Networking

Hello, Creative Army. A few weeks back, I hosted another content packed AMA (Ask Me Anything).  The members of the Stage 32 community who attended live brought their A-game.  We went for 2 plus hours and covered about 2 dozen questions on film, television and digital related subjects.  And now the entire show is available for you to watch On Demand.   Here's just some of what we discussed: - How to raise financing for features - How to find financiers - How to find finishing funds fo...

Food is important: biologically, emotionally, and culturally. To the detriment of all of us, our modern hurry-up culture persuades us that eating, like sleeping, are simply tasks that need to be marginalized for the sake of our productivity. What a lie. Food feeds not only our bodies, but also our senses. The creative mind is fed not only by the senses, but also by food. Furthermore, when we break bread together we foster community; when we prepare a meal for someone in need, we show compassio...

You love being an artist. When you create, you feel at home in your own realm of imagination, fantasy, and storytelling. It feels meaningful and it feels right. At the same time, you don’t necessarily feel happy or fully satisfied with your career. You feel that your reality doesn’t quite match your dreams, and that’s a challenging place to be.   It’s hard to feel like you aren’t getting where you want to be in your career. You keep asking yourself why you’re so stuck. Did I make the wrong ch...

If you’re a creative, then you already know that a large majority of us tend to be introverted. But if we allow that to stop us from crowdSOURCING and networking, we’ll never gain the competitive advantage that we need to push our project out to the masses. In this next video in the crowdsourcing video series hosted by Stage 32 CEO Richard “RB” Botto, the #1 best-selling author of Crowdsourcing For Filmmakers: Indie Film and the Power of the Crowd, reminds us that giving selflessly and offerin...

Happy Monday everyone! As I am sure you know by now the 26th Annual Austin Film Festival kicked off last week and Stage 32 was in the middle of it all. Stage 32 has always had a presence at the festival and this year we expanded our relationship and became official partners with AFF. Our leader Rich Botto and I spoke on filmmaking panels, we screened our 4th Annual Short Film Program, we hosted our 7th Annual Rooftop Bash at the Handlebar and I was fortunate enough to personally conduct intervie...

Are you ready to walk “into the room” and pitch to a decision-maker such as an agent, financier, producer, distributor or studio executive? Here are the top ten pitching tips to help you in a high-stakes situation. There are 5 Do’s and 5 Don’ts:   1) Do prepare for the five stages of the meeting. In Stage 1, you build rapport and warm up the room. In Stage 2, you ask questions and listen to show respect. In Stage 3, you deliver the prepared component of your pitch. In Stage 4, you d...

 In the five years I have been on Stage 32, I have read many threads and conversed with at least a dozen playwrights making the transition to screenwriting, in whole or in part. This is not surprising given the growing opportunities in the filmmaking and television industries and the shrinking budgets and opportunities in the theatre. In the past 20 years, I have written over twenty produced plays and musicals (I’m currently revising my 21st), for a variety of ages and audiences. Although, by...

Building, engaging, and moving an audience. That’s what the Crowdsourcing video series these past few weeks has been teaching you. As far as the advantage you’ll gain by reading the book? There’s more than one. Far more. Stage 32 CEO Richard “RB” Botto is the best-selling author of Crowdsourcing For Filmmakers: Indie Film and the Power of the Crowd, the number #1 best-selling book on Amazon that covers how to find and move an audience to a point where they give back in ways that can only help...

This year at the Cannes Film Festival I had the opportunity to meet Heidi Philipsen, a dual-citizen filmmaker from the United States and Germany. With each country being different in the various ways they make films, Heidi realized that there is an opportunity for trans-Atlantic filmmakers to learn from one another and support each other creatively. So, she did something about it. Heidi put together a panel at the Hamburg Film Fest for Women in Film & Television International (WIFTI) and NYWIFT...

The American Film Market is a great place to find partners and pitch projects and films – if you have a plan. Use these steps to increase your chances of success.     PROLOGUE If you have a project or script, the most effective use of your time and money is to purchase an AFM Industry Badge or Industry Badge Plus which allow access to all offices, booths and most screenings beginning on Saturday (Day 4). The Industry Badge Plus includes all conferences and the writers workshop. Buy y...