. But I’m also using a technique that harnesses the power of procrastination to get the blog in my head so I can ruminate on it while walking. The terms ‘rumination’ and ‘procrastination’ come with a lot of baggage. Procrastination is defined as: ‘the action of delaying or postponing something knowing full well the negative outcomes of doing so’. That can cause a lot of anxiety,...

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. I have been having a fantastic time here at the Austin Film Festival, especially this weekend at our 9th Annual Rooftop Bash, where I met with hundreds of our Stage 32 members (both new and long-time members). The conversations I've been having with executives on how high demand is for great material and the stories from creatives here a...

I left the embodiment of my networking circles, not once, not twice, more than twice. I would exit in and out again and again; it was a vicious cycle of character imbalance, one big shot of emotionalism and mental health unsteadiness in my life as a creative. Now that I’ve finally fled it, I’m here to share with you how I have managed to touch the sky. As a creative one of the remedies you need to subdue emotionalism mental health incapacitation, you need to… Let Your Artistry Define You In...

The power of story: You are either moving forward, or you're dying back. Halfway through my senior year of college, my husband died in his sleep. There were no warning signs of illness. He went to bed with a few sniffles. Later, I was told by our family doctor, who read the coroner's report, "C" went into a coma and never woke up. All my worlds ended that day. You're asked to upend your grief to complete every minute task almost immediately after the death. Unbeknown to you, it's not the t...