Financing

‘Before the Dawn’ is a dramatic feature film about a young high school teacher who falls for a troubled student and then struggles with the choice of either giving in to her desires or doing the right thing. The film has won a number of awards on the festival circuit and was awarded the ReFrame Stamp by Women in Film and the Sundance Institute for its gender parity both in front of and behind the camera. It is now available on Amazon Prime, Tubi, Roku, YouTube Movies, and Google Play.    ...

There are probably thousands of film festivals held every year. The number of actual film markets is a lot less. Under the current COVID-19 crisis, many of these film festivals and markets have introduced online editions, to either (temporarily) replace the physical versions or to run alongside the physical versions of these may happen after all if and when the COVID-19 crisis is over or at least significantly reduced. What is the difference between a film festival and a film market? And what...

Happy Wednesday Stage 32 Community! Last week, our fearless leader Richard "RB" Botto hosted one of his signature "Ask Me Anything" webinars focusing on the "new normal" that is the entertainment industry during COVID-19. We were beyond jazzed to virtually host thousands of Stage 32 members tuning in from every corner of the world, culminating in an invigorating two hours of inspirational and no-bs shop talk from RB.   In this Ask Me Anything, RB answered questions from Stage 32 members, bot...

Stage 32 hosts online forums, called Lounges to encourage like-minded professionals to communicate and collaborate. As I've become more familiar with these lounges as the new Stage32 Community Manager, the more I liken them to V.I.P. Filmmakers' Lounges hosted at film festivals. These are the exclusive rooms where creators can step away from the pomp and press to find other professionals… and a stiff drink. These are the "networking opportunities" that so many in the industry scramble to attain....

Happy Friday Creative Army! As you all know, Stage 32 Screenings has taken the entertainment industry by storm. Our initiative has been covered by Deadline, Variety, CNN, and dozens more. We are currently screening over 100 features, shorts, and episodic pilots from SXSW, Tribeca, BFI: Flare London LGBTIQ+ Film Festival, and Telluride Mountainfilm Documentary Festival to our network of over 6,000 invited sales agents, distributors, managers, agents, producers, development execs, financiers and...

1. HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? As a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic, theaters around the world were forced to close their doors. Independent and arthouse theaters, in particular, have been deeply affected by these closures. Working in concert with a handful of independent distributors and platforms, the “Virtual Theatrical” model was born as a way for these independent theaters to showcase new theatrical content, connect with their local patrons, and generate revenue.     2. WHAT IS I...

As I am in the midst of editing my proof-of-concept short, Orpheus Star, with my editor, I look back on the journey to get to this point. It took over a year to get to the point where I could shoot my proof-of-concept short based on my feature. I had started off the year before spending four months and almost three thousand dollars preparing for a crowdfunding campaign. That alone had given me my first important lesson: 1. Your Supporters & Champions Aren’t Necessarily Your Co-Producers I had...

Happy Wednesday, Creative Army!   Over the last few months, the entire team here at Stage 32 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 safety of your own home.   Since the beginning of the quarantine mandates brought about by the spread...

Happy Sunday Creative Army! I've got my coffee and hand and your weekly dose of content coming in hot - grab your coffee of choice and let's dive right in.  First up, The Hollywood Reporter recently hosted a roundtable discussion featuring executives from the entertainment industry's top companies. This video features Jennifer Salke (Amazon), Scott Stuber (Netflix) Donna Langley (Universal), Jim Gianopulos (Paramount), Tom Rothman (Sony), Alan Horn (Disney), and Toby Emmerich (Warner Brother...

Director Aaron Falvey tells the story of producing and directing his award-winning 2019 short film Death Round Every Bend, and how he got his first feature film Northspur, shot in November 2019. Aaron shares the initiatives he took to get both projects off the ground, and learning the most valuable lesson any director, writer or ‘creative’ could… it’s producers that make a film happen, and you can become your own!   Justin Eade (Left) and Aaron Falvey (Right) make a strong team.   An...