Financing

Happy Sunday Creative Army! First of all, congratulations to all of you who have already participated in our monthly Introduce Yourself Weekend! Thousands of connections have been made between entertainment creatives and professionals from every corner of the globe. Whether you are a long-time member, or brand new to Stage 32, take a moment to pop over to the Introduce Yourself Lounge and say hello before the end of the weekend. Now, grab some fresh coffee and let's dive into this week's conte...

Have you ever fallen in creative love? Perhaps you idly chat about your favorite director (like this fun getting-to-know-you post), only to discover that you both love their most obscure film the most. Over your first coffee date, you playfully square off about who has the worst set stories, but you share a laugh over the resiliency it takes to keep going. Now you're about to start a project and your new creative ally is firmly entrenched in your corner. 'How in the world did I get so fortunate?...

Happy New Year, Stage 32! Last month, I wrote a pilot and a feature in my labors as a script doctor and ghostwriter… and in the final tally, I wound up writing 6 pilots and nine features in 2021. Just one of these films was under my own name. Going into 2022, my goal is to make enough headway with my own spec sales, films in development, and transmedia projects that I can charge more, work less, and focus on what I have to give the audience. If I can get my sci-fi heist feature into productio...

Happy Wednesday Stage 32! 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 Stage 32...

Sales projections are essential for an independent production. It gives an indication as to the commercial value of the project and eventually, the revenue expectations, which is important for financiers. Sales projections may start at development level. Once at production stage or when there is a finished film and a sales agent is engaged, the production will have a more precise indication. The sales agent typically issues formal high to low sales estimates. In this weeks vlog, I talk more...

In the late 1990’s, I was asked to be involved with a film that was to be funded via a Private Placement Memorandum/an LLC. My company was to be the worldwide sales agent for the film, which was budgeted at about $1.2 million. I read the script and also reviewed the film package (writer/director/actors/producers etc) and the production budget. I did my due diligence on the film project. I liked the project, the genre and pace of the script etc., so I was happy to provide revenue estimates fo...

Happy Wednesday Creative Army! Stage 32's continued mission is to democratize the entertainment business and the industry is taking notice in a big way. We are incredibly proud and honored that Stage 32 has been featured recently in Forbes Magazine, Business Insider, Inc. Magazine, and more. Recently, I had the pleasure of chatting with Voyage LA about how and why Stage 32 was born over ten years ago.  Specifically, I spoke with them about my journey in the industry, how Stage 32 came ab...

The Chaos (Katakata) Continues It has been nine (9) months since director Newton Barabara of NBS Studios yelled “Cut” on the set of ‘KATAKATA,’ his first international collaboration. After the film wrapped, he immediately placed a video call to his collaborators in the United States. His exact words were “We did it!” recalls Stage 32-members, Art Thomas of Main Man Films LLC™ and Kevin Shand of Pedras Productions™. The ‘it’ Barabara referred to is the impressive impact and meaningful convers...

It must be the storyteller in me, but I love endings and beginnings. December and January are my two favorite months of the year, in part because of the way they invite us to pause and reflect on where we’ve been and where we’re headed. I’m a planner and a goal-setter by nature and by practice, and I thought I’d share with you how I design my creative year by approaching it like a story. As I’m sure you’ve all discovered, there’s a long-standing divide in the writing world between those who wr...

Looking back on 2021, it's easy to see loss, confusion, and pain. If you look for it, however, I think you'll find the beauty and abundance you crave. For me, I see healing, growth, and productive friction. I can only see the many contributions of our nearly one million global members, the insightful posts of our Community Leaders, and the productive conversations with everyone in between. The Stage 32 community was built on the values that Hollywood all too often takes for granted - positivity,...