Financing

I had been thinking like me; I needed to think like them... I became a member of Stage 32 in 2015. Having come from launching a successful ad agency in the Midwest and working with corporate giants like Borden, Chase Banks, and Wendy's International, along with writing my own column for the city business newspaper, hosting a radio show, and producing/writing three on-air network affiliate shows, including one for the local ABC affiliate, Fox affiliate, and another in the hopper over at the NBC...

Happy Friday Creative Army! As you all know, Stage 32 Screenings was born in March in the wake of the cancellation of SXSW. Our initiative has been covered by Deadline, Variety, CNN, and dozens more. We are currently screening over 150 features, shorts, and episodic pilots from SXSW, Tribeca, SeriesFest, Vail Film Festival, BFI: Flare London LGBTIQ+ Film Festival, and Telluride Mountainfilm Documentary Festival to our network of over 6,000 invited sales agents, distributors, managers, agents,...

Many films come together through the collaboration of several producers. Such collaboration can be between producers from the same country or region, or between filmmakers from different countries. A specific form of collaboration is the co-production. A big part of non-US films in fact consists of co-productions, especially if the film is produced for international markets. Often this is noticeable as the story takes place across two or more countries, because several languages are spoken, or...

          Good morning, Creative Army.  I'm thrilled to announce yet another exclusive Stage 32 partnership, this time with one of the oldest and most respected brands in the industry, Variety and Variety Insight. Under the partnership, VBI’s flagship product, Variety Insight, will be the Official Entertainment Industry Database Partner of Stage 32 and Variety Insight members will receive a credit toward education courses on Stage 32. In return Stage 32 will be the Official Education Partn...

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, the folks over at Film Riot recently sat down with indie filmmaker Zach Ramelan to talk about his recent short film The Statement starring Zachary Levi (Shazam, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Chuck). Zach shot this film during quarantine with a cast and crew of 3 people: one actor, a cinematographer...

Happy Thursday Stage 32 Community! Recently, our fearless leader Richard "RB" Botto had an epic chat with Oscar-Nominated producer Chris Moore (Manchester by the Sea, Good Will Hunting, The Adjustment Bureau) focusing on the "new normal" that is the entertainment industry during COVID-19. We were honored to have virtually hosted thousands of Stage 32 members from every corner of the world, and are happy to provide top-notch information that is sure to educate and inspire.  Now, this FREE Sta...

Back in 2006, a buddy of mine had an idea. He loved horror movies, he knew someone with a camera, and he had been writing horror-themed stories since he was a teenager. He’d also been acting in theater productions around the region, and figured he could get a few people together for a weekend here and there. And that’s exactly what he did. He turned one of his stories into a script. He pulled a few folks together. He started filming. Many people do this sort of home-grown filming now, but a...

As you may recall back in February, long-time Stage 32 member, blog contributor, webinar teacher, and international film & distribution aficionado, David Zannoni began a series of blogs and vlogs to keep you up-to-date on the business of film across the globe. Today, David is sharing some amazing insights into the world of international co-productions in his exclusive Stage 32 vlog. David will answer the following questions:  What is an International Co-Production? What are the benefits...

The world is changing quickly and the phrase “new normal” is being bandied about with abandon. Even though filming is limited (at best), development continues to move forward and that means producers are busier than ever. In the entertainment industry, scripts continue to be optioned, projects continue to get developed, talent continues to find representation, and production is slowly starting to resume in LA and more so all over the world. So what does producing look like in this "new normal"?...

Dr. ScreenLaw: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Law As a screenwriter turned attorney I’ve learned how a screenplay is not just a story: it’s a minefield of intellectual property that could affect the project’s style, budget, sponsorships, and even its distribution. Through this article, you will learn my perspective on how decisions made during the writing phase of an audiovisual project can positively, or negatively impact the legal and financial aspects of a project. It will also...