Producing

As writers, we often hear the phrase, “kill your darlings.” But, that phrase is often in the context of cutting out writing or scenes that don’t work, slow down a piece, or are utterly unnecessary. Recently though, I’ve found myself taking it another way. I’m one of those people who work on multiple projects at once, and two of the things I’m working on had a similar thing happen. I cut an entire character from both. This can be more painful than cutting scenes or entire plot points. In bo...

The power of story: You are either moving forward or you're dying back. Halfway through my senior year of college my husband died in his sleep. There were no warning signs of illness. He went to bed with a few sniffles. Later, I was told by our family doctor who read the coroner's report, "C" went into a coma and never woke up. All my worlds ended that day. You're asked to upend your grief to complete every minute task almost immediately after the death. Unbeknown to you, it's not the time...

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...

One of my favorite books of the last few years is Delia Owens’ Where the Crawdads Sing, a stunning and lyrical coming-of-age story and murder mystery set in the marshes of North Carolina. It’s a gripping, evocative, uniquely told tale--the stuff of great novels. But will it be the stuff of great movies when it arrives in theaters this summer? There’s a part of me that can’t wait to see the film version of this bestselling book and another part that wonders if it will--if it can--live up to th...

"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...

Happy Sunday Creative Army! First of all, congratulations to all of you who have already participated in our monthly Introduce Yourself Weekend! Thousands of connections have been made between entertainment creatives and professionals from every corner of the globe. Whether you are a long-time member, or brand new to Stage 32, take a moment to pop over to the Introduce Yourself Lounge and say hello before the end of the weekend. Now, grab some fresh coffee and let's dive into this week's conte...

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...