Screenwriting

As we think about our work as writers, sometimes we forget that there are “off the page” skills that we need to develop as well. We spend a lot of time on craft, focused on dialogue, character arcs, and plot outlining—everything we need to make a strong story. But building a career as a screenwriter—or as any kind of creative—involves more than writing. Entrepreneurship, professionalism, productivity habits, and presentation skills are four “off the page” skills we can develop as we master ou...

One of my biggest dreams as a kid was to become a famous Hollywood screenwriter. I spent hours creating games and roleplaying story ideas with my younger sister. I even transformed my bedroom into a live stage and performed plays for my family. Once I graduated high school, it was apparent what career I desired. Everyone, including my friends, family, and teachers, supported my decision. Go on, Zorrawa, you've got this! You're going to be a star in no time! I can already see you walking the r...

Hey, Creative Army! Digital Journal recognized our fearless leader founder & CEO Richard "RB" Botto's contributions to the creative industry and interviewed him this week. In this article, RB discusses what it’s like as a CEO in the digital age and what Stage 32 is doing to support the workers affected by the strikes. RB also addresses his thoughts on artificial intelligence (AI) and on the future of the entertainment industry. This is a can’t miss read, especially if you’ve ever wanted a look...

Happy Tuesday, Creative Army! As you know, mental health is a very important subject to me. My mission, and that of everyone here at Stage 32, is to provide our members with a safe, motivating, and collaborative environment. Somewhere free from the toxicity of broad-based social media platforms. In celebration of World Mental Health Day today, I want to share the below video with you all. In this video, I’m joined by author and actress Stephanie Szostak (A Million Little Things, Devil Wears...

The Pass You did it, my friend. You wrote for weeks upon weeks and rewrote it again. When it was finished, there it sat in front of you. Your most brilliant screenplay and or pilot. After reading it and congratulating yourself, you knew it was pure gold. A work of unending genius. There will be so many execs and producers lined up with bags of money and praise because they have never read anything like this before. You take a deep breath as you open your Stage 32 account to peruse who is lookin...

Fun. The main reason most of us got into (or are trying to get into) the film and TV industry is because it sounds so much fun! And it is - some of the best times of my life have been on set. I have been lucky enough to have filmed all over the world, from Pinewood to Bollywood and from Montana to the Sahara. I’ve worked on some really wonderful productions and I’ve been on some really awful productions that if I could get in my TARDIS, travel back in time, and change that timeline - then I woul...

I started acting a little later than most of my fellow thespians. I’d always been a creative person: writing, drawing, and playing music, but acting was something I feared. “Who am I to act?” “Who would possibly be entertained by my performance?” So, out of fear, I never tried acting. That was, until my 30s. My career in the toy industry had stalled and I was feeling less connected to myself. I was getting sick a lot, and I was having trouble finding direction or inspiration. In other words, I w...

I have been screenwriting for many years but always had difficulty making any serious progress, even after winning major screenwriting awards. As a UK-based screenwriter specializing in Science Fiction, there seemed to be the added issue of sci-fi being perceived as too expensive and thus easy to disregard (at least in my small part of the world). I began using Stage 32 Pitch Sessions as there was a clear appetite from many of the professionals for genre material. To date, I have received 5 full...

Hi, Stage 32 Community! Our Stage 32 Team has been working diligently to bring in as many new resources and opportunities as possible to enrich your experience here in our community! At Stage 32 you have direct access to industry professionals who’ve written, authored, developed, produced, directed and represented acclaimed projects like BROOKLYN STORY, THE NIGHT OF, HIS DARK MATERIALS, A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES, THE BEAR, THE AMERICANS, EVERYBODY HATES CHRIS, MY FRIEND DAHMER, MY TRUE CRIME...

As creatives, we sure can take some hard knocks. We put our work out there, hoping someone will like it enough to bring it to life. Then, we may find ourselves hoping again that there will be a distribution home once our project is made. Often, we, or I sure do, feel vulnerable when hitting send on anything you have written or uneasily sit as you watch something you created with an audience. You squirm, feeling like maybe you are not as good, smart, or creative as you thought. Over the years of...