Screenwriting

You see excitement sparking in the producer’s eyes. They tell you your concept is unique, highly marketable, and fills a void in a profitable genre… Then the big question comes - the most important question you get asked in any pitch - “why are YOU the one to tell this story?” You respond, “I chose to write this paranoid-spy-thriller as my vehicle to immerse an audience in the experience of what it’s like living with an anxiety disorder, like my own CPTSD.” They had been leaning in up til...

Happy Wednesday Creative Army! Since 2011, the Stage 32 team has been working tirelessly to help you stay connected, creative, motivated, and informed. As always, we are committed to bringing you networking opportunities, education and mentoring from top-level industry executives and professionals, and access to decision-makers around the globe all from the comfort of your own home. Recently our efforts have been noticed by the media in a big way. We are incredibly proud and honored that Sta...

My fellow creatives, we’ve chosen a path that’s not for the faint-hearted. You have to believe, all the way down into the core of your being, that you can do this thing -- that you can create worlds, that you can bring imagination to life. And we ride the pendulum, sometimes on the daily, as it swings between godlike swagger and the abject fear of not being enough. And then there’s dealing with feedback. We are our own harshest critics in so many ways, but we all have our blind spots. Part o...

An Innovative Solution for an Innovative Problem I look great on paper. In fact, I work best on paper. Especially if that paper is uncoated 60-lb. cream-colored trade paperback book paper. I've sold over 100,000 books as an author (in print and digital). As a result, I've risen to the #1 spot on Amazon's Children's Action & Adventure Sci-Fi Bestseller list, #1 on Amazon's Steampunk Bestseller list, and in the top ten of several other bestseller lists. I look amazing on paper. But all thi...

Happy Thursday Stage 32-ers! Over the past 10 years, we here at Stage 32 have been thrilled to be recognized throughout the industry as the leaders in online film craft and business education. We are honored to be partnered with some of the most prestigious film festivals and markets in the world including the American Film Market, Cannes Film Festival and the Marché du film, and Raindance Film Festival in London, to name a few. Now, for the 6th year in a row, we are thrilled to be joining f...

Networking is too often associated with adjectives such as uncomfortable, artificial or intimidating. However, there are concrete ways to change your mindset and navigate these situations effectively so it goes back to what it was originally intended for: creating and solidifying meaningful and mutually beneficial relationships, in your industry and beyond.     1) Think About Your Purpose As a film producer, I have always wanted to work with people from all over the world to make authe...

Audiences could all use a good laugh right about now! That is why some of the most popular films this year have been comedies, including Kevin Hart’s FATHERHOOD which hit #1 in over 80 countries on Netflix and FREE GUY which premiered at #1 in the US Box Office. Producers, film financiers, agents, and managers are looking for fresh, unique, and inventive Feature Comedy. As audiences begin to return to movie theaters, everyone is hoping for the same thing: to leave feeling uplifted and with a...

Happy Sunday Creative Army! The 2021 Emmy awards ceremony is today, so I have some piping hot Emmy's content for you today! Grab your coffee and let's dive in.  First up, Variety shared a conversation between 2021 Emmy-nominated actors Kaley Cuoco (The Flight Attendant) and Elizabeth Olson (WandaVision) as part of the series "Actors on Actors". They chat about navigating sitcoms, producing their own content, and more.  Next up, the Writers Guild Foundation shares a fascinating look inside...

Controlled chaos. Calculated risks. Strategic fun. The juggle, the marathon, the tornado - whatever circulatory movement you visualize the entertainment industry to be, it entices us in and sweeps us off our feet. Our eyes bulge wide to look at it, swirling, bustling, booming with activity. But when you’re in it? It just feels like “the groove.” Athletes reference this term as being in “the zone,” which is often defined as “a state of supreme focus [that] helps athletes perform at their peak pot...

Stage 32’s Film Finance Summit rocked. The panelists were “unfiltered and unhinged,” said one of the Stage 32 moderators, Amanda Toney. Another Stage 32 moderator, Harrison Glaser called them, “unvarnished,” and personally, I loved the speaker’s honesty and transparency. With three panels on producing, finance, and distribution, the Summit took a complex and open look at the state of the film and TV industry in 2021. I’ve remixed the wisdom from all three panels together in a 3-part blog seri...