Producing

At my kids’ school, they’re putting up two new buildings, and I had the chance to watch them pour the concrete for the walls as I sat waiting in the carline the other day. What was really remarkable to me was the fact that in order to get to this step, they’d first had to assemble an entire framework that served as the mould for the walls. They’d basically built a building to build the building, in a manner of speaking. And then (because I’m a writer who likes thinking about the process of wri...

I wrote my first book at the age of nine, a pastiche inspired by Ben and Me, a favorite book about Ben Franklin and his sentient mouse companion. I can still recall the joy I had in simply putting words to paper, words that would conjure images in my mind as I wrote them. And that is the way I continue to write today, as if the story were a movie in my head, scenes rewound and replayed as I re-read and tweak them. I once read somewhere that not everyone visualizes what they read, that for some p...

Happy Sunday Creative Army! Have you had a creative weekend so far? I have some content here for you that is sure to get the creative juices flowing, so grab your coffee and let's dive in. First up, Behind the Curtain has a great interview with Rian Johnson (Knives Out, Star Wars: Episode VIII, Looper) about his writing process for Knives Out. Specifically, Rian talks about how he approached writing a modern whodunit, his experience as a writer/director, and more. Spoiler alert: if you haven...

Creatives usually don’t like being limited or bound by time. Expressing your creative thoughts through words, imagining worlds, coming up with plots and twists, and giving life to characters isn’t something you should rush. But what happens when you face the challenge of rewriting the screenplay? This task usually comes with a deadline that you need to respect. You can be the most talented screenwriter but if you don’t act respectfully towards the people who are willing to bring your play to l...

Independent filmmakers: the most important rules of marketing are to start early and keep focused on your target audience and how to monetize those consumers. What is the point of making a movie and no one knowing about it? – Marketing is the key. Marketing is a very important element in the world of film. In fact, studios are marketing machines and focus a great deal of time on marketing. Independent filmmakers should learn from the majors as they truly understand marketing. Although the wo...

Happy Thanksgiving, Creative Army! On behalf of the entire Stage 32 team, I'd like to wish everyone a happy and healthy Thanksgiving. This year, we have welcomed hundreds of thousands of new members to our growing, creative community, and we are beyond honored to provide each and every one of you a safe haven  to connect, be inspired, and come together to make art. We are all extremely grateful for the members of this community and for the incredible relationships and friendships that have blo...

I've worked with a lot of big-name talent, developed movies from best selling books from Stephen King to Ann Rule, and optioned and developed a few Opera Book Club picks including Songs In Ordinary Time, Jewel (won the Humanitas Award), and Midwives. I have worked with and developed projects for Warner Brothers, Sony/Tri-Star/Columbia, Mark Harmon's Wings Productions, and more over the past 30 years of my career. Over the years, I have worked with hundreds of screenwriters in all stages of the...

I’ve always considered myself unsuccessfully successful. On paper it all sounds pretty great. I started writing movies out of the angst of being a struggling actor. A casting director may not choose me. But I can. I choose me. The first movie I wrote had Chevy Chase and Burt Reynolds, Not Another Not Another Movie. My second, Scouts Honor, had Fred Willard and Chris Kattan. I then directed a passion project I wrote about a musician who gave away millions to live on a Native American Reserv...

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 in to this week's pipi...

Growing up, the word "nice" was a four-letter word. You may be taken aback to hear this for those who know me professionally since my reputation tends towards nurturing and empowerment. Yet my position has not wavered over the years. In a work atmosphere, I'd rather respect come before affection and efficiency before comfort. Why? We delved into the heart of it in Part 1 of this series: trust. Without it, no amount of gifts or affirmations will make up for the loss. For those of you who are n...