Financing

Happy New Year, everyone. Hope you all had a terrific holiday season and are now ready to launch into 2020. Those of you who have been around the site for a while know that on New Year's Day we utilize the Stage 32 Blog to discuss and share our plans for the coming year. So, what are you looking to accomplish in 2020? What are your creative goals? What skills are you looking to learn? What fears are you looking to overcome? What strategies are you planning on implementing toward reaching your...

From the entire Stage 32 team, we wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving. Let me be the first to say, I am incredibly grateful for every single person that is a part of the Stage 32 creative army. I am forever in awe of the amazing connections, projects, and friendships that have grown out of our community.  As always, here at Stage 32, we aim to help entertainment creatives make connections and share their stories with the world. In our 8 years, we have had nearly 2,000 articles written by our ep...

In my blogs on “How We Screwed the Showbiz Culture Up” and “Why I Passed On That Screenplay,” I talk a fair bit of trash about how the ethical and creative practices of Hollywood’s development process have strayed from the fundamentals that made this industry strong. By far, the most common and rational response to the ideas I’m expressing in these rants is that “THIS IS A BUSINESS.” If we get caught up in the creative - or even the ethical - needs of our projects and our community, we’re making...

Hello, Creative Army. A few weeks back, I hosted another content packed AMA (Ask Me Anything).  The members of the Stage 32 community who attended live brought their A-game.  We went for 2 plus hours and covered about 2 dozen questions on film, television and digital related subjects.  And now the entire show is available for you to watch On Demand.   Here's just some of what we discussed: - How to raise financing for features - How to find financiers - How to find finishing funds fo...

Why you, why now? Why are YOU the one to write and sell the next big series, and why now? As Stage 32 Founder and CEO Richard "RB" Botto prepares to answer the question, "Where Can I Find Indie Producers Who Can Help Develop a Series?" with Stage 32's Director of Script Services Jason Mirch, RB stresses the importance of asking yourself: Why me, why now? Take a listen at the duo's feedback from RB's FREE webinar, "Ask Me Anything." The answer may move you to the next step with your serie...

If you’re a creative, then you already know that a large majority of us tend to be introverted. But if we allow that to stop us from crowdSOURCING and networking, we’ll never gain the competitive advantage that we need to push our project out to the masses. In this next video in the crowdsourcing video series hosted by Stage 32 CEO Richard “RB” Botto, the #1 best-selling author of Crowdsourcing For Filmmakers: Indie Film and the Power of the Crowd, reminds us that giving selflessly and offerin...

Good Morning, Creative Army!   I love this part of my Sunday morning. I often pour over the trades, sip my fresh brewed bean, and search to find different videos that educate and inspire our creative crew here on Stage 32. This morning, we're digging into the role of the producer and pitching.   First up, What Is a Line Producer? [The Key Role of Line Producers]. There are various producer roles on a film, and knowing who does what is mighty important. Line producers have a role that req...

Building, engaging, and moving an audience. That’s what the Crowdsourcing video series these past few weeks has been teaching you. As far as the advantage you’ll gain by reading the book? There’s more than one. Far more. Stage 32 CEO Richard “RB” Botto is the best-selling author of Crowdsourcing For Filmmakers: Indie Film and the Power of the Crowd, the number #1 best-selling book on Amazon that covers how to find and move an audience to a point where they give back in ways that can only help...

This year at the Cannes Film Festival I had the opportunity to meet Heidi Philipsen, a dual-citizen filmmaker from the United States and Germany. With each country being different in the various ways they make films, Heidi realized that there is an opportunity for trans-Atlantic filmmakers to learn from one another and support each other creatively. So, she did something about it. Heidi put together a panel at the Hamburg Film Fest for Women in Film & Television International (WIFTI) and NYWIFT...

The American Film Market is a great place to find partners and pitch projects and films – if you have a plan. Use these steps to increase your chances of success.     PROLOGUE If you have a project or script, the most effective use of your time and money is to purchase an AFM Industry Badge or Industry Badge Plus which allow access to all offices, booths and most screenings beginning on Saturday (Day 4). The Industry Badge Plus includes all conferences and the writers workshop. Buy y...