Networking

Ready for advice from 2 New Yorker's in Hollywood? For writers and actors all over the world, making the decision to move to LA isn't taken lightly. For some, the move isn't possible. For others, it's been in the cards for a long time. And for even more, it's something they would love to do, but the timing isn't quite right. In this clip from the FREE webinar "Ask Me Anything," hosted by Stage 32 CEO and screenwriter Richard "RB" Botto, RB teams up with film producer Bradley Gallo to discuss...

If you’re a first-time filmmaker, you should market your film or other project first. This is what Stage 32 CEO Richard “RB” Botto covers in the next video in his continued series that dives deep into crowdSOURCING for filmmakers. Rb is the best-selling author of Crowdsourcing For Filmmakers: Indie Film and the Power of the Crowd, and he covers this crucial point in the video below. Most of the time, as a first-time filmmaker or content creator, no one really knows who you are. Therefore, p...

Growing up I had a love for books and movies. When Stranger Than Fiction came out I fell in love with the writing. But more importantly, I fell in love with the value of two forms of entertainment rolled into the ticket price of one movie. It was value I enjoyed so much, that I wanted to be more than an author; I wanted my books to be optioned for movies. When the first real literary success came across my life path I went headlong into daydreams of the silver screen. These flights of fantasi...

  The most important thing in life is showing up. I am blown away by your ability to show up. (Keanu Reeves, Hard Ball)   Prologue Primarily being a writer, and one who does a lot of historical research, I spend a lot of time alone. So, when I’m hired as an actor, director, storyteller, or teacher, it gives me an opportunity to test my philosophies of keeping motivated and inspired and doing the same for others. For three weeks in June I toured as Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara in a...

Last month in my post, When Your Dreams [In the Filmmaking World] Fade, I left you hanging with me barely keeping control of my bowels, frozen in panic as my short life flashed before my eyes upon hearing my homeroom teachers voice on the phone. "Put your mother on the phone now," she barked a second time. I dropped the phone on my bed and ran downstairs to my parents screaming, "Mrs. Rankin is on the phone!!!" No matter how punk rock I try to be, I often have this reaction interiorly to...

If you're an actor, you may be wondering what it's like working alongside A-list actors. What's more, what can you learn from them? Let's find out from a true pro. Allen Maldonado, an actor who stars with Tracy Morgan in The Last OG (created by Tracy Morgan and Jordan Peele) talked to Stage 32 at Film Con Hollywood about what it's like working along side the likes of Denzel Washington and Jennifer Aniston. Allen discovered the value he gleaned from these long-time actors wasn't just tucked ins...

As we continue to post the Stage 32 CrowdSOURCING video series each week, questions come up from those soaking in the videos. One question that has come up more than once is, “Can you crowdfund a TV, film, or digital project without crowdsourcing that project first?” Stage 32 CEO Richard “RB” Botto, author of the best-selling book Crowdsourcing For Filmmakers: Indie Film and the Power of the Crowd, takes this question head on in his book, and briefly in the video below. Take a listen:  ...

I’ve been writing a long time - initially novels, then drama for the stage and radio, and then screenplays. Over the years I have built a portfolio of ten feature scripts and two TV pilots, which I have been pitching and submitting to competitions and mentoring programmes. At first, every submission made me nervous, and I waited impatiently for the response, finding it hard to turn my thoughts to other projects. If the answer was a pass I could be floored for a day or two before picking myself...

Throughout our CrowdSOURCING video series, we’ve shared how content creators can spread the word about their film, TV, or digital projects. Is this next video, Stage 32 CEO Richard “RB” Botto, author of the best-selling book Crowdsourcing For Filmmakers: Indie Film and the Power of the Crowd, talks about the most viable ways to spread the world about any creative project so that it is seen, heard, and funded. More exclusively, he hones in on why some filmmakers don’t believe they have to say o...

One of the most exciting aspects of being in a creative industry (writing, music, filmmaking, etc.) is that once your content is out there, it’s OUT THERE—for all eternity. Courtesy of the Internet Age, that content can be discovered (or re-discovered) at any moment via simple Google search.   Participatory Journalism On Steroids     In the late-90’s, I was following in my literary idol Hunter S. Thompson’s footsteps, engaging in participatory journalism—primarily for hip men’s lifes...