Networking

Hi, Stage 32ers! This year marked a monumental milestone for Stage 32, our 10th year on La Croisette! In many ways, it was our most successful year yet. During our first-ever Stage 32 Cannes meetup, we had a close-knit group of 17 people in attendance. This year, we grew to 1500 attendees at our Stage 32 party in partnership with Variety! It was amazing to see so many people from our global community show up to celebrate, network, and support each other. We had Stage 32 members screening th...

You’ve heard the saying “Jack of all trades, master of none”? I’m going to start with something controversial, I hate that quote. This quote has been preached to me on many occasions throughout my career and I can imagine it will continue for the rest of my years. Why this quote? Because my creativity is hard to grasp, I do many things and can do many things well. Does this sound like you? Your creativity doesn’t fit in the societal norms of occupation, the idea that we decide to be or do one...

As an independent producer, I'm always planning my next project. With a stack of screenplays (many of which are my own), and no Mr. Moneytree waiting to spread his love, it can be challenging. This is why I've taken the Robert Rodriguez approach when it comes to filmmaking. For those of you unfamiliar, Robert Rodriguez's first feature film, El Mariachi, had no crew. And almost no budget. At a meager 7k, he was the writer, director, cinematographer, location scout, sound, and editor. With inflati...

I was a Stage 32 "virgin" when it happened. Truth be told, I think it was my third time, my third 8-minute Pitch Session with a Stage 32 Exec. Being an "ugly red-headed stepchild" of the entertainment world, meaning even though I have a successful career as an Entertainment Marketing Creative, I had to find a way for executives to see me in a new light. A multi-award winning Creative Director, writing, producing, and directing trailers, etcetera needed executives to now take me seriously as a...

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, we're looking at A24. What makes the look of an A24 film? Can you rep...

Hello everyone! I know this must sound like a promotional blog, a congratulatory blog, or a persuasive blog! Actually, it is none of these! It is just an account of what Stage 32 has done for me at this moment in time. So, please give me a moment for some backstory... My name is Selma Karayalçın and I’m a fifty-year-old woman going on twenty-one who lives on the island of Aphrodite which is called Cyprus. If you don’t know where that is, it is a tiny dot on the map in the eastern Mediterra...

Hey, Stage 32ers! I hope you're all making great progress on your creative projects this week! This weekend is Introduce Yourself Weekend here at Stage 32! To celebrate, we have our June in-person meet-up for those in Los Angeles (click here to RSVP). In preparation, here's a refresher on how to come out of your shell to connect with our worldwide community from our CEO Richard 'RB' Botto in the vlog below. If you would like more great industry and career advice, as well as inside access...

You’ve spent hundreds of hours pouring into your book or your script. You’re finally finished, and in the midst of your celebration, you realize now it’s time for edits and rewrites. The confetti is short-lived and now you have a decision to make: who are you going to choose for your editor? If your thoughts drift to one of your friends, family members, or even yourself—you may want to reconsider and make sure you have a professional in your corner. Having a fresh set of eyes from a storytelli...

I am the director and a producer for a proof of concept short called Innocent Love that we developed for a tv series that we called Forgotten Wisdom. It’s set in historic times but also very relatable to current-day problems. It is also meant to be educational in showing how problems were once dealt with. We were able to shoot during the summer of 2020 with the intention of pitching to a local streaming service in Slovenia and maybe even internationally. 1. How It All Started In early 2020...

Hey, Stage 32ers! This community has grown so much since we launched over a decade ago, and every day, new people are joining and asking what is Stage 32 all about? So for the final vlog in this series, for both new members and veterans, we're getting into what makes Stage 32 such a unique and special place. Wishing you a very happy, healthy, & creative week. Cheers, RB Let's hear your thoughts in the comments below! Got an idea for a post? Or have you collaborated with Stage 32...