Screenwriting

She sat at her large, dark pine desk, wrapped in her brown knit cardigan. Her shoulders were hunched, as usual. Her jaw was tight. “I’m running out of time. I need to maximise my time and do as much as I can. I need to hurry up and write,” she thought. But everything from the neck down felt like a ton of bricks. She felt beyond tired. Beyond depleted. And filled with nothing but dread about the day ahead. A day where she would likely produce nothing at all, or at least nothing she felt remotel...

Hi, Stage 32 Creatives! This month, I want to talk about the impact that Netflix's TV Series “Adolescence” is having all over the entertainment industry, especially on the audiences. The first time I heard about “Adolescence” was because my social media in Portugal was blowing up with people sharing about the series and the pressures of social media on teenagers. Also, people were sharing about the incel emoji culture, and I didn’t understand anything. That made me want to watch the show,...

Happy Sunday, Creative Army! Let’s kick things off with a huge shoutout to everyone who has already jumped into this month’s Introduce Yourself Weekend. Thousands of creatives from around the world are connecting, sharing their stories, and building relationships that will lead to collaborations, opportunities, and lifelong friendships. If you haven’t yet made your introduction, you’ve still got time! Head over to the Introduce Yourself Lounge and say hello before the weekend wraps. Be bold....

If you’ve been dreaming of writing the next great romantic comedy, there’s never been a better time to learn directly from someone doing it at the highest level. On Monday, April 21st at 11:00 am PT, Stage 32 is thrilled to offer you exclusive FREE access to 30 Minutes with Mahtub — a live Ask Me Anything event with rising TV writer and rom-com powerhouse, Mahtub Zare Mochanloo. This event is part of Stage 32’s mission to connect our global community of creatives with working industry profes...

What’s up, Creative Army! It’s been a wild start to 2025 for the entertainment industry as a whole. And I know many of you have been feeling it, too. Between my travel schedule, the LA fires that hit close to home, the ongoing M&A (mergers and acquisitions) activity reshaping the business, and the powerful resurgence of independent film, I’ve been on the ground, in the meetings, and having conversations with industry leaders every single week. And let me tell you… there’s a LOT happening rig...

Happy Sunday, Creative Army! Have you had a creative weekend so far? Whether you’ve been writing, filming, editing, or simply dreaming up your next big idea, I’ve got some inspiring content to fuel your passion and keep you moving forward. So grab your coffee, and let’s dive in. This video essay from Film Stack dives into the fascinating career of GARY OLDMAN, an absolute master of transformation. He’s played everything from Dracula to Churchill, Beethoven to Sirius Black. But there was a ti...

I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the very individual process a professional creative must go through in order to be present for their “tribe” or be strong enough to lead a team. Especially since doing the work for yourself, BY yourself is essential. It is the foundation of everything else we create. Consider for a moment when you visit a doctor. It is certainly their job to help analyze what ails you and suggest a plan to heal you, expecting them to do all of the work is ineffective at...

You’re ready to pitch your TV series idea. You’re there, in the room or on Zoom, you’re nervous as hell but you know your stuff, you’ve got this, you draw a deep breath, you say that much-practiced logline and end with “it’s X meets Y!” Someone somewhere told you to use “comps”, so you picked two shows or films that bear some resemblance to your show and put them together. They told you to pick comps that were profitable to show your project will be too, but what does “profitable” even mean in t...

Branding and Your Personal Narrative There is perhaps one assignment that we don’t consider using our talents for very much, and it’s rewriting our personal narrative. You really should consider it as your most pressing deadline because people who are interested in purchasing your screenplay or investing in your film will want to know who they are dealing with. Who are you, and what is the why behind what you do? I had to write numerous scripts before I understood these questions and could an...

There comes a point in every creator’s journey where the weight of it all feels unbearable. You’ve poured time, energy, and your very soul into a project, only to be met with roadblocks, failures, and moments where quitting seems like the most logical option. The world doesn’t see the sleepless nights, the doubts, the financial strain, the countless rejections. But you do. And that’s exactly why you have to keep going. The Breaking Point is the Turning Point The projects that matter most are...