Networking

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...

Our next video in the CrowsSOURCING series is important, as it talks about using social media when crowdsourcing. And if you’re looking to create a buzz about your film, TV, or digital project, social media is going to be one of your most powerful tools. In his book, Crowdsourcing For Filmmakers, Indie Film and the Power of the Crowd, Stage 32 CEO Richard “RB” Botto shares case studies of projects that used social media to attract massive attention. But just how they did it is key. In the vi...

One Stage 32 blog post.Two hours to write.Three opportunities as a result. (And one of them is in Scotland!)When Stage 32 member Joey Madia wrote his first Escape Room narratives for an organization, it was in 2017. He wrote them for two 5-star escape rooms on the Crystal Coast of North Carolina. Those rooms are still active today. Not long afterwards, he wrote and published a blog post right here on Stage 32 called Seven Steps for Writing Escape Room Narratives (And How to Find Opportunities...

I couldn't pass this one up, people. Especially because we have to talk to others. I mean, you can try like hell to go through life making a living and not having conversations, but I feel like that really wouldn't work. I mean, have you ever tried to go through an entire day without saying a word to anyone? Okay, okay, you probably you have. Hell, that's me today. (It's a quiet day as I write this and the only living things around me are my two dogs, dead exhausted from the walk I took them...

For the past few weeks we’ve been featuring videos in our crowdSOURCING series hosted by Stage 32 CEO, Richard “RB” Botto. RB authored his best-selling book, Crowdsourcing For Filmmakers, Indie Film and the Power of the Crowd to light the way for indie filmmakers and other creatives looking to make their mark with independent projects. In the new video below, he talks about how to use crowdsourcing to build an audience. “Boots on the ground,” as he says, are needed to carry the message of your...