Networking

I’ve always told myself to never give up, keep writing and reaching out to producers, etc. If you work hard at it, one day something great will happen. Well, it’s taken many years to get to this moment, but I’ve finally sold a script - a short horror film that is currently in pre-production. And it’s all because of a connection that I made on Stage 32. About seven months ago, I was reading through the various posts on Stage 32 and saw that a producer from NJ was looking to collaborate with oth...

How do you interact on a Social Media Group? It is not an easy task these days. Whether it’s Facebook, Clubhouse, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Zoom- it has become easier to connect with other like-minded people across races, genders, time zones, and nations. The Covid-19 pandemic grew this way of communication even more. You may not know how or what to contribute to the conversation. Every actor or creative professional's reason for joining a social media group is different: networking, co...

Introduce Yourself Weekend is a great way to kick-start engagement every single month here on Stage 32, but that’s just the starting point! One of the biggest relationship builders in the industry is consistency. When you’re able to be consistent, you build inherent trust while also staying top of mind—and staying top of mind MATTERS. If you want to be successful in the entertainment business, you need your name to become synonymous with what you do. That way, when someone is looking for a sc...

Want to stand out and make connections fast on Stage 32? Introduce Yourself Weekend is one of the greatest ways to do that. On the third weekend of every month, all weekend long, members of Stage 32 are looking to connect with one another. Considering that Stage 32 is the largest online networking platform for Film and TV creatives and professionals—that’s pretty epic. Whether you’re looking to connect with industry executives, make industry friends, or simply practice getting your work out i...

Hi Creative Army, We need your help! Our Stage 32 SXSW panel has been selected to move on to Panel Picker! This is the stage where the public gets to vote for what panels you'd like to see programmed at SXSW (South by Southwest), which is one of the largest conferences that brings together film, tech and music in Austin, TX!  Now, our amazing Stage 32 community, we need to enlist your help. Please take 30 seconds to make a profile below and VOTE for Stage 32's panel!  Click HERE to VOTE fo...

None of us live in a bubble. Neither does the creative process. In movies, the development of the story is usually the longest part of the process. It makes sense. Getting the plot and characters developed must happen before a single word is typed into your favorite scriptwriting software. Index cards may litter your floor or maybe you are one of the lucky ones who can see the entire story in your head – you are rare. At this stage, there is the fewest number of people involved as well and...

So you landed a job as a composer for a Film. Congratulations! But now where do you start? I think a good point is to build a positive relationship with your Director. That could definitely contribute to the success of your gig. Like any other kind of human relationship, there are no rules to make it work and there is always room for improvement, but here you’ll find some tips and thoughts, based on my experience, that I think might be helpful. Let’s suppose you have negotiated the deal, the...

So you’re working on your first action-packed short, feature, or pilot with martial arts, bullet hits, and smashed walls? Or maybe it’s a horror with gory falls and feints? Or it’s a car crash in a serious drama? Or maybe your actor is simply just pushed by a passing pedestrian and stumbles to the ground? For my last project, “I Miss Us,” I entered the domain of stunts and I was equally excited and terrified. My previous productions had mostly been room dramas, sci-fi, or projects heavily dea...

Happy Tuesday, Stage 32-ers! For the 8th year, we are thrilled to be joining forces with one of the few Oscar-qualifying short film festivals in the land, Hollyshorts Film Festival. This year, as we have for the past 7 years, we are honored to present the hardworking and talented filmmakers that won this year's Stage 32 Short Film Contest during a special Hollyshorts screening on August 10th. Stage 32 has an exciting week of events lined up at the HollyShorts Film Festival beginning August 1...

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...