Screenwriting

Until my brain injury in 2013, I lived my life as a cis-gendered white male. Apart from my experience with disability, which I admit was eye-opening, I’m about as diversity-challenged as a human being can get. I went to boarding school, for crying out loud. Nevertheless, my approach to writing characters has earned me a reputation as someone who provides fantastic performance opportunities to underrepresented people. Mastering these techniques has taken me more than a decade of practice, but i...

Happy Friday Stage 32! As you all know, Stage 32 Screenings has taken the industry by storm. Our initiative has been covered by Deadline, Variety, CNN, and more. We are currently screening over 100 features, shorts, and episodic pilots from SXSW, Tribeca, and Telluride Mountainfilm Documentary Festival to our network of producers, financiers, development executives, distributors, and more. We are ecstatic to report that two feature films from our Stage 32 Screenings initiative have already bee...

Happy Wednesday Stage 32! With everything going on in the world right now it is easy to find yourself lacking motivation and drowning in a seemingly endless stream of negativity on the news (first Coronavirus and now "Murder Hornets", c'mon 2020 get it together). While there is certainly a lot of negativity swirling around out there, here at Stage 32 we are continuously honored to bring you inspiration, motivation, education, and community all 100% online - we are proud to be putting the "soci...

I have a confession to make. I’m a Tetris addict. Thinking fast to fit those little blocks together with no gaps -- it is such a satisfying challenge. I love M.C. Escher and Mandelbrot fractals and the mathematics of the golden ratio for the same reason: the precision and manipulation of form.     Maybe it’s because my dad is a software engineer and he introduced me to flow diagrams when I was like seven years old, but to me, there’s nothing quite as exquisite as the beauty and elega...

The current Covid-19 virus pandemic has dramatically impacted our lives. Shelter in place, face masks, and social distancing seem to have become the new normal, at least for the near term. Schools are closed, sporting events cancelled, and non-essential businesses have been shut down. The stock market doesn’t know how to react. Creatives watch their future revenues evaporate as SXSW, Tribeca, Coachella and other festivals, large and small, are cancelled. Broadway is closed, uncertain whether pro...

“When you’re writing, you’re conjuring. It’s a ritual, and you need to be brave and respectful and sometimes get out of the way of whatever it is that you’re inviting into the room.”-Tom Waits As is often the case with major life changes, my pursuit of screenwriting came quite suddenly. On July 14, 2018, I sat in a Starbucks and considered my career. You see, I had worked in higher education for eight years, and while there was certainly joy to be found there, I wanted more. It was in this mom...

Happy Wednesday, Stage 32 Community!   I hope this blog finds you safe, happy, healthy, and creative. You'll remember, I promised you free education during these challenging times to keep you entertained and to provide up-to-date, no BS information regarding how the industry is handling business during quarantine. I believe we've delivered some compelling and thoughtful panels, roundtables and even a live, online table read. And now we're ready to do it again by bringing you another free, live...

What's up, Stage 32 Creative Army? All over the world, we are all navigating the "new normal" that these uncertain times have thrust upon us. Between quarantine, social distancing, set closures and more, the future of the entertainment industry is uncertain at best... but there is a lot of good that is happening right now. Last week, I had the chance to sit down with my brother from another mother, Alex Ferrari at Indie Film Hustle for what I think is my 7,643rd podcast appearance. As always,...

Good morning Stage 32 Creative Crew! Welcome back to another week of creativity and productivity! We’re kicking off the week with a big dose of motivation to get you fired up for the week. But before we dive into this week’s story, did you hear what producer Bradley Gallo of Amasia Entertainment predicted during last week’s Executive Hour exclusively in the Writers' Room? He said that he is reading and developing more than ever because there are rumblings in the industry that productions coul...

The Evolution of the Creative process "Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes; Art is knowing which ones to keep." -Scott Adams We’ve all heard or referenced the Heraclitus quote, “The only constant in life is change.” I have long held the belief that creativity, like so much in life, changes as well. Writing, I’ve concluded is an evolutionary process. It was a fascinating observation once I realized this was true. I would love to say this was a “road to Damascus” revelation of my...