Inspirational

How do you know when you’re ready to write a screenplay? Have you studied enough; do you know enough? Do you need to know more? First, a little about me so you know why I’m writing this. Like many, I’ve always wanted to write. Instead, and who knows why—I made other random life choices. As it turns out, most of those choices have resulted in the number one thing I’d dreamed of doing since I was a sixth grader—writing. But of course, I didn’t do that either. Not until I hung up the day job...

I wanted to share some of my experiences that can hopefully help other indie filmmakers in the Transmedia world. While I was developing my project entitled “Black Salt”.     #1 The Comic Book When I started the project through my company Ratti Entertainment LLC, my goal was to do the Black Salt comic book first and then leverage one transmedia product line to help me get to the next piece. The franchise includes, but is not limited to, the following: Black Salt collectible items, al...

I'm thrilled to announce today that for the 6th straight year, Stage 32 and the American Film Market have joined forces to bring new opportunities and access to attendees of America's largest film market.   Stage 32 is proud to continue to be the official Networking and Education partner of the AFM and this year is extra special. For the second year in a row, the AFM has gone virtual.   So what does that mean for you?   More access and opportunity at the AFM no matter where you live in t...

Defining Moments I remember the first play I submitted to a theatre in Toronto. The dramaturge called me in to “talk”. He was merciless, heartless, and yet that meeting was a gift. It made me face the truth and it awakened my Voice. “Predictable”, “one dimensional” “hackneyed” “cliché upon cliché” “worse and worse”, were just some of the comments the dramaturge wrote in the margins of my beloved script. He savaged my labor of love, attacking not only my work but my dreams. He would politely...

Hello Team 32! First and foremost, THANK YOU to Stage 32, their dedicated staff, and all the producers, managers, and agents for taking time out of your busy schedules to help guide and shepherd me on my long journey as a writer. Your help, insight, and knowledge have been invaluable in my career. Stage 32 has provided me with a direct avenue and channel to get my work out there and read by the top producers, managers, and agents in LA and NYC. I have garnered incomparable knowledge and form...

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, AlterCine has compiled 10 tips on directing from Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth, The Shape of Water, Pacific Rim). He talks about "orchestrating accidents", fighting for your art, never giving up, and more. Next up, the folks over at Apurture have an epic video about...

Happy Screenplay Saturday Stage 32! I hope you all had a beautiful and creative week. I was catching up on the trades this week (following the very sage wisdom of our founder and CEO Richard "RB" Botto: Always read the trades and know what is going on in the business of entertainment!) and I came across an article from Deadline Hollywood about the Emmy-nominated peacock original show Girls 5Eva. Personally, being a long-time Sara Bareilles fan (where are all my Waitress the Musical fans at?!...

When should you first start talking to distributors to sell your film? Unless you’re an industry veteran, I bet you’ll be surprised to find out the answer. In this article, I’m covering Stage 32’s Film Finance Summit 2021 - the distribution portion. In the first portion of this article, we go over where distributors look for films, when to talk to them, and what’s in demand. In the second portion, I share wisdom from the panelists about backing into your budget, what films are going to theate...

Welcome back to another Stage 32 Blog, filmmakers! Your host today is a master screenwriter and a master worldbuilder, an award-winning director, and a leader in the independent film community. My name is Tennyson E. Stead, and today’s the day we talk about adapting other people’s stories for the screen. When I agreed to write this article a month ago, I had no idea what September had in store for me… but as fate would have it, I wound up getting hired to run my pitch on a film adaptation past...

Happy Wednesday Stage 32! I hope you are having a beautiful and creative week! Recently, our fearless leader and CEO Richard "RB" Botto joined John Abbas on his podcast "Mentor Nation" to speak about networking, mindset, and building relationships. No matter what hat you wear in the entertainment industry, whether you are in front of or behind the camera, networking is an essential tool in the entertainment industry. In this podcast, RB shares how to find, nurture, and cultivate lasting re...