Networking

I’ve been a member of Stage 32 since 2014. I have taken full advantage of pitching opportunities, webinars, contests and networking with other members since then. I have a Theater Arts degree from Northwestern University. Not surprisingly, I spent my post college years doing theatre, including stage managing at the Groundlings Theater and New Regency Productions in LA. I moved to Denver in the late 90s. There I met a guy who would become one of my dearest friends and writing partner, Scott Gib...

When my friend and creative collaborator Caroline Slaughter first pitched me her concept for the short film LAMB in late 2017 at the start of the #metoo movement, my first response was “Hell Yeah!” (actual response censored) and my second was “Here is a chance to create change”. LAMB is about an eager and trusting filmmaker who follows a female assistant from a hotel lobby to a secluded room for “a meeting” with the assistant’s boss... Were these female assistants who led Hollywood’s lambs to...

Good morning Stage 32 Creative Crew! I hope you’ve had a productive and creative weekend. And I like me, I am sure you are ready to tackle this week and knock out some of your goals. We’re officially in the Summer of 2020 now, and while the year has not gone according to anyone’s plan, there is still a lot of great news for our community. Some of the best news comes directly from our members who shattered records in June. Listen to this, in the month of June, there were over 70 meeting reques...

According to the definition, failure is a lack of success. It’s interesting that dictionary.com defined it in this way. A lack of success. It’s seemingly inevitable to experience a certain level of failure in order to succeed. When you think about it, any successful filmmaker would also be considered a failed filmmaker. Is there a level of success one must experience to no longer be considered a failure? What is the measure of success? One hell of a question. Thinking back on my career, it’s b...

There are probably thousands of film festivals held every year. The number of actual film markets is a lot less. Under the current COVID-19 crisis, many of these film festivals and markets have introduced online editions, to either (temporarily) replace the physical versions or to run alongside the physical versions of these may happen after all if and when the COVID-19 crisis is over or at least significantly reduced. What is the difference between a film festival and a film market? And what...

Happy Wednesday Stage 32 Community! Last week, our fearless leader Richard "RB" Botto hosted one of his signature "Ask Me Anything" webinars focusing on the "new normal" that is the entertainment industry during COVID-19. We were beyond jazzed to virtually host thousands of Stage 32 members tuning in from every corner of the world, culminating in an invigorating two hours of inspirational and no-bs shop talk from RB.   In this Ask Me Anything, RB answered questions from Stage 32 members, bot...

Good morning Stage 32 Creative Crew! I hope you had a great weekend and were able to hit your screenwriting or creative goals. It has been a busy month at Stage 32 and I wanted to take this opportunity to congratulate our members who have been seeing the results of their dedication pay off. As you know, we’re about halfway through the year, and to date there have been over 275 meetings requested by executives after connecting with screenwriters through Stage 32! But even more than that, more...

Stage 32 hosts online forums, called Lounges to encourage like-minded professionals to communicate and collaborate. As I've become more familiar with these lounges as the new Stage32 Community Manager, the more I liken them to V.I.P. Filmmakers' Lounges hosted at film festivals. These are the exclusive rooms where creators can step away from the pomp and press to find other professionals… and a stiff drink. These are the "networking opportunities" that so many in the industry scramble to attain....

Happy Friday Creative Army! As you all know, Stage 32 Screenings has taken the entertainment industry by storm. Our initiative has been covered by Deadline, Variety, CNN, and dozens more. We are currently screening over 100 features, shorts, and episodic pilots from SXSW, Tribeca, BFI: Flare London LGBTIQ+ Film Festival, and Telluride Mountainfilm Documentary Festival to our network of over 6,000 invited sales agents, distributors, managers, agents, producers, development execs, financiers and...

1. HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? As a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic, theaters around the world were forced to close their doors. Independent and arthouse theaters, in particular, have been deeply affected by these closures. Working in concert with a handful of independent distributors and platforms, the “Virtual Theatrical” model was born as a way for these independent theaters to showcase new theatrical content, connect with their local patrons, and generate revenue.     2. WHAT IS I...