Networking

It has been a strange two years for film festivals, but they are coming back in person and we are (at last) able to see our films in theaters again! It is thrilling after all your work on a film, to have the exhilarating experience of a dynamic and successful Q & A at a film festival with a packed audience. Conversely, most of us have experienced the shock of seeing a Q &A where no questions were asked. Worse, is having your short screened with others and ending up the only one not having a qu...

Many people dream of being a screenwriter while still young; I came to it later in life. Having just turned 40, I was in Boston with an injured back while serving on the security detail for Secretary of State John Kerry, when I was reading a book and suddenly it came out of nowhere, "I have to turn this into a screenplay." [Even though I didn't own the rights. I found out how that works much later...] Eight years later, I have my first shopping agreement. One might ask, "how do you keep going...

Happy Sunday Creative Army! I've got my coffee in hand and your weekly dose of content coming in hot - grab your coffee of choice and let's dive right in. First up, the folks over at Film Riot have a fascinating video about how music is one of the main ways to convey tone/genre in your film. By using examples from Mad Max: Fury Road, Reservoir Dogs, and more - you will see the effect that different styles of music can have on the experience your audience will have, no matter what is happenin...

When one is starting out on the journey in acting, the conventional wisdom for decades has been to choose between New York or Los Angeles. East Coast or West Coast. Broadway or Hollywood. In the last 20 years, other cities have competed for films as a production hub: Vancouver, Toronto, New Orleans, Chicago. In the last 5 years alone, Atlanta has become the busiest production center in the country. There are pros and cons of living in each one of these locations; and one might feel forced to m...

Hello Stage 32 Creative Army! We are thrilled to announce yet another Stage 32 resource that you can use to learn and grow as a creative or professional in the entertainment industry - the Stage 32 Glossary! No matter what hat(s) you wear in the entertainment industry, there are a host of entertainment industry-specific terms and phrases you may come across in your career. To best prepare yourself for your entertainment journey, you should take some time to familiarize yourself with these te...

"Write what you know." It's a well-worn saying. We've all heard it, and understand the wisdom therein. But as you struggle for success in the screenwriting world, it's often more tempting to try to write something high concept, something that will sell, something that will land you representation. As writers, we've both found some success -- Jamie wrote and starred in a solo show which ran off-broadway, Josh has sold a feature and TV pilot -- but we're more familiar with disappointment. While...

Well, hello, there! My name is Karen Ross, but please, call me Kay. I wanted to formally introduce myself: I am an actress, writer, producer, director, and all-around free spirit. I currently host a weekly event on Clubhouse called "The Victory Round" to help creatives build their confidence by celebrating their achievements, big or small. Among other many things, I love martial arts, instrumental film soundtracks, the Bard, tea time, and am deeply obsessed with trying new restaurants. I can’t w...

There is no Business like Show Business. And possibly that is true, as there is no place, other than politics, that a good or bad reputation can travel faster than a supersonic jet. You have to treat your reputation as your most prized possession in Hollywood. There seems to be a misunderstanding about what reputation truly means. A solid reputation is built on professionalism but even more so on how good a human being you are on a solid ground of authenticity and I, for one, quote more than...

Happy Thursday Stage 32! Our fearless leader and CEO, Richard "RB" Botto recently had the pleasure of being a guest on the Be Customer Led Podcast. In this exclusive podcast interview RB discusses How to Build a Community and Member Experience. Specifically, RB talks about his personal journey and experience founding Stage 32 and growing the community to over 800,000 members worldwide. Here is a sneak peek: “You have to inspire yourself every day. Even if you had a massively bad day be...

Hello, readers of Stage 32! My name is Tennyson E. Stead, I’ve been working in entertainment all my life, and I’ve written more than 50 screenplays - many of them as a ghostwriter, which means a vastly disproportionate portion of my writing is both paid and uncredited work. In fact, a huge number of my professional decisions have involved compromises that I think a lot of writers would balk at, and certainly I’m constantly making decisions that draw rigorous, interrogative concern from my collea...