Networking

Hello, my dear, creative friends. It's been a long time since we had a FREE On Stage With RB webcast. I'm appreciative of all of you who have written in asking when the next one was going to air.  It's been a busy few months for yours truly. There have been many project meetings - progress on a few, and a couple of false starts. I've seen and heard much throughout and I'm anxious to share what I've learned out there with you. In addition, so many of you have sent in such incredible ques...

My name is David Banks and I’ve booked over 100 national commercials. Recently, I was a featured guest at Film Con LA and was asked how it’s seemed so easy for me to book spot after spot and what’s my magic touch. How it’s easy? That’s quite funny. Although it may appear like I have some kind of “magic touch,” my current method never fell into my lap. It was derived from MANY years of hearing no after no after no and having no clue how to remedy the situation. Rather, it came from studying t...

Hello, creative army! You've all heard me preach about the importance of relationships as it relates to accelerating your path toward success.  In my humble opinion, the daily work you put into your craft should be matched by the time and effort you put into building and nurturing relationships.  I'm not alone in this thinking.  Just yesterday, I was having lunch with my screenwriting manager, a guy who has been around and seen it all.  When I asked him the biggest mistake creatives make in th...

"I’m the guy that does his job. You must be the other guy.” – Mark Wahlberg playing Dignam is The Departed.     When I told Rosalind Winton that I wanted to write another blog here on Stage 32, there was one topic I had been looking to address for a while, but also one that is quite timely in light of what’s going on in the entertainment business: Professionalism. It’s the reason I led with Mr. Wahlberg’s quote from the Oscar-Winning Best Picture, The Departed. I’ve always related wit...

Hey guys. A quick reminder that Film Con Hollywood (hosted by Stage 32 and the LA Acting Studio) takes place this Saturday at the LA Convention Center. The buzz is high, the stage is set and we’re fired up to bring you a full day of keynotes, panels, workshops, networking, pitching, screenings and more.   Whether you’re an actor, screenwriter, filmmaker, producer, content creator, film financier or are looking to further your career in the film, television or content creation business you wi...

Hey guys. Very often, I hear from members of the community who are having a difficult time navigating the business side of the industry.  Honing their craft, no problem.  Building relationships, winning champions and getting past the gatekeepers, a challenge that not only puts many through the wringer, but dampens their creative spirit as well. I'm here to tell ya, the fear, the resistance, the reluctance can all be overcome.  And it doesn't take much.  In fact, just a few changes in commitm...

  The nominations for the 90th Annual Academy Awards were announced yesterday and we're proud to recognize some of the amazing execs and companies we work with whose films received much deserved nominations. This year as we all watch the Oscars we have 7 films we can root for that have been worked on by our execs & their companies! Please join us in congratulating the amazing group of talent in the Stage 32 family. And, we'll be launching our Oscars contest on Stage 32 soon - stay tuned!...

On behalf of the entire Stage 32 team, I'd like to wish you all a very Happy New Year!    So what are your goals for the year? Have you laid them out? Broken them down? Arranged them in a sensible fashion which will make the journey fun and rewarding as opposed to filled with pressure and anxiety? I'd love to hear what you're looking to attain in the coming 12 months. Further, for those willing, I'd also love if you'd share your strategies designed to set yourself up for success. Let's...

I wanted to take a moment to thank Stage 32 member Sarah Delpizzo for writing an article for her blog "My LA Lifestyle" featuring Stage 32 and our fearless leader, Richard Botto. In the article Sarah has RB take us on a trip down memory lane about the origins of Stage 32, best practices of how to benefit from being on Stage 32 and the evolution of the industry right now. It's a must read for every creative.   "There is a famous saying in the entertainment industry, “It’s all about who you k...

I received an amazing testimonial recently that really humbled me and gave me such a feeling of success and achievement, that I really feel as though I have 'made it'. There's a saying that says something like... 'Everyone is famous among those they know' and I really do honestly feel like that right now, the testimonial really lifted me and made me feel as though I must be doing something right and I'm so chuffed with it, my head really is too big to get through the door and I am unashamedly sh...