Inspirational

As our 2023 November Write Club comes to an end, I can’t help but feel impressed and inspired. As a newer team member here at Stage 32, I didn’t know what to expect from the November Write Club event. As a writer myself, I often crave structure at the same time that I grit my teeth and push back against others telling me how I should be structuring myself. It’s an age-old conundrum that I’m sure many of you can relate to. For that reason, I always struggled with other creative-focused goal-setti...

Hey, Stage 32ers! I hope if you're not recovering from a Thanksgiving feast that, no matter where you are in the world, you're ready to relax and enjoy the weekend! The holidays are always a great time to look back and applaud the "wins" from the past year, and this community has had some pretty big ones. From booking gigs to signings to projects that are getting made, your passion for your craft and love for this community are what make every success on Stage 32 so incredibly special. Today...

Happy Sunday, Creative Army! Have you had a creative weekend so far? Hope those who celebrate had a great feast this past week with loved ones and that everyone has a fantastic start to the holiday season! 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, award-winning director and writer Taika Waititi sits down for an interview to discuss his recently released film, NEXT GOAL WINS. Waititi is a master at balan...

As Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the holiday season in the United States, there is a collective sigh of relief that the strikes are over, and the creative industry is returning to doing what it does best: entertaining, educating, and informing. Yet, it is not a celebratory time for many, who feel a sense of despair, a sense of lack somewhere in their lives. Maybe you are not returning to work as quickly as you had wanted, and finances are tight. Perhaps you are so busy that you cannot get...

Happy Thanksgiving, Creative Army! On behalf of the entire Stage 32 team, I'd like to wish everyone a happy and healthy Thanksgiving. This year, we hit a milestone of over one million members in our growing, creative community, and we are beyond honored to provide each and every one of you a safe haven to connect, be inspired, and come together to make art. We are all extremely grateful for the members of this community and for the incredible relationships and friendships that have bloomed thi...

There is a Japanese proverb that speaks simply of the heart of Perseverance. Nana korobi ya obi or “fall seven times and get up eight”. Perhaps if this were a corporate inspirational poster, we could end this blog with a simple image of someone climbing a mountain. But this isn’t the ‘90s and we’re creatives. We need to paint a picture, compose the music, and write the metaphor. First, let’s be clear: according to dictionary.com, the definition of perseverance is “steady persistence in a cours...

WARNING: Objects in mirror are closer than they appear, or is it that they may not be as close as they appear? I suppose it all depends on how they appear and how blind we’ve become to a message that’s under our noses every day; I’ll come back to this. The mission you have chosen to accept in this industry is one of delivering a perspective. Whether you are a writer, actor, director, producer, costumer, or gaffer. The projects you work on will all set out to deliver a perspective through the s...

Welcome back to TALKING BUSINESS: Insights from the Independent Film Industry, hosted by Stage 32 Thought Leader and Business Consultant, David Zannoni, from Freeway Entertainment and Zannoni Media. In TALKING BUSINESS, David brings you in-depth conversations on the behind-the-scenes of the filmmaking business with industry veterans. In today’s fourth episode, David speaks with Octavio Marin, VP of Production & Operations for Santa Fe Studios and SF Film Services, LLC. Octavio oversees Santa F...

1. The Blogger “Toxic & Elitist”, were the words circling within my head in November 2013. I’d found myself at the door of Stage 32 an artistic refugee, spiritually exhausted after a stint on screenwriting forums and a certain website that evaluates your scripts with a score. The former exposed me to trolls who’d convinced me I didn’t have what it takes to break in, while the latter had done nothing but send me in circles. While a script of mine had been selected by Amazon Studios as a “Notable...

Through 15 years of working in the entertainment industry, I’ve learned that there will be many ups and downs in a dream pursuit. There will be obstacles, and good days, and opportunities, and rejections. The High Achiever (a.k.a. you!), needs a game plan through it all. The High Achiever needs to handle all of these moments intentionally and carefully, in a way that effectively keeps them on the path to success. That’s why I developed the 10 Pillars of the High Achiever. Here are the 10 pillars...