Inspirational

My name is James Kicklighter, and I am a Stage 32 Thought Leader and a multi-award-winning Film Director and Producer. I have been fortunate to direct documentaries (The Sound of Identity), narrative films (Angel of Anywhere), and advertising across the country and around the world.   I hope that you enjoyed Part I of my discussion with my collaborator and friend, Emmy-nominated Director of Photography, Jonathan Pope (The Social Dilemma). Because we had so much to talk about, we thought it bes...

When I wrote my first book, it was an adventure. Not only was it my first major project, it was the moment I realized just how little I knew about the craft of writing. I was two years into my professional writing career when I shifted from short stories to my first book. Sure, I’d written “books” before. But trust me, those will NEVER see the light of day. That already made this one different. I was not writing it for fun or because writing is my passion (though both of those statements are...

Happy Monday Stage 32-ers! Over the past 12 years, we here at Stage 32 have been thrilled to be recognized throughout the industry as the leaders in online film craft and business education. We are honored to be partnered with some of the most prestigious film festivals and markets in the world including the American Film Market and the Cannes Film Festival Marché du film to name a few. Now, for the 8th year in a row, we are thrilled to be joining forces with one of the few Oscar-qualifying...

Hey, Stage 32 Community! Over the years, Stage 32 has been a lot of different things to different people. It’s been a community, a network, a family, a mission, a call to action, an opportunity, a refuge, a school, a mentorship, a marketplace, and so much more. This week, in celebration of Stage 32’s recent 1 Million Member Milestone, we’d love for you all to share your answer to the question, “What does Stage 32 mean to you?” All you need to do is upload a short video to your external socia...

If you’re a writer—whether you’re a writer of books, short stories, poetry, screenplays, or stage plays—you’ve likely gotten in your head a time or two about your writing. I can’t tell you how many times a story sat in my head for days, weeks, months—or even years sometimes—simply because I couldn’t get it to come out on the page as genius as it was in my head. There’s this ridiculous idea we have as writers that our genius is supposed to naturally share itself on the page as if it were li...

Happy Sunday, Creative Army! First, 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 around 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. First up, showing the power of a united force in this industry, SAG-AFTRA Presi...

It’s true that the writing sample is the most important part of any query letter. However, you need to spend some time making sure that the query letter is solid as well. First impressions matter, and you can rub agents the wrong way if your query letter isn’t up to snuff. Here are the 10 biggest mistakes screenwriters make when querying. 1. Using A Generic Greeting If you are submitting a query letter, address the agent properly by name in your greeting. It’s unprofessional to use a...

My name is James Kicklighter, and I am a Stage 32 Thought Leader and a multi-award-winning Film Director and Producer. I have been fortunate to direct documentaries (The Sound of Identity), narrative films (Angel of Anywhere), and advertising across the country and around the world.   For the first time in my career, I am now working with representation! I'm managed by RAIN through a connection that I made at a Stage 32 in-person meetup, and my latest film, The American Question, is represente...

Hi, Stage 32ers! While you may have missed out on getting to attend Cannes in person, you certainly won’t miss out on the incredible insights that were shared there! At this year’s Cannes 2023, Stage 32 hosted a fantastic expert panel exploring the importance of representation, equity, and inclusion in film and television production. As well as, the impact of diverse storytelling on audiences, industry trends, and the business of filmmaking. Moderated by Martin I. Petrov (Festival Direc...

Hi, Stage 32ers! As many of you know, we had a massive celebration this year at Cannes, where we announced our 1 Million Member Milestone at our party in partnership with Variety! This is a milestone that means the world to me, Amanda, and the rest of our team here at Stage 32. When I started on the journey of creating Stage 32 12 years ago, I never could have imagined how this community would grow and become not just a network and support system for creatives all over the world, but for...